Book Review: His Majesty's Hope

Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Title: His Majesty's Hope
Publish Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Bantam
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley

Book Blurb:   For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Laurie R. King, and Anne Perry, whip-smart heroine Maggie Hope returns to embark on a clandestine mission behind enemy lines where no one can be trusted, and even the smallest indiscretion can be deadly.

World War II has finally come home to Britain, but it takes more than nightly air raids to rattle intrepid spy and expert code breaker Maggie Hope. After serving as a secret agent to protect Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, Maggie is now an elite member of the Special Operations Executive—a black ops organization designed to aid the British effort abroad—and her first assignment sends her straight into Nazi-controlled Berlin, the very heart of the German war machine. Relying on her quick wit and keen instincts, Maggie infiltrates the highest level of Berlin society, gathering information to pass on to London headquarters. But the secrets she unveils will expose a darker, more dangerous side of the war—and of her own past.

Review: If you are looking for a great historical spy novel, look no further than Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope series. His Majesty's Hope is the third book in this series. These books can be read as stand alone novels, but there are some things that would be easier to understand if you've read the previous two books.

In this book, Maggie is being sent to Germany, to help bring down Clara Hess, who just happens to be her mother. There are a lot of twists and turns. She discovers family she didn't know she had and through the family Susan shows us a few things about Nazi Germany that will leave you very cold.

I think most people just remember the genocide of the Jewish people during these years. What isn't taught much in schools is Operation Compassionate Death, where anyone with a hereditary disease was rounded up and killed in order to preserve the race.

If that doesn't send a chill through you, I don't know what will, especially since a lot of the victims in this case were children.

So no, this isn't a book that can be called a cozy. The subject matter is too serious to be a cozy.

Fans of the Maggie Hope series know how much attention is paid to historical accuracy, and this book is no different. It is told from several points of view....Maggie.....Elsie....David and Hugh. Through their eyes you get a good idea of what Britain was like in 1941 as well as Germany.

I loved getting more of David's story now that he's found Freddie, his current partner. Most people think gay rights haven't come very far, but when you read this you'll know a lot of strides have been made in opening minds since the 40s.

Elsie's story involves the resistance in Germany. She's a nurse who starts questioning things when one of her patients ends up dead. I really loved her. She was strong and though she didn't agree with what was happening in Germany, she loved her country.

There's a lot going on in Maggie's love life too and a lot that needs to be resolved. Thankfully book 4 in this series is in the works.

Rating: 5 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Princess Elizabeth's Spy

Author: Susan Elia MacNeal
Title: Princess Elizabeth's Spy
Publisher: Bantam
Publish Date: Oct 16, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours & the publisher

Book Blurb: Susan Elia MacNeal introduced the remarkable Maggie Hope in her acclaimed debut, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. Now Maggie returns to protect Britain’s beloved royals against an international plot—one that could change the course of history. As World War II sweeps the continent and England steels itself against German attack, Maggie Hope, former secretary to Prime Minister Winston Churchill, completes her training to become a spy for MI-5. Spirited, strong-willed, and possessing one of the sharpest minds in government for mathematics and code-breaking, she fully expects to be sent abroad to gather intelligence for the British front. Instead, to her great disappointment, she is dispatched to go undercover at Windsor Castle, where she will tutor the young Princess Elizabeth in math. Yet castle life quickly proves more dangerous—and deadly—than Maggie ever expected. The upstairs-downstairs world at Windsor is thrown into disarray by a shocking murder, which draws Maggie into a vast conspiracy that places the entire royal family in peril. And as she races to save England from a most disturbing fate, Maggie realizes that a quick wit is her best defense, and that the smallest clues can unravel the biggest secrets, even within her own family.

Review: I've been reading a lot of pre WWII cozy mysteries. Just a few days ago I posted the review for Elegy For Eddie and now there's Princess Elizabeth's Spy.

This book is fabulous.

I really loved the author's attention to detail in the historical aspect of the story. It was great to get a picture of Queen Elizabeth II in the days when she was just Princess Elizabeth.

It is a historical novel of intrigue that touches on the cozy side, but Maggie Hope is a little more than your typical cozy mystery heroine. She wants to work for the MI-5. She's a brilliant woman. She knows math and  code-breaking.

There are 2 murders fairly quickly on that keep the story flowing as well as the intrigue that surrounds Maggie's father. There's also a little bit of a romance that tries to brew between Maggie and her handler Hugh, once she starts to become acclimated to the fact her fiancee perished in the war, when his plane went down.

When reading this book, I felt like I was with the royal family.  Even though this book is fictional, I feel the author portrayed the family well. I loved the interaction between Elizabeth and Margaret. It can't be easy writing about people that are still alive! It makes me wonder what Queen Elizabeth thinks of this novel!

I can't wait til spring when the next book in the series comes out!

Rating: 5 flowers