Series: The Royal Saboteurs, #5
Traits & Tropes: second chance; estranged spouses; spies; titled hero; childhood friends to lovers
Publication Date: 11.14.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian; London, England
Heat Level: 2
Rating: 4 stars
Ambose, Viscount Holyoake, has hidden himself away in a dingy flat in Seven Dials after his mission for the Royal Saboteurs went awry, seeing him stabbed by a would-be assassin. He needs time to recover and has been unable to contact his fellow agents, so he is surprised when the agent who finally tracks him down is Margaret Vaughn, his estranged wife. Maggie left him three years previously when his need to protect her stifled her dreams of seeking more. In the meantime, she continued to learn what he’d already begun teaching her and became a Royal Saboteur herself. Ambrose was heartbroken to lose her and isn’t at all sure he can bear that pain again.
Margaret was assigned to find the missing agent thanks to her superior tracking skills, but she had no notion she was seeking her own estranged husband. Having found him alive and with her report ready for her superiors, she’s free to leave, but when she learns that Ambrose’s dangerous mission isn’t complete, she can’t just walk away. But this means growing closer to Ambrose again as they tackle the investigation together, and she’s not at all sure he’s changed enough for anything to be different if she gives him another chance and tries to repair their marriage.
This was a curveball I didn’t see coming, but it made for a storyline that I don’t think I’ve read before. I, however, am really not a big fan of second chance stories or the estranged spouses trope. That said, I think it really did work here, it just wasn’t my favorite and I struggled to warm to Margaret. Ambrose’s cluelessness and attempts at groveling were lovely and relatable and I kept finding myself urging Margaret to stop being so harsh with him and to communicate more. Margaret wanted her freedom, yet she also wanted a partnership with Ambrose, and I think her words and her actions were often a bit contradictory in that regard and I really just wanted to see a bit more openness than we got. That was all this couple needed and by the end of the novella I still felt they weren’t quite there yet but were at least well on the way. The final chapter did a great job of closing out this series and seeing the Saboteurs finally get a little royal credit for all their hard work.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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