5 Star Review of Isabelle Webb Legend of the Jewel by N.C. Allen

I have met NC Allen and she signed my book.  But, she did not give me the book in exchange for an honest review.  I had bought the book about six month before I had met her and I had so many other books to read that I finally got around to this one.  I was at a writing conference and she was kind enough to sign it for me.  This is the first in her Isabelle Webb series and I had already read the second book in the series.  She was kind enough to sign that one for me also.  No strings attached.  Here is my review.

Isabelle Webb is an injured Pinkerton spy.  The American Civil War is over, Lincoln is dead, she isn't talking to her sister and she and her ward Sally are traveling in London for rest.  Webb is a Yankee and her ward is a Rebel Southern Belle.  They are polar opposites.  Both had suffered during the war.  But they both depend on each other.

Of course being the first book in the series it sets up all of the characters and how they meet and who wants what and why.  Who gets shot, attacked by snakes in the jungle, who's chase by whom and so forth.

While in London Belle and Sally meet an American man named James who is looking for his brother Phillip.  His brother is in bad company and the young man was asked by his mother to retrieve his brother.  The two brothers are from Utah and so far he had been able to trace his brother to London.  Sally, being more open and younger, has convinced the two adults that the girls should tag along on his adventure to look for his brother.  After all, they are going in the same direction.  And so they do.

The story is about what happens on their way to India by boat and once they get to India in search of the young man.  Some of it is good as Isabelle's heart is beginning to open up to the possibility of love.  And the bad happens with murder and attempted murder.  Since I had read the second book first I already knew that some of the characters in this story would not survive til the last page.  But I did not know how they died so this was a good book to read.

Allen's writing is easy to read, and the story is good.  I would suggest this book to anyone fourteen and older.  It's a good clean adventure/romance novel that can be enjoyed by anyone.  It's a great historical romance for those who like those.  She describes India very well and the story is well worth reading.  There is a third book in the series so now I need to find it so I can see how the story continues.

This is the third book in the series that came out in March 2013.

Her blog is: http://ncallen.blogspot.com/









Allen also writes the Faith of our Fathers series.  I have not read those yet, but if they are anything like her Isabelle Webb series, they will be worth reading.