Smuggler's Kiss

Smuggler's Kiss by Marie-Louise Jensen was another masterpiece to add to her already amazing collection. Jensen has been an author that I have followed and collected since I found one of her books The Lady in the Tower in a bookshop. She has a conversational tone to her writing and I find it makes for a welcoming smooth read, books that I can pick up, sit with a cup of tea, and fall into, transported to whatever magical scene Jensen has concocted. In Smuggler's Kiss this was a smugglers ship in 1720. Jensen weaves humour, danger, intrigue, suspense, intricate plots and romance to create this novel and quick note here - all Jensen's books are set in the past which I really adore as not only do I get to read an amazing story but I also get to experience a glimpse into the past made all the more accessible by Jensen's vivid and detailed descriptions of life in the 18th century (in this case).

Smuggler's Kiss follows Isabelle as she attempts to drown herself in the sea but is rescued by a band of smugglers and taken aboard their ship, The Invisible. Fearing that she will betray the smugglers keep her captive onboard but Isabelle being a blueblood, upper class woman, is unused to being alone amongst so many men and without servants. For the first couple of chapters she is a spoilt and unpleasant character acting more like a spoilt child than a teenage woman and you can't help wanting to slap her. However as she gets used to her situation and begins to warm to some of the smugglers she becomes a more pleasant character to follow. The romance between her and one of the smugglers Will is one of sparring and snide quips and sarcastic comments which makes for some very humourous and endearing (as you can guess it'll work out OK) scenes. It's always nice not to have a romance where the characters fall deeply and unrealistically in love and the reader has to cope with a ridiculous amount of gush and drivel for the whole novel.

I struggled to put down Smuggler's Kiss whilst I was reading it but looking back I wish I had as it would have made it last longer! It was lovely to read a book that had its own plot and didn't follow the generic outline of so many YA novels nowadays and being set in the past offers a break from this recent spat of dystopian futuristic novels that appear to be so popular. Jensen has again delivered a comforting read that I know I will enjoy reading again especially on a wet and windy night so I can imagine the howling cold wind rattling through the Invisible's sails as Isabelle would have. Though to be honest Jensen's description paints as vivid a picture as any and I could probably still imagine the punishing wind and sheets of rain, the waves from the rolling sea, even on a warm summer's day!

I will give Smuggler's Kiss a solid five as it was an enjoyable, original read and I will definitely revisit it as I do all Jensen's novels. It is published by Oxford University Press and can be purchased from Amazon.co.uk for £4.82 and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

En Bon Lu!