The Bachelor Spy by Pepper Basham

 

Who is your favorite spy in literature or film?  I really liked George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre, and now I can add Stephen Blake as a new favorite spy from this novel

Stephen Blake is a spy for England and his work is incredibly important for the war effort (WWI). After surviving a devastating betrayal and the sinking of the Lusitania, he finds himself assigned to his cousin’s home that is being used as a convalescence hospital, Havensbroke Hall.  His mission is to try to find the German spy known as the Midnight Angel.  Will he succeed?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a delightful historical mystery and romance with espionage and spies set during WWI.

·       This is the fifth novel in the “A Freddie & Grace Mystery” series.  This is the first book I have read in the series.  It can be read as a standalone, but it would be great to read the series in order.  I was confused on Zahra and her background in the story. Is she adopted?  Is she Freddie’s biological child?  Something else? I need to read the rest of the series to figure it out. 

·       I read that this may be the last book in the series.  I definitely need to read the first four books!

·       I loved the banter and enemies to lovers romance between Stephen and Evie.

·       Grace is home alone at the estate trying to keep it and the convalesce hospital running while her husband, Freddie, is off fighting in WWI.  She begins to suspect that all is not what it seems and there is a spy or two in the midst.  How will she keep everyone safe and solve the mystery?

·       I loved that Freddie is in the royal engineers.  I enjoyed Freddie and Grace’s relationship and want to see the buildup in the previous books.

·       This was a fun story with even a treasure hunt involved.

·       I loved the characters, adventure, suspense, and humor in this novel.

·       It was also an inspirational, Christian, and clean read.

·       There were plenty of red herrings and the mystery kept me guessing.

·       I enjoyed the epilogue and conclusion of the story.

Overall, The Bachelor Spy by Pepper Basham was a delightful historical mystery and romance set during WWI with humor, suspense, spies, espionage, and great characters. 

Book Source:  Thank-you to @pepperbasham @barbourbooks @greatreadsbookpromo for a review copy of the novel as part of the Great Reads Promo Book Tour.