“The Prince of Spies” is a perfect ending to the unforgettable “Hope and Glory” trilogy by Elizabeth Camden.  With fascinating portions of true history mixed in with satisfying, sweet, romantic stories for each of the characters we’ve come to know and love, this third novel is un-put-downable!  As per the universal signs of a good story, while reading this book I experienced:

• alternately adoring and feeling utterly exasperated by the characters, 
• could hardly stand it when I had to pause reading and do lesser-important things like cooking supper and sleeping,
• and was both happy to reach the ending and almost devastated that it was over.

You may be wondering if you can read “The Prince of Spies” without having read “The Spice King” and “A Gilded Lady” first, and my answer would be: “why would you want to?!”  Each story builds on the last, and the protagonists of the stories are three siblings. The connecting plots of Washington politics and food-regulating reformation, as well as interwoven character histories, all tie into each other so that while you could read them as stand-alone books, you are missing out on a LOT by doing so.

All in all, this was an outstanding novel and a fabulous series that I’m so glad to have discovered.  I’m always amazed by Elizabeth Camden’s ability to take little-known pieces of history and incorporate them seamlessly into her romance novels, in a way that is truly captivating.  For example, have you ever heard of the ‘Poison Squad’?   This was a real-life group of young men who, in 1902, participated in something called the hygienic table trials to call attention to the dangers of adulterated food products.  In “The Prince of Spies” our hero, Luke Delacroix, takes part in this study, and the results are, well….. you’ll have to read the story to find out, I suppose!  But trust me, if you enjoy the best that Christian Historical Fiction has to offer, you will not be able to rest until you read the “Hope and Glory” series from start to finish.  

“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”