Almost a Lady

January 1, 2006
At 29, Meg feels constricted by the tight reins of English society, and her rapidly approaching designation as a spinster makes her yearn for excitement, which she gets in spades. While walking home from the lending library, sailors mistakenly identify her as a privateer. Their captain, Cosimo, decides to use Meg in his plot against Napoleon. With unusual sangfroid, she sees this interlude on the high seas as an adventure as they travel to the island of Sark in the English Channel. Cosimo intends to seduce Meg so that she will become a willing accomplice as they travel covertly through France. However, she balks when she discovers the nastier implications of spying, and Cosimo begins to wonder if the gently reared woman he is coming to care for is really cut out to live a spy's life. In her latest historical romance, Feather presents a multilayered story about society, love, and the personal consequences of war.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)