Kiss of a Traitor

by Cat Lindler

Wilhelmina Bellingham is an ardent Tory and has two goals in her young life: catching the rebel traitor, General Francis Marion, and avoiding marriage to the fool to whom her father betrothed her when she was only a babe, a man neither she nor her father has ever met. Her first goal is within reach. Willa knows South Carolina's swamps and byways as well as any rebel. With judicious searching and a large dose of luck, she will eventually catch the partisan general. Shedding her betrothed is another matter. Captain Brendan Ford, a spy with Marion's patriots, stumbles across the perfect way to infiltrate the Loyalist high command when his half brother is killed shortly after arriving in Carolina. Ford assumes his brother's identity as Lord Montford, fiance to Wilhelmina Bellingham. But his masquerade requires he actually court her, and the untidy little wren of a girl is not a female to inspire courtship. He is thankful his ruse will end as soon as the patriots drive the British from South Carolina.
Neither Willa nor Brendan are prepared for the consequences of war or the betrayals of the heart - but will their allegiance to outside forces keep them from the love they just might find within each other's arms?

• ISBN10: 1933836512
• ISBN13: 9781933836515
• Publish Date: 15 January 2009 (first published 1 January 2009)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Medallion Press
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 539
• Language: English

Reviews

[rakesandrogues]

From http://muggle-born.net/

From the standpoint of a romance novel, I have to say that this would have earned a four out of five in my book. This book had everything I would have wanted: family interference, hard-headed heroine, an equally stubborn hero, and lots and lots of drama. Willa was a very enjoyable character to read about. Though she was devoted to her cause, I am glad that she was not too blind to see the ill actions the Tories were taking against the colonists. She persevered though the going was tough. Willa maintained to be a strong character throughout the whole book. On the other hand, I loved the character of Ford just as much. I thought he was the very stereotypical hero: stubborn, strong, ruggedly handsome, and in denial of his feelings throughout more than half of the book. Despite the cliche, he was still a great dashing hero to read about. Admittedly, he did have a few unique traits up his sleeve, like his love for playing dress-up in neon colors.

Overall, while the romance had to be predictable, I was still encouraged to read on. I was determined to see my happy ending, ready to tear my hair out from the frustrating characters, and the drama was ready to overwhelm me. I was deeply satisfied with the amount of romance in this book.

However, from the standpoint of a historical novel, I felt that the book was very poorly written. I did not think that the author fused the historical aspect with the romance very well. At times of battle during the war, it felt like I was reading a textbook instead of a novel. A lot of the times, I had to stop myself from skimming. Instead of describing what it was like in the heat of the battle for Ford, Lindler would give a short passage of how the battle played out, narrating textbook-style.

It was really disappointing. When I read historical fiction, I plan to be brought right on the battlefield, not read about it like I did from my history class in middle school. These actual figures in history failed to implement themselves into the story. Lindley failed to bring them to life in my eyes. They were only a figure that was somehow related to Captain Ford.

I would have given the historical part of the book a 2 out of 5. So overall, I rate this book 3/5. Though I was severely disappointed by how the battle scenes were written, I still enjoyed this book well enough to read it. It was a very easy read, though kind of lengthy. I would not recommend this for someone looking for historical fiction, but for someone looking for forbidden romance.