THE THIRD CORNER By J L Abbott

THE THIRD CORNER
By J L Abbott
Amber Quill Press, LLC, www.amberquill.com
Electronic ISBN: 1-59279-010-0
Paperback ISBN: 1-59279-998-1
Historical Espionage / Romance
1871 California

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
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Kathryn Devereaux is a rich heiress and Jared Bentley lives on the family ranch, but they both have a secret - they work for the espionage organization, Dark Watch. During the recent Civil War they and many other fellow spies were thoroughly put through their paces, but even now, in peacetime, there is still plenty for them to do. There is a traitor amongst President Grant's most trusted staff and on a dark night in Washington both their fathers are shot dead. Still mourning the deaths, the two agents have to put their deep love for each other on hold and try to ferret out the traitor but a villainous presence from their past is threatening to put their mission in jeopardy.

This is the first of J L Abbott's new Dark Watch series of novels, following the adventures of the two lovers in the post-Civil War period. A nice mix of spy adventure and romance in a well-realized setting, this is an admirably well paced novel that keeps the plot boiling merrily and is just the thing for all those romance readers who like their novels with a bit more. One criticism is that it tends to read rather like the third or fourth novel in a series, with so much having gone before that sounds thrilling, but which is not actually in print. It would be wonderful to read a prequel or two with the characters meeting and having some adventures during the Civil War. Apart from that, this is an entertaining and exciting read.