Melanie Dickerson

In England's Regency era, manners and elegance reign in public life--but behind closed doors treason and deception thrive. Nicholas Langdon is no stranger to reserved civility or bloody barbarity. After suffering a battlefield injury, the wealthy, well-connected British officer returns home to heal--and to fulfill a dying soldier's last wish by delivering his coded diary. At the home of the Wilherns, one of England's most powerful families, Langdon attends a lavish ball where he meets their beautiful and intelligent ward, Julia Grey. Determined to maintain propriety, he keeps his distance--until the diary is stolen and all clues lead to Julia's guardian. As Langdon traces an evil plot that could be the nation's undoing, he grows ever more intrigued by the lovely young woman. And when Julia realizes that England--and the man she is falling in love with--need her help, she finds herself caught in the fray. Will the two succumb to their attraction while fighting to save their country?

A Spy's Devotion

Mary Horton

Finished this on the plane ride to Realm Makers! It was a fun read, but I didn't like it as much as other Melanie Dickerson books for some reason. Probably just the distractions in the airport/plane. :P

Looking forward to the sequel, which I've heard is one of her best works!

4 stars!

Celeste Richardson

Well done, Ms. Dickerson. You’ve drawn me back into the fold. 
 
I adored The Merchant's Daughter, the first novel I read by Melanie. It was a Christian retelling of my favorite fairytale, Beauty and the Beast, and I thought she did a wonderful job. I read three more books from her Hagenheim series, also retellings of famous fairytales. I liked each book less than the first. When I read The Captive Maiden, the fourth in the series, it fell flat for me and I struggled to finish and have not read the most recent books in the series. Because of this, I was hesitant to try Ms. Dickerson’s new Regency series.

I’m so glad I picked it up. Thanks to the Christian Fiction Devourers group here on GoodReads for choosing it as one of their Books of the Month. Without that nudge it might have sat on my Kindle forever, and I would have missed a wonderful story. A Spy's Devotion, in my opinion, takes the setting and conversational format of Jane Austen’s novels, mixes in the spy intrigue of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and sprinkles Christianity throughout, while remaining as readable as any modern novel. It was a remarkably fast read. Once I had some free time, I flew through it quicker than I have any book in a long time. 


(view spoiler)[I loved Julia and Nicholas. They were both likable and honorable and selfless. They were willing to sacrifice happiness and safety to ensure the good of their nation. Julia is my favorite of Melanie’s heroines. She loved her cousin enough to step aside for Phoebe to attempt to woo the man they both loved. Julia was a completely proper Regency lady, and yet she risked much to spy for Nicholas. She wasn’t a plucky heroine, which actually made me respect her more for the risks she took. And Nicholas was refreshingly unselfish, going out of his way to help others. (hide spoiler)]

A Spy's Devotion was the best Christian fiction book I’ve read in quite some time. I will eventually be buying a hard copy to have on my shelf. This book is definitely worthy of a re-read. I can’t wait until February to read A Viscount's Proposal, the story of Nicholas’s sister Leorah!

A Spy's Devotion

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