One of my favorite spy series is Joanna Bourne's Spymasters. Her romantic protagonists, who are spies on opposing sides, have to deal with the fact that the British monarchy--the king supposedly ordained by God--is mad, and his son is a self-absorbed aging, spendthrift fribble. That's the form of government they're fighting for? On the French side, the "Republic" has devolved into rule by a bloodthirsty despot who might well be conquering Europe, but he's gutting France to do it. That's what liberty, equality and fraternity are supposed to look like?
So both sides have to become disillusioned with the whole premise behind their spying, and that only leaves.... love conquering all. But those are romances, so that solution works.
And oldie but goodie that isn't a spy novel per se, but a romance set during the Reign of Terror is Angel in a Red Dress, by Judith Ivory. Our hero is an English aristocrat who dedicates himself to getting French aristos to safety, even as he supports republican values. He's run by a spymaster who ultimately tries to destroy him.
So many Regency romances stick with the Netherfield Ball approach to the era, and I absolutely love that your spy novels illuminate a much more realistic version of the period.
Joanna Bourne's books are great and I love how they deal with the complexities of the spy game. Judith Ivory is a great writer but I haven't read Angel in a Red Dress - I should look for it. The complexities of the relationships between spies and spymasters - especially when they disagree - are fascinating to explore.
One of my favorite spy series is Joanna Bourne's Spymasters. Her romantic protagonists, who are spies on opposing sides, have to deal with the fact that the British monarchy--the king supposedly ordained by God--is mad, and his son is a self-absorbed aging, spendthrift fribble. That's the form of government they're fighting for? On the French side, the "Republic" has devolved into rule by a bloodthirsty despot who might well be conquering Europe, but he's gutting France to do it. That's what liberty, equality and fraternity are supposed to look like?
So both sides have to become disillusioned with the whole premise behind their spying, and that only leaves.... love conquering all. But those are romances, so that solution works.
And oldie but goodie that isn't a spy novel per se, but a romance set during the Reign of Terror is Angel in a Red Dress, by Judith Ivory. Our hero is an English aristocrat who dedicates himself to getting French aristos to safety, even as he supports republican values. He's run by a spymaster who ultimately tries to destroy him.
So many Regency romances stick with the Netherfield Ball approach to the era, and I absolutely love that your spy novels illuminate a much more realistic version of the period.
Joanna Bourne's books are great and I love how they deal with the complexities of the spy game. Judith Ivory is a great writer but I haven't read Angel in a Red Dress - I should look for it. The complexities of the relationships between spies and spymasters - especially when they disagree - are fascinating to explore.