THE LADY SOLDIER

Author: Jennifer Lindsay ISBN: 0709078250 5/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: ROBERT HALE BOOKS, LTD.
Time Period: 1812 Spain

Jem Riseley, brave, skilled and daring, the perfect soldier in Wellington’s Army except - Jem was a gently-born lady. A battlefield promotion provides an escape from a sadistic Major, but first Jem must convince handsome but jaded Captain Tony Dorrell, who knew her as a lady, that she's the man she seems. When Jem becomes trapped with Tony behind French lines, she battles the enemy as well as her rekindled desire for him. From the dangers of war-torn Spain to scandal in London’s elegant drawing rooms, Jem will fight to preserve her secret. However, the reappearance of an old adversary forces Jem to confront her past in order to save her and England’s future.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

THE LADY SOLDIER is one book I highly anticipated. Being familiar with a few stories of women who masqueraded as men during the Civil War (i.e. Sarah Emma Edmonds aka Frank Thompson, and my favorite, Loreta Jancta Velazquez aka Harry Buford, who not only created and recruited her own Confederate infantry unit, the Arkansas Grays, but was chosen as their leader and rose to the rank of Lieutenant while under the guise of a man), there were high hopes this would be a refreshing story with a strong heroine, an equally strong hero, set in a period of war battles I was not that familiar with. Unfortunately, the battles and historical background were my only hopes that weren't dashed.

What kept me reading through THE LADY SOLDIER were the narrative and descriptive segments. Obviously, Kate Allan and Michelle Styles (who use the pen name Jennifer Lindsay) did a lot of historical research and it shows in their well-choreographed battle sequences. These scenes, descriptions of weapon usage and soldiers' dress, were exceptionally written, transporting this reader into places and events not that frequently traveled to.

However, in three crucial areas THE LADY SOLDIER fell well short for me: the heroine, the hero, and the dialogue.

Jemima, or Jem as she's known to her fellow comrades-in-arms, manages to change from a shy, brave and courageous woman posing as a soldier, into a woman who, when returning to England as a lady and facing her reintroduction into society—most notably into the ton—suddenly becomes a weak and spontaneous watering pot, with very little backbone left to her credit. Most historians would agree, I think, that the women who successfully masqueraded as men and won awards and kudos for their valor upon the battlefield, were exceedingly strong women—all around exceptional women, able to bear more stress and emotional upheaval than most gently bred women of their time. As a woman, Jemima strikes me as having none of those qualities, especially during the second half of the story when she deals with her relationship and eventual marriage to Tony. Too many quivering lips and unprompted weeping episodes seemed to undermine the resilience that a lead female character in Jemima's situation should have possessed.

As for Tony, her love interest, he comes across as cold and unfeeling—period—with none of the qualities I look for in a hero. There's no warmth, no tenderness to his character; he seems a callous, selfish and truly unlikable man. Not to mention that he doesn't seem to be very bright, either, since he can't seem to connect the dots between Jem's twin resemblance to his former best friend—Jemima's deceased brother, Charles—nor her soldier's name "Jem" to Charles' little sister's name, Jemima.

As for the dialogue, it's weak, lacked depth and momentum, and almost seemed inconsequential to the story in many parts. For me, the dialogue is an integral of a character's personality, and both must work together in order to enhance the storyline and provide a certain reading rhythm for the reader. It's sad to say, but as for working together in THE LADY SOLDIER, they just don't.

Nancy Davis