I received a free copy of Tainted Angel through the Goodreads Early Reader Program. There was no obligation for me to post a review for the free book. It was the first Anne Cleeland novel that I read and I was hooked for life.
About the Book:
A Deadly Game of Deception Notorious and beautiful, Vidia Swanson works as an “angel,” trying to coax incriminating secrets from powerful men who may or may not be traitors of the Crown. Her latest target is suspected of stealing gold from Wellington’s troops, but matters take an alarming turn when Vidia realizes that her spymaster thinks she is the one who is tainted—a double agent working for Napoleon. Backed into a corner, she can only hope to stay one step ahead of the hangman in a race to stop the next war before it destroys her—and destroys England. Tainted Angel offers up a compelling game of cat and mouse in which no one can be trusted and anyone can be tainted.
My Opinion:
Vidia is a spy – but for whom is she spying? That is the question that drives the plot of this suspenseful novel. She is what is known as an “angel” – a woman who is placed with a man to try and learn his secrets so as to pass them on to her agency. The concern is that she has become tainted and can no longer be trusted. but is that true? The man sent to seek the answers is the one man that Vidia cannot resist but she must for the sake of her mission.
This was a book chock full of twists and turns and who can be trusted. The characters were all quite well drawn and very dynamic and dramatic. I must admit though, that I felt quite often as if I had missed a first book – as if this was a continuation of a story. There were many a reference to past acts that kept me as a reader just slightly off balance and out of the loop. I don’t know if this was intentional on Ms. Cleeland’s part but it did add to the mystery of the book.
I never quite knew who was telling the truth and exactly what was going on. The ending brought several big twists that I never saw coming. One must love that in a book. The romance aspect of the novel was quite intriguing as it developed in an atmosphere of total mistrust and confusion. All in all a fast paced, well written read.
Rating:
4
You can read an excerpt of Tainted Angel
OTHER BOOKS BY ANNE CLEELAND:
MURDER IN RETRIBUTION
MURDER IN THRALL
MURDER IN CONTAINMENT
Murder in Shadow
THE BARBARY MARK
TAINTED ANGEL
DAUGHTER OF THE GOD KING
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