The Black Hawk

Starred review from September 26, 2011
Bourne mixes heart-pounding mystery and romance in her spellbinding fourth Spymaster historical romantic thriller (after 2010’s The Forbidden Rose). From childhood, Adrian Hawker spied on France for England while Justine DeCabrillac gathered intelligence for the Police Sècrete. They were teens when they met in Paris in 1794, and as they grew up, their paths crossed often in a changing world. Sometimes they were on the same side, and sometimes they were opposed, but it was inevitable that they fall bittersweetly in love, knowing that any minute duty could take precedence over passion. Their tempestuous love affair unfolds in flashbacks, alternating with scenes from 1818 London, where somebody tries to kill Justine and frame Hawker, now head of the British Intelligence Service with as many enemies in England as in France. Just the right amount of intrigue makes this vivid romance a gripping page-turner.

Starred review from November 1, 2011

Attacked and badly wounded by an assassin's blade, former French spy Justine DeCabrillac ("Owl") struggles through the rain to the home of the only man she can depend on to save her, English agent Adrian Hawkhurst, her longtime adversary--and unforgettable lover. But Justine is not the only one in danger; the killer is out to bring down Hawk as well. And it will take all of their finely honed skills and wary, hard-won trust to unearth--and destroy--the elusive, brutal villain. Vivid, illuminating flashbacks fill in the missing years of our protagonists' bond, developing the passionate, deeply conflicted relationship between Justine and Hawk with unparalleled insight and craft. VERDICT Beautifully flawed, intensely human characters, a deadly puzzle, and a love that survives incredible odds combine to make this another emotionally riveting page-turner from Bourne (The Forbidden Rose), whose novels always deliver. Fans of historical romance will be all over this one.--Kristin Ramsdell, formerly with California State Univ. Lib., East Bay

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2011
Over the last 20 years, Justine DuMotier and Adrian Hawkhurst have been both friends and enemies, but she never thought he would stab her in Braddy Square. Yet that is exactly what someone wants Justine to believe, since the knife that nearly ends her life is one that once belonged to the Black Hawk. When a wounded Justine turns to Adrian for help, the two discover that more than one of the Black Hawk's old knives is floating around London, including two blades that were used to murder Frenchmen. Now, to discover who is trying to kill her and ruin Adrian, Justine will have to once again team up with the one man from her past she could never forget. All of Bourne's signature elementsa riveting plot composed of equal measures of high-adrenaline intrigue and high-octane passion, an impeccably crafted historical setting, richly nuanced characters, and vivid, witty writingfall neatly into place in the latest addition to her superbly entertaining Regency-set spy series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)