Lady Alexandra's Excellent Adventure (Summersby #1) by Sophie Barnes

Summary:

It's going to be a wild ride…

Lady Alexandra Summersby is not your average society miss. Not only is she more likely to climb a tree than she is to wear a dress, but she has also sworn off marriage. Alex loves taking chances, which is how she finds herself embroiled in a secret mission as she races across the country with the Earl of Trenton. But Alexandra is about to discover that the real danger lies not in duels, but in her completely unexpected reaction to Lord Trenton's company.

Michael Ashford, Earl of Trenton, is a man of duty. Honorable, charming, and a hit with the ladies, he's never had trouble staying focused—until now. Lady Alexandra is like no other woman he's ever met, and suddenly the prospect of marriage seems far more appealing. Now, to convince Alexandra that a life together could be an adventure like no other…
Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 368 pages (E-book)
Source: Toronto Public Library
Available Formats: Print/E-book
Publication Date: May 22nd 2012 by Avon Impulse

Last week I happened to come across a review for another book by Sophie Barnes that really made me want to check out her books. I hadn't picked up an Avon historical romance in years before the other day when I borrowed it through my library's e-book selection and from the first page I was hooked. I started it one day and by the next I was done, I enjoyed it that much.

Lady Alexandra's Excellent Adventure was just that. I thought it was a refreshing historical romance with a tom boy heroine with and adventurous twist. I always love reading historical romances that have an adventure in them and the tom boy theme is definitely one of my favourites to see represented in the genre so I really enjoyed reading Alexandra's story. I can so see myself as her. She's the best swordswoman in the empire and she's no doubt one of the best people to hold a sword period, plus her knife skills are amazing. I really admired Alexandra's character. She was completely closed off to the possibility of love that I couldn't help but be reminded of a younger more cynical me. Her attitude towards men and the world was just brilliant and I loved that she could totally kick some ass.

As for Alexandra's paramour Michael Ashford he certainly had his hands full when it came to his lady love. I mean honestly and can't be easy to woo a woman who can kick your ass and whose brother you're currently trying to ferret out of hiding because you think he's committed treason and joined forces with the French. Plus, Alexandra was completely unaware of herself as a woman that he had a tough time convincing her that she was attractive.

As a couple I really liked Alexandra and Michael. They were both stubborn, strong, opinionated and as a couple their chemistry was bang on. Michael truly adored Alexandra and even though they fought like cats and dogs throughout the novel the passion for each other was clearly there.

As for the political back story of the novel I wish it had been flushed out a little more than it was. I know that this is first, and foremost a historical romance but the author took such care to create the political espionage theme I felt like it needed to be a little more detailed and kept as part of the story a bit longer than it was.

The banter between all the characters be they Alexandra, Michael, her brothers Ryan and William was hilarious and I got a lot of laughs out of this book and I was grateful that the author had a sense of humour because it added a lot of lightness to the story.

Overall, I thought that Lady Alexandra's Excellent Adventure was a great introduction to the Summersby series and I'm glad that I gave Sophie Barnes a try. She offers a nice unique take on the genre and her writing was damn near perfect except for the ending which I found was a wee bit rushed for my tastes. I like how she made the characters work for each other, there was no insta-love in this historical romance even though the chemistry between the main characters was apparent from the moment they locked eyes on each other. I'm really looking forward to continuing the Summersby series and seeing the romances that feature her older brothers unfold as well as trying her other books out as well.

I would recommend Lady Alexandra's Excellent Adventure to historical romance fans who are looking for something a little different. If you enjoy historical romance novels that have lots of chemistry between the characters is intense, and if you want a heroine that's a tom boy who doesn't let any man walk all over her.

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 

Really Liked It!
★★★★

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