The Sentimental Soldier offers an unusual heroine, a chivalric soldier, and plenty of opening action, which, if sustained, would make for lively reading. The promise of the first half is not entirely realized, however, as the second half of the story slows considerably, and is resolved with a rather unlikely ending.

Colonel Harry Langford is one of Wellington’s most prized soldiers, with a trustworthy nature combined with astute instincts and a cat’s nine lives, all of which make him a valuable spy. Tactical decisions must be made, and Wellington is in need of information, so he dispatches Harry to the south of France, disguised as a French priest, to collect what he can before reporting back.

When Miss Prudence Marland was orphaned as a young child, her uncle took her in, and she became a partner to him in his diplomatic work. Prudence is possessed of quick intelligence, a compassionate nature, and a slight appearance making her seem much younger than her twenty-four years, all traits she puts to use in her pursuit of information. Diplomats are meeting soon in an effort to achieve an end to the war between England and France, and Prudence realizes that they are missing crucial information which could make a difference in the outcome of the meetings. She insists on traveling to Spain, disguised as an Arab prince, to gather that information instead of going straight to the meetings with her uncle.

Prudence does not make it to Spain, as the ship is caught in a storm, and a superstitious sailor takes advantage of an opportunity to push the “foreign devil” overboard. As the half-drowned Prudence is washed ashore, she is found by a priest, Harry in disguise, who cannot leave her to be discovered by the French and attempts to get her to safety. So starts a string of adventures as circumstances force them to travel together across France to join Wellington in Spain.

The plot twists and turns at a rapid pace, and is studded with lively dialogue, but the unlikeliness of some of the events require more than a little suspension of belief. For instance, after being captured by the French, an officer pushes himself upon Prudence with an intent to rape her. Prudence plays along, lures him into the woods just out of sight of the remaining three soldiers who are guarding Harry, and immediately stabs the man through the heart, making no noise that would alert the others. This is no easy thing to do, especially for a child-sized woman who holds deep-seated beliefs in pacifism and the sanctity of life, and who is repelled by even the thought of using a weapon against another. The second half of the book has far less action, but no less improbable happenings, with Prudence accomplishing amazing things with the help of good fortune and the sudden appearances of unlikely characters.

Despite her occasional transformation into Wonder Woman, Prudence is an appealing heroine. She is truly kind, observant, and sensible, and manages to avoid falling into most of the “big misunderstanding” pits that are strewn before her. Harry is certainly noble, but remains less developed than Prudence, and is a bit bland as a result. Both characters would be memorable with more focus on them and less on the circus-like plot twists.

Readers who are willing to accept an imaginative tale with a saucy heroine at face value, without looking too closely at the details, will likely enjoy The Sentimental Soldier more than I. Those who require a tidier plot with a bit of realism to back up the heroic exploits may be better advised to look elsewhere.