The Notorious Lord

by Nicola Cornick

Book Overview

The Notorious Lord by Nicola Cornick released on Jun 28, 2005 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373293593
• ISBN13: 9780373293599
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

First in the "Bluestocking Brides" trilogy of romantic intrigues

"The Notorious Lord" is the first of three romances set in Suffolk in 1803, which was a time when Napoleon had an army ready to invade England at any opportunity and Britain was very exercised with the question of how to repel any such attack. The three books in the trilogy and their main romantic protagonists are 1) "The Notorious Lord", Rachel Odell and Lord Cory Newlyn 2) "One Night Of Scandal (Harlequin Historical Series)," Deborah Stratton and Lord Richard Kestrel 3) "The Rake's Mistress (Harlequin Historical Series)," Rebecca Raleigh and Lord Lucas Kestrel The whole of the trilogy is slightly greater than the sum of the parts as the espionage story and a couple of additional romantic sub-plots build through the three books. (I am told that there are two more stories in the saga of the Kestrel family and their friends: "The Pirate's Kiss" which is a short story in the collection "Christmas Wedding Belles: The Pirate's KissA Smuggler's TaleThe Sailor's Bride (Harlequin Historical Series)" and "The Last Rake In London (Harlequin Historical Series)).") The British government believes that Napoleon has a spy operating in the "Midwinter villages" area of the Suffolk Coast who is sending details of local defence arrangements to France. They believe that the spy may be a woman, but do not know her identity. It is never explained how the government knows this: the reader is left to guess that perhaps a British agent in France has learned that Napoleon's invasion planners have an intelligence source in Suffolk and has reported back to London. The espionage elements of all three books in the trilogy are rather contrived and implausible, but this does not matter too much because the stories are largely romances and the spycatching aspect is mostly there to provide an initial excuse for the heroes to be interested in the heroines. The government ask Justin, Duke of Kestrel, whose family seat at Kestrel Court, is in the area where the spy is operating, to investigate. (First major boo-boo in the background reserch - Ducal titles are NEVER taken from family names, both Royal and non-Royal Dukes in Britain invariably take the title of a county or county town.) The Duke ropes in his brothers, Lord Richard Kestrel and Lord Lucas Kestrel, and his friend Lord Cory Newlyn to help him investigate. The Duke believes that the spy may be one of the literary circle run by his tenant and old flame, Lady Sally Saltire, so he encourages his friend and brothers to court the ladies of this circle and, while so doing, keep their eyes and ears open for anything unusual which might lead them to anyone who is selling secrets to Napoleon. The "Notorious Lord" of the book's title, Cory Newlyn, has a passionate involvement in archaology. (This time a plus point: this was one of the very few occupations outside the armed forces which was socially acceptable for members of the ton.) His old friends, Sir Arthur and Lady Lavinia Odell, who have the same interest