Romance

Daughter of the Game by Tracy Grant

Karen Wheless


I’ve had this book in my TBR for several years, but I’ve been waiting until I was in the right mood to read something a little more dense than my usual reads.

Daughter of the Game by Tracy Grant
(2002, Regency Historical)
Grade: 4.5

When their son is kidnapped, Charles and Melanie Fraser are frantic to get him back. At first the reasons for the kidnapping seem related to Charles’ work in Spain during the Napoleonic wars… but when Melanie is forced to reveal dangerous secrets from her past, it threatens to destroy their marriage and their life together.

A fascinating combination of history, intrigue and romance. I loved the way the author took the familiar backdrop of the war in Spain and turned it on its head by showing both sides of the conflict. The writing was excellent and the issues went far deeper than most mysteries – not just “who done it” but questions about war and freedom and responsibility. The mystery of who kidnapped Colin and the search for the ring was fast paced and well written, but the most interesting part of the book for me was how the relationship between Charles and Melanie kept changing as more secrets were revealed. What kept me turning the pages wasn’t the suspense storyline, it was learning how the bond between Charles and Melanie was gradually rebuilt as they learned more and more about each other. There were some flaws – there were a couple of unbelievable coincidences that left me rolling my eyes a bit, and the plot became a little repetitive in the second half. But overall, it was a very enjoyable book that I couldn’t put down until 2 am – definitely a sign of a great read.

I was very glad to hear that Tracy Grant has a book coming out in 2011. She’s an excellent writer and she deserves great success. On the other hand, I’m not sure how interested I am in the next books in the series. What made this book for me was the focus on Charles and Melanie’s marriage and their emotional journey. It would be hard for that to be replicated in the prequels.

Karen Wheless

I've been reading romance since I discovered Kathleen Woodiwiss at age 12. I love all kinds of romances, especially emotional and angsty stories. I finally cut back my TBR pile from 2000 books to only 400, but I still have lots of books left to read!

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