Essentially an action packed relationship triangle that involves love,
lust and loyalty. Set during the American Revolution,
an unlikely friendship
emerges between an injured patriot soldier Jonathon Becket and redcoat Private Sam
Gilpin. From here the love triangle unfolds between Jonathon, his betrothed Caroline
and Sam. The
narrative is an intricate weave of missed chances of mischief and
frolicking, and harrowing events to disrupt the obvious course of the
storyline and encourages the unlikely.
This narrative runs alongside a
parallel storyline which involves a failed courtship between an English arcane
Captain Vane and wealthy patriot Martha Crowl. Firstly Martha uses Captain Vane
as a boost into the rich social life of the upper classes of Philadelphia, and then publicly humiliates
the Captain which evokes his subtle but terrible revenge. This is portrayed in
such a way that Cornwell must have experienced the emotions expressed himself
or observed a similar relationship at a very close range.
The two linear narratives are kept
in check by a strict timescale provided by events in the American Revolution
which are impartially described in great detail when one of the main characters
is involved.
There are many sub-plots that subtly
intertwine with the main storyline to make your wholesome feeling of
entertaining predictability disappear and shock the system with outlandish but
perfectly feasible events to entice the reader.
Overall a perfectly delectable book
that keeps you hooked completely until the end, the characters are so easy to
love and hate they seem perfectly real while you are enmeshed with the reading
this book.