by Stephanie Laurens
Reading Lauren's works over the years, the notion of marriage and what factors contribute to bring two people together in a strong relationship that grows over time has surely been a central theme.
With The Lady's Command that theme is given voice. It is overt. We are taken from a different beginning into uncharted territory. I must admit that it took me a moment to be drawn into this more explicit direction. We are not starting from the across a crowded room beginning. We are starting from the happily ever after, riding off into the sunset with your prince/princess beside you, place. Unusual, invigorating even!
When Captain Declan Frobisher is called upon to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a crown spy in the West African port of Freetown shortly after his marriage to Lady Edwina Delbraith, he envisages that his wife would stay at home guarding home and hearth. Annoying as it was to have to step into action so soon after his marriage, Declan must however meet this request. His family's seafaring empire continues to assist the crown, having been privateers with a Letter of Marque that had never been rescinded.
If Declan thought that Edwina would go quietly into the night--he was wrong, as he discovers once his ship has set sail. Edwina joins him in his quest for information into the spy's disappearance. What they uncover is alarming and puzzling. There are more disappearances, including young women and children, than openly acknowledged. It is up to Edwina and Declan to pursue the threads that they can in the differing circles of Freetown inhabitants open to them. When danger threatens from an unknown source they press on.
The voyage is one of discovery on both the personal and the investigative level. Edwina finds herself married to a man who matches her adventurous heart and between them Declan and Edwina chart their way into a closer and more satisfying relationship. Drawn into this delightful opening chapter of The Adventurers Quartet I look forward to the next episode of high sea adventure that is surely the mark of the Frobisher family.
A NetGalley ARC
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