Captain Jack’s Woman, by Stephanie Laurens

Originally published in 1997 as a single (stand alone) title, the reissues of Captain Jack’s Woman list it as a prequel to the Bastion Club novels, also by Ms Laurens. Set in Britain during the early 1800s, the height of the Napoleonic Wars, Captain Jack’s Woman gives us a “glimpse of the covert machinations that must have taken place behind the scenes in the days of the Peninsula military campaigns” according to the author’s website.

While I most definitely refuse to vouch for the accuracy, or lack thereof, of any of the historical facts alluded to in, or inferred from, this novel, it remains a delightfully entertaining read, full of elements reminiscent of the best comedies of errors.

The back cover blurb, as usual, would seem to try to reinforce some of the worst stereotypes of this type of historical romance novel: (more…)