ARC Review: The Houseparty by Anne Stuart

“The Houseparty was easy going and a lot of fun to read, even if  nothing really surprising happens.”
~ Under the Covers

The last thing Elizabeth wants to do is go to a three day house party with her insufferably stuffy brother and her unbearable distant relations; however, it seems she has no choice. But things prove far more interesting and far more dangerous than she expected with the presence of the handsome yet equally rude and boorish Captain Michael Fraser. Could his reputation as a french spy be correct? Or is it all a ruse to find the real traitor? Elizabeth is determined to find the truth, placing not only her heart, but her life into jeopardy.

This book is a rerelease of one of Anne Stuart’s earlier books, published in 1985, which has now been spruced up with a far more pleasing cover. The 80s were a dangerous time for historical romance with bodice rippers and “forced seduction” running rife, luckily The Houseparty avoided that, although I can’t imagine it would have been released again if it contained a scene with forced seduction. So instead of The Houseparty falling in to that old 80s trap, what I found instead was a romantic spy romp where our intrepid heroine sticks her nose in and does some amateur sleuthing, much to her own and every one else’s peril.

The Houseparty was easy going and a lot of fun to read, even if  nothing really surprising happens. Elizabeth was a likable heroine even though she did insist on gleefully running headlong into danger with alarming frequency; however, what is one to expect from such a feisty headstrong heroine? Certainly not any common sense or sense of personal danger. I did like the romance, it wasn’t anything grand of heartfelt, much like the rest of the book it was light-hearted and skin deep.

This certainly isn’t as good as Anne Stuart’s current releases, especially her House of Rohan series, which I adore, but if you want a fun spy caper with a nice central couple than this wouldn’t be a bad book to pick up.

[about-author author=”Anne Stuart”]

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