Review - The Spymaster's Secret by Anotnia Aquilante

Alexander has only recently returned to Tournai with his brother Faelen, who plans to marry Maxen soon. Alexander spots Marcus at a palace function and is quite taken with the older man. Marcus is a widower with two young children. He has been Tournai’s head of intelligence for many years. He is flattered by Alexander’s attention and finds the beautiful young man has hidden depths, but his work relies on Marcus remaining in the shadows unnoticed. Being associated with the outgoing Alexander would give him a public profile and could put the young royal in danger.

Time for another member of the royal family to find the love of his life in this seventh book of the Journals of Tournai series. You don’t have to have read all of the books in the series to enjoy this one, but you should probably read The Merchant’s Love before this one since it introduces the twins Alexander and Faelen.

As I’ve noted before, these stories have a rather predictable plot arc. In fact, the characters themselves even make a joke at the end about the number of kidnappings the royal family seems to experience. Still, with reading, the journey is often more important than the destination. Alexander and Marcus’ story is definitely a page-turner. Unlike some of the previous stories, the issues and concerns keeping the two apart seem more well-founded, rather than just stubbornness on the part of one character.

We got to know Alexander a little in the previous book, where he was Faelen’s more outgoing brother. The apparently foppish young man is very popular at court functions, but that’s mostly just a facade developed growing up in the diplomatic service. He has a keen sense for the intrigues, large and small, that swirl about the people who frequent the palace. Alexander also has interests outside of the social scene, even if he doesn’t quite have the confidence to pursue them fully.

Marcus has appeared as a minor character in many of the books in the series. All we know about him is that he is the country’s chief intelligence officer, running a ring of spies around the capital, keeping tabs on everyone and only reporting to the princes. We know nothing about his private life or the personal cost of his work until now.

“The Spymaster's Secret” is available from Smashwords or see BookBub for other online sources for your copy.