Stevie‘s review of My Beautiful Enemy (Heart of Blade, Book 2) by Sherry Thomas
Historical Multicultural Romance published by Berkley 05 Aug 14

This is the second book of a duology, wrapping up the stories begun in The Hidden Blade, but it also stands very well on its own, for those readers who absolutely have to have a central romance in their novel of choice. Personally, I relish the rich historical building and complex characters far too much to ignore where they came from, but you can definitely pick this one up with no prior knowledge of the first. Whether you then want to go back and find out how the characters began, is, of course, another matter altogether.

Catherine Blade is travelling to England, the home of her long-deceased father, for the very first time. Along the way, she befriends two older women, and then saves one from certain death at the hands of a martial arts master – the mortal enemy that Catherine had though executed back in China. In London, there are further surprises as Catherine meets her former lover – now engaged to the daughter of one of her new friends – and discovers him to be Leighton, an English spy, rather than the Persian trader she had previously believed him to be.

However, Catherine’s nemesis has survived their latest encounter and is now hunting both her and her former lover – not to mention the jade tablets Catherine has come to England in search of. The tablets are clues to a hidden treasure and at one time belonged to Leighton’s father and his lover – Catherine’s former tutor. Catherine and Leighton reluctantly join forces to defeat their shared enemy, in spite of the secrets both have been keeping from each other and while resisting the attraction that still exists between them.

Slowly, we learn how they first met, how they came to be separated, and the various misunderstandings that resulted from their being on opposite sides in a form of cold war between the British and Chinese Empires. As well as being a stunning romance set against a vivid historical backdrop, this is also a ripping caper with martial arts moves that can only happen in fiction. Catherine is a wonderfully complex character – as is Leighton – and it’s a delight to see her learning to negotiate London and Society, as she searches for both her nemesis and the missing treasure clues.

Highly recommended, but ideally readers should get hold of the first half of the story first and find out exactly where Catherine and Leighton came from and how they almost met prior to the events we see in flashback throughout the course of this novel.

Grade: A

Summary:

In this spellbinding romance by the acclaimed, USA Today bestselling author of The Luckiest Lady in London, a beautiful and cunning woman meets her match in a man just as dangerous and seductive as she is, putting both her heart and her future at risk…

Hidden beneath Catherine Blade’s uncommon beauty is a daring that matches any man’s. Although this has taken her far in the world, she still doesn’t have the one thing she craves: the freedom to live life as she chooses. Finally given the chance to earn her independence, who should be standing in her way but the only man she’s ever loved, the only person to ever betray her.

Despite the scars Catherine left him, Captain Leighton Atwood has never been able to forget the mysterious girl who once so thoroughly captivated him. When she unexpectedly reappears in his life, he refuses to get close to her. But he cannot deny the yearning she reignites in his heart.

Their reunion, however, plunges them into a web of espionage, treachery, and deadly foes. With everything at stake, Leighton and Catherine are forced to work together to find a way out. If they are ever to find safety and happiness, they must first forgive and learn to trust each other again…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: