A review by 100pagesaday
Saving Shadow by Laura Beers

5.0

Lady Elizabeth Beckett has been trained as a code-breaker and spy for the English Crown from an early age. Elizabeth watched in envy as her brother Jonathon took on dangerous missions and soon forced her way into accompanying him. Being adept at the longbow and a dagger, Elizabeth excelled in the field and earned the code name Shadow. When young ladies begin to disappear around London, Eliza makes it her personal mission to stop the man responsible for selling the women off. However, to complete the mission, Eliza must partner with the agent, Benedict, who believes his step-brother is responsible for the missing girls. When Eliza and Benedict meet, sparks fly, but the mission must come first.

Saving Shadow is a fun, intriguing, historical spy-thriller with just the right touch of romance. I absolutely loved Eliza's character, for a story set in Regency London Eliza is a good blend of a lady of high society and a woman who gets to use her intellect while not being pigeonholed into the image of a proper woman. I enjoyed that her intelligence and unique talents of memory and coding were utilized and promoted instead of stifled. I do wish we could have seen some of the examples of the encryptions that she decoded. My favorite scenes were those where Eliza was in action, it is truly her element. The theme of being in control was prevalent throughout the story. Eliza wanted to continue having control over her life after being banished from the control of her mother's household. All of the men in Eliza's life attempted to establish control, however quickly learned that it would not work with Eliza. The man responsible for the kidnappings of the young women also wanted to feel powerful and in control. The pacing of the story was just right, I savored the scheme leading up to Eliza and Benedict finding the stolen women and bringing down the man responsible. Not to mention the super-sweet romance with a wonderful amount of witty banter that added some spice. I'll look forward to reading more about the Beckett's in A Peculiar Courtship.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.