The characters may be (mostly) English, but A Secret in Her Kiss, a debut novel from Anna Randol, is set in Constantinople. It’s a refreshing change from the norm, and while the novel is not perfect, the author shows a lot of potential for becoming very, very good.

Major Bennett Prestwood just wants to go home after years at war, and the Pyhrric victory at Waterloo leaves him eager to rest – and go and rescue his sister from her abusive husband. However, when a manipulative general threatens him with the future of his regiment, he reluctantly agrees to go to Constantinople to act as a guard for a young spy whose identity has been compromised.

Mari Sinclair has no love of the English, but supplies them with information because her mother had been a Greek slave under the Ottoman Turks, and the English are the best chance for Greek independence. Bennett is nothing but an impediment, and the two clash quickly and frequently. They both just want him back in England, but they are ordered on one last scouting mission, to one of the most dangerous places in the Ottoman Empire.

I loved the setting. It’s vividly described, and as I said, a lovely change from London and the English countryside. I am far from an expert on the culture of Turkey, but the author absolutely captured the embellished and descriptive way of speaking that seems common among the Middle Eastern people I’ve met. The story was well written (with the exception of a few parts that were walking along the purple line) and engaging, and I found it hard to put down.

From a romantic point of view, though, the story faltered a bit. Chemistry between Mari and Bennett fizzled more than it sizzled. I liked them both individually, and they each had really interesting struggles with the nature of duty and responsibility. Bennett, especially, has a lot of guilt over the things he did during the war for “duty” and the greater good. Intellectually, they are a good match; I just wish the physical side of their relationship didn’t feel quite so forced.

The ending was far fetched and a bit chaotic, but as a whole I really enjoyed the book. Anna Randol is a writer to keep our eyes on.