There comes a point in a series, especially one about which little is known, that putting too much of the plot into the review is bordering on spoiling the earlier books in the series. Because of that, this review is going to be a bit short (although I found some awesome covers to make up for it ;)).
Now safely landed in Constantinople, Marianne prepares to meet with Aimée du Buc de Rivéry, cousin of Josephine Bonaparte and Queen mother of the Ottoman Empire, to deliver a personal message from the Emperor Napoleon. Mission accomplished, high on her list of 
things to do are getting rid of something she very much doesn’t want to have, finding Jason Beaufort and sailing off into the sunset, but another surprise return from the dead puts a definite kibosh on that plan. And what a doozie that is – I suspected that person was a-
coming back from the dead, but the big reveal sure surprised the heck out of me (loved it though).
Marianne and gang eventually high tail it to Odessa, where she picks up on some choice information that could have dire consequences on Napoleon’s Russian campaign and they’re on the road to Moscow. Like the other books, the action picks up at the start and never lets up. Benzoni really does a great job putting her story and characters in with 
real life ones – along with Aimée we get brief glimpses of Hester Stanhope, the Duc de Richelieu, The Black Pope along with a hint of a new mystery surrounding the main diamond from that diamond necklace (can’t wait to see what that’s all about). Only one more book until the grand ride is over.
The series in order,
- Marianne (also found in two volumes as Bride of Selton Hall and The Eagle and the Nightingale)
- The Masked Prince
- The Privateer
- The Rebels
- The Lords of the East
- The Crown of Fire
