I don't know why this book was such a slog. There was nothing wrong with the writing; the elements of the story were just fine; the characters should have been engaging. But for some reason I had to fight my way through to the end.

Perhaps part of it was a bit of weariness at just how utterly exquisite the heroine, Delphine, was. "She entered like lightning and arrested every conversation." Every couple of pages came another reminder of just how beautiful she was. Oh, and Our Heroine keeps snubbing Our Hero. When she isn't actually freezing him out her disdain is being mentioned – every couple of pages. It was writing for the attention-span-challenged.

Point of curiosity: this is one of the first times I've been given an (if you will) outsider's point of view of Shakespeare:

It was the most lowering play she had ever sat through. There was a quite unseemly burial, with a ghastly harangue over a dead woman’s body, and eventually a court scene where everyone mouthed things they didn’t mean and drank things they should never have touched. Then all of a sudden swords came out…

That, my friends, is Hamlet. I'm not sure how I was supposed to take that; "silly French girl never saw Shakespeare" or something? Sorry; I'm plumping for "lack of taste and discrimination". (If I had liked the woman it might have been "really bad production".)

Using the Bard as a point of transition, I can also say that this book was chock-full of much ado about nothing. Example: a journey is planned with all sorts and kinds of hand-wringing and trepidation about the many and varied hazards, it's all but impossible, but no! The heroine must undertake it! And she shall! And she does, and it is gotten out of the way with one line stating that it basically went without a hitch. And thud goes the buildup.

I could also bring in the Comedy of Errors, as the Hero – who has been painted as a fairly sensible bloke for most of the book – suddenly and with no explanation whatsoever does something so moronic that I had to page back a bit to make sure I didn't misread something. Nope: he really did deliberately and with aforethought decide to be that stupid. I will give him a little credit for ruefulness when he gets himself wounded, but even there ….

‘Where are you hurt?’
‘Through the chest, but it’s no problem….'

It's just a flesh wound.

Point of interest: this was the second Netgalley book I came across in the span of a month or so that had a character named Tracey, spelled as I spell it - the Earl of Tracey.

In some of my reviews I mention that the writing fights me – some authors try to manhandle me as a reader instead of disappearing and allowing me to live in and experience the world of the book. This style will turn what should be a fun romp, a quick and light read, into a struggle. The Code of Love fought me for every metaphorical inch of ground.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review. ( )

Sir Gideon Landor, heir to an earldom, is also a staunchly patriotic captain in the British Navy. He is captured in the line of duty off the island of Mauritius, where he meets Delphine Dalgliesh, the stunningly beautiful “idol of the island” – and an ardent Bonapartist. At first, they have nothing to say to each other; he views her as a beautiful but empty-headed social butterfly, while she finds him arrogant and intimidating. However, as they encounter each other more often in subsequent travels to France and England, they find themselves increasingly drawn to one another. But each of them is hiding an important secret: they have both been commanded by their respective governments to work as spies. In the midst of their conflicting loyalties, can Gideon and Delphine find love without compromising their honor?

I don’t think my summary of this book does it justice. The novel is an old-fashioned historical romance set during the Napoleonic Wars: it has adventure, romance, espionage, secret codes, drawing-room wit, and a wonderful cast of characters, especially Gideon and Delphine. Their romance is the heart of the story, and I think the tension between them is managed extremely well. I also appreciated the historical details Sawyer put into the novel, especially about British efforts to crack Napoleon’s military codes and about the Peninsular War. Every once in a while the language got a bit too flowery, but otherwise I have nothing bad to say about this book. I absolutely loved it and will be looking for more by Cheryl Sawyer!