My Love, My Enemy

From One

It was not, from its beginning, an ordinary day. Dawn came to Bradley’s House on a quiet gray pause between dark and day, dripping wetly from trees and boxwood and eaves, holding to itself in the cool air all the sweet garden scents of white magnolia and moss rose and fragile mimosa. Beyond the land the Chesapeake slept silently, its surface rippled like watered silk by a faint breath of wind that trailed the haze behind it in tattered wisps across the water. To the west, where the woodland and tobacco fields bordered the roads leading from the Bay to Upper Marlboro, to Bladensburg, to Washington, the fog dissolved into mist and a drizzle of summer rain, laying the thick dust and cooling the oppressive heat of that summer of 1813.

On the Bay the fog showed signs of lifting before noon, and the inland rain was no more than a brief deliverance. But whatever its destiny, the day that dawned with cool mist and a gray silence touched with the subtle cloudy beauty of an opal was already set apart from the hot glittering days preceding it. To Catherine Page Bradley, engaged in a small adventure of disobedience and misbehavior, the unique quality of the day seemed an extraordinary piece of good fortune.

Sitting quietly in the cockpit of the small sloop, she crossed her arms and held them tightly against her. In the hurry and stealth of leaving home she had forgotten to find a wrap, and her thin muslin gown with its narrow skirt and tiny sleeves seemed to leave an inordinate amount of her uncovered to the brisk morning chill. But if the fog was uncomfortably cold, she reminded herself sturdily that it also shrouded the world in an enormous cocoon; the British might be as thick on the Bay as forty thieves, but what they could not see they could not steal, or threaten, or shoot at the first sign of resistance.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the damp air with its smells of brackish salt water, wet canvas sail, slippery decking that still gave off a faint resinous scent of white pine and hot yellow sun. Already she could distinguish an occasional warm feather of air from the land, hidden in the haze somewhere off the port bow. Soon the Catherine, slipping through the water with no more than a whisper of a sound, would round the point into the Severn.

Ahead, blurred and indistinct, would be the houses and steeples of Annapolis reaching upward through a canopy of dark wet green, and the sheltered harbor with ships reflecting their curved images across the glassy water while their masts raked the fog. Not to be immediately seen, but there as surely as the calm harbor and State House cupola, would be the noises and smells and infectious bustle of a port town, and the carriages and horses crowding the streets, and the town people who lived in the graceful brick houses and walked the tree-shaded lanes.

Inside her a slow delicious excitement stirred, warming her against the morning chill and the equally dampening disapproval in Duncan MacDougall’s face.

For the past few minutes he had resorted to the final reproach of ignoring her, lifting his eyes to the sail or narrowing them to watch the drifting haze ahead, carefully centering his attention on the Catherine and her destination. But Page, looking from beneath her lashes at the fixed scowl on his plain stubborn face, was not misled.

“I thought you’d be pleased to have my company,” she said at last. “Don’t you ever find it lonely, sailing back and forth to town all alone?”

He could not ignore a direct question. But he made her wait a few minutes before he said pointedly, “It’s one of the few pleasures of my life, getting away from the giggling and chattering.”

“I don’t chatter,” Page said with dignity, “and I seldom giggle.”

“You’ve six sisters who do,” MacDougall said. “I’ve put up with a houseful of women for longer than I care to remember, and you’re the worst of the lot.” He regarded her with an illconcealed exasperation. “One day you’ll find yourself in one scrape too many, and when you look to me for help you’ll not get it.”

“You’re as cross as an old bear,” Page said cordially. “It isn’t so terrible a crime, after all. Papa promised me a trip to town for my birthday.”

“Not in the Catherine, he didn’t. You know well enough you’re not allowed on the Bay, and who’s to explain to Samuel Bradley how it happened? It’ll be me, no doubt, the way it’s always been, but I can tell you now I’ve no hope of saving you from his temper.”

Page sighed, obliged to admit that her father would indeed be in a tearing rage when he discovered that she had tricked MacDougall by the simple ruse of hiding below until the Catherine was well out into the channel. Samuel Bradley might send his small sloop wherever he pleased, satisfied that few enemy ships might outsail her; but he had not, since the beginning of the British blockade, cared to extend the same risk to his daughters.

She could not truly blame him. The British were guilty of the most heinous crimes, not the least of which was their very presence in the Chesapeake, keeping everyone in a constant state of turmoil. Since February, when Admiral Cockburn first brought his squadron to Lynhaven Bay, there had seldom been a week when one of his ships was not sighted from the steeple of the State House. And British captains, eager to line their own pockets with the spoils of war, were as likely to covet small civilian craft as men-of-war. In the wake of a dozen such mishaps to astonished neighbors up and down the shore, Samuel Bradley had declared positively that his daughters would either travel by horse or carriage, or they would stay at home. To the sociably-inclined Bradley daughters—as to anyone born and bred in a country where sensible people had always preferred the quick and pleasant waterways of the Chesapeake to the interminable and ill-made roads—the indignity of being forced off the Bay was one of the more irritating hardships of the war.

“If he promised,” MacDougall said, “why didn’t you wait and go with him? I heard him tell Bessie he’d take her in to shop one day next week.”

“That isn’t fair. I notice that you always have a number of pressing chores to keep you at home when it’s time for Bessie to go to town.”

He had the grace to grin faintly. “She’s a fair nuisance, that one. I’ve stood on Fleet Street for more than an hour, mind you, waiting for her to finish her chattering.”

Page laughed. She was fond of MacDougall’s sister Bessie, a small Scots woman with an enormous motherly heart who had cherished the Bradley family as her own for years, reigning over the domestic life of Bradley’s House as firmly as Duncan ruled the fields and stables. But no amount of fondness could ease the burden of a shopping trip with Bessie. The sisters drew straws to determine which would endure the long jolting carriage ride, the tiresome waiting while Bessie visited up and down the streets of Annapolis, and the strict surveillance that never faltered until Bessie had her chicks safely back home again.

“But that’s nothing to do with you,” MacDougall said. “At my age, I don’t need a chaperon.”

Page lifted her chin. “Nor do I.”

“Aye, you need a keeper,” he retorted, “and I’ve no mind to take on such a thankless position.” He glanced at her briefly, his scowl returning. “You’d look more like a young lady if you’d bother yourself to put on that bonnet. There’s no sense in going to town to buy fancy new clothes when you look like somebody’s poor kin.”

“Don’t scold, Mac.” Page slipped the bonnet behind her.

“It’s my very oldest one, and it was Martha’s best and Emily’s second-best before it came to me.” She added, quite firmly, “I’ve made up my mind I’ll never wear it again.”

This fresh edition of the classic romantic historical novel set during the War of 1812 combines the wit and tenderness of Georgette Heyer with the martial detail and atmosphere of Patrick O’Brian, and deserves placement at the pinnacle of its genre.

Despite the British blockade of the Chesapeake, adventurous Page Bradley slips into Annapolis, piloted by MacDougall, the disapproving Scotsman who serves her father. When she saves suspected English spy Jocelyn Trevor from mob violence and a likely hanging, she falls into more adventure—and danger—than she ever imagined. While making her way home to her wealthy father’s plantation, her vessel is captured by the British and she becomes a prisoner and pawn. Trevor, by birth a viscount, becomes responsible for her safety and her innocence—quite a challenge in the midst of war.

As their unspoken attachment grows, they find themselves divided by their patriotism. A deeper knowledge of one another is forged on shipboard and during battle, on the island of Barbados, in Brittany, and in Trevor’s native London, where his American charge manages to escape his vigilance. With every reversal of fortune come doubts that test their hearts and loyalties, the couple and the vivid secondary characters are realistically, reasonably, and poignantly affected by momentous events, culminating with the burning of Washington.


My Love, My Enemy takes place during dual conflicts: The War of 1812 and the final year of the Napoleonic Wars. Page Bradley is an American living in Annapolis. 18 and adventurous, she has managed to sneak onto the boat of a fellow named Duncan MacDougall (who works for her father) to accompany him into town for a bit of shopping. Shortly after she’s nearly run over by a horse in town, thanks to a little daydreaming, Page finds the rider of the horse of her earlier encounter surrounded by an angry mob in a killing mood. The crowd is convinced he’s a British spy. Page saves the day with a little quick thinking, managing to convince everyone that the British man is with her (in 1812, it’s safe to say that everyone would know a prominent citizen’s daughter), but when their sloop is captured by a British frigate, Page and MacDougall become prisoners. And, then an American ship attacks.


Page goes from ship to ship and then from Bermuda to France, followed by London as plans to return her to Annapolis are continually thwarted by the war on the home front and war in Europe, poor weather and the determination of an American pirate who simply can’t be bothered to drop off a young lady when there’s such great treasure to capture. Will Page ever make it home to Annapolis? Was Jocelyn Trevor, Lord Hazard, really visiting his sister in America or is he a spy? Why must everyone persist in treating Page like a child?


As you can tell from my description, My Love, My Enemy focuses on history, action and adventure more than romance, although it is Page’s story and the reader remains in her point of view. The affection between Lord Hazard and Page Bradley develops gradually and there is nothing steamy, nothing that screams of the common romance — no deep, impassioned longing or admiration of bodies, nothing beyond a few kisses and even those occur in the latter half of the book, possibly later.


What I Loved about My Love, My Enemy:


This is the kind of "romance" I love, in which the love story is merely one of many things happening, not the sole focus of the novel, beautifully written with exciting battles and an adventurous journey across an historical backdrop of war. The touch of romance, slowly developed, as the hero and heroine often are forced to part company, is quite nearly perfect, in my humble opinion. I’m not a fan of the kind of romance with graphic sex and gushing about each other’s bodies and desire. I prefer a gentle, chaste romance that develops at a realistic pace. The blend of adventure and sweet interaction make the My Love, My Enemy both compelling and delightful.


My Love, My Enemy also has an excellent, built-in conflict. Page is American; Lord Hazard is British. They are at war with each other. Much as she finds herself drawn to him, Page is a patriot and Lord Hazard is a soldier. At one point, he actually leaves Page for several months to go fight against Napoleon.


Realistic setting, great characters (I really liked them all . . . well, maybe there were one or two exceptions, but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to dislike them) and rocking fine dialogue make My Love, My Enemy a winner. Don’t avoid it if you detest romance. It’s a good story. At times, shipboard dialogue sounds very much like that of the Hornblower series.


What I disliked about My Love, My Enemy:


There was one point at which I thought, "How long is this bouncing from ship to ship going to go on?" And, in fact, just after I wondered that, the scenery changed. Page was dropped off far from home. So, honestly? There’s nothing I dislike about the book. I know zippo about the War of 1812 and I learned a little — enough to pique my interest, but not a great deal.


Cover thoughts:


I’m not a fan of the "steamy" romance cover, although I understand the reasoning behind them (romance sells, period) and I do love the background, a ship at sunset. Lord Hazard is never shirtless, as far as I can recall; the book is totally G-rated, definitely a great one to hand to your impressionable teenager. And, ooooh, I love that dress.


This book was originally published in 1961, and while the writing style is a bit different than what we see with today’s romance novels, I found that My Love, My Enemy was very well composed. It seems to have that magical quality, and I found that I liked that it incorporated action and adventure into the story. Some may say that it was light on the romance, but I found that it very intriguing to read, and I enjoyed that aspect because it was a bit different than the other romances that I have read. I also liked the characters, Page was a fun read as well as Lord Hazard. The plot pulled me in as well.

If you are looking for a swashbuckling historical romance, then this is the book for you.

Cover Thoughts:

I loved this cover, the colours blended brilliantly together and catch your eye. I also love the ship in the background set against the tangerine sunset.

****I have to say that I love that Sourcebooks re-releasing their older titles under the name Casablanca Classics, it has opened up a whole other world of romances for readers to discover!



Jan Cox Speas published three books, My Love, My Enemy being the third in 1961.

Set during the War of 1812, My Love, My Enemy tells the story of bold and sassy American, Page Bradley who, after stealing away with her family’s sloop, meets and handsome stranger – who turns out to be an Englishman, Lord Hazard.

Jan Cox Speas takes them, and her reader, on a wonderful journey full of treachery and danger – France, Spain and beyond – all while mixing in real life historical figures the pair come across. While the book is short – a mere 272 pages – it is long on lovely reading goodness. I do have to say though, that I dislike the cover quite a lot. I didn’t give the book the credit it deserved until I actually cracked it open. It looks like a bodice ripper but is anything but.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me this book for review and kudos to them for bringing another hard to find book back to life for readers to enjoy.



Fans of adventure on the high seas are going to love this one. The romance is overshadowed just a bit by the adventure, but the snippets we get of the romance are quite good. Sometimes I wanted more of the romance or social interaction of all of the great characters instead of discussion of war strategies though.

Considering the book was originally written in 1961, I didn’t feel like the book seemed dated at all. I was worried that there were going to be some gender issues or that the hero was going to be all overbearing alpha-male, but I’m guessing that trend didn’t start until the 70s because Hazard was a great guy and I can definitely see how Page fell in love with him.

All of the characters were very relatable and well-written. I loved Hazard’s dual sides as both an English gentleman and a ’pirate.’ The secondary characters were fun addition s to the story and I liked how the author tied up the ending for everyone involved. Farley, Hazard’s valet, especially stood out. He was just too adorable, and great for some much needed comic relief.

Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 3/5 (not enough of it!)
Uniqueness: 3/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 4/5

Bottom Line: This was a fun swashbuckling adventure, even though I did want to see a little more of the romance.


Set during the War of 1812, My Love, My Enemy by Jan Cox Speas is a story of conflicting loyalties and how the fate of individuals can diverge from the fate of nations. Ranging from America to Bermuda, France and England, the story is a cornucopia of historical detail interwoven with a fast-paced adventure story and, of course, romance.

In 1813 Annapolis, Maryland, Page saves suspected British spy Joss from hanging by Americans furious at the encroachments of the occupying British. As they sail back to her father’s house, the British capture them. Page, now a prisoner, is forced to sail away from her home. But the British Joss protects Page from the harsh realities of nations at war. Love blossoms between these two people separated by national loyalties. But individuals compose nations, and Page and Joss must decide if their love can surmount their differences.

I love stories that combine rousing adventure and tons of accurate history with the romance. Ms. Speas succeeds on all accounts. Without ever being intrusive, she weaves history, sea lore, adventure and romance into an exciting tale of the choices people at war must make. Joss was a little too much of an overbearing superman for my taste, and Page too reckless and too young (eighteen). But the characters are true to their era, and the novel, written in 1961, is also a reflection of its time.

For those of us who like action and adventure with our romance, My Love, My Enemy is a welcome addition to our libraries.

First off, I want to say Do Not Judge a Book By Its Cover!! This one screams bodice ripper and a mindless plot line, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I was offered this title for review, but I’m always willing to try anything once and figured I had nothing to lose by reading My Love, My Enemy. Can I just say that I was really pleased with the entire story. This was a fun way to spend an afternoon. I really loved the characters that the author brought to life and she captured the time period wonderfully. Her descriptions of the dress, countries, ships, war, and scenery were fantastic and brought this story alive before my eyes. What I found to be the most refreshing part was the fact that there was very little physical romance! I loved that. The author created a relationship (gasp! can you believe that the characters actually got to know each other and they didn’t have to have sex to accomplish this goal???) that was exciting to watch unfold. In fact, the author did a splendid job with all of the relationships in this book and that is why I enjoyed this story so much.

Recommend? Absolutely, especially to readers who enjoy Historical fiction with slight romance involved. This was more of an adventure story that takes the reader from the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, to the glorious beaches of Bermuda, the oppressed people and foggy shore lines of France, and finally to the ton of the town in jolly London.

Rating: 4/5

Format: Paperback

Dimensions
Length: 8 in
Width: 5 in
Weight: 7.00 oz
Page Count: 272 pages