First Night (by Jane Aiken Hodge)

(Amazon UK link)

In general I very much like Jane Aiken Hodge's novels. They tend to be either modern or historical, with some excitement and suspense but no gore. There is usually an underlying romance too.

I was a bit disappointed by this one, however. It's set in Napoleon's time, with political intrigue threading through the plot. But much of the conversation seems too modern to be believable. Maybe I've been spoilt by Georgette Heyer's writiing, but I'm sure that Jane Aiken Hodge has written far more authentic historical novels. Perhaps this was one of her earlier ones.

Still, once I got used to the anachronistic style of speech, I thought it was an interesting book. It introduces the fictional European country of Lissenberg, which features in at least one of her other books. The main character, Lady Christabel, makes her debut as a singer. But she gets into trouble as a result and is taken to the UK where her father keeps her hidden. Eventually she escapes with an American sponsor, and they travel through Europe while wars abound.

There's quite a bit of excitement, and the plot itself is well-planned, if complex. Unfortunately I felt there were rather too many loose ends - such as suspicious people introduced, who are never really followed up. The characters, quite apart from not fitting into the historical context, are distinct but not really sympathetic. Then I felt that the ending was rather contrived and sudden.

But I kept reading. It wasn't a bad book, just disappointing when compared with others by this author.