My first worry upon starting this book was that the Duchess of Tamworth might no longer be with us......she is! Alive and kicking and more astute and ornery than ever.

In this book, new characters are introduced and old characters take on more dominant roles. We start out with Barbara's New World adventures, which could be subtitled 'Lady Devane Grows Up'. Barbara is at last pitched forcefully from the cocoon of her sheltering life and her focus on her own needs and desires. She becomes a socially conscious young woman and begins to take an active role. She learns much about life and love, as well as land and tobacco crops and slave labor. She experiences a tragic loss. She returns to England.

We also have the treat of a fascinating historical backdrop for the action. Back home the throne of George I is being threatened by rumors of invasion; the Stewart claimant to the throne is said to be putting together an army to come to England. The situation is tense, as no one truly knows which side anyone else might be aligned with. Barbara soon finds herself in a precarious situation; she has to balance her position at court with her love for a Jacobite spy; meanwhile her mother, Diana, is sharing her bed with Robert Walpole, a man who poses great danger to Barbara.

Barbara's childhood friend, Jane Ashford Cromwell, along with Jane's husband, Augustus Cromwell, and her father, Sir John Ashford come to the forefront of the action in this book. Their story is action packed and very good; although not tragedy free.

For me the true stars of this novel were Alexander "Lumpy" Pendarves and Louisa, Lady Shrewsbury. Their December romance is funny and sweet. And how about that reveal.....I wanted to high-five Aunt Shrew at the end of the book; what an awesome crazy old broad she was!

From here we have a prequel of sorts in "Dark Angel", which tells the tale of Lady Alice Varney as a young lady at the court of Charles II. Good, because I'm not sure I would want to read any books in this series without her......she should always be a character. ( )

The sequel to Through a Glass Darkly. I like this book a lot, but it took longer for me to get into it. I would love for Karleen Koen to continue writing about Barbara so I know how her story ends. ( )

Defiantly NOT as good as Through a Glass Darkly. I bought this book and the 3rd book of the series Dark Angels at the same time because I had read the 1st one and enjoyed it, that being said, after reading this book I have yet to even crack the spine of the 3rd one because it was just so disappointing. I found myself skipping parts just to avoid characters who were simply annoying and the whole experience was just downright frustrating. ( )

As with Through A Glass Darkly, this novel takes its title and its themes from this verse:

When I was a child, I spake as a child. I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
I Corinthians 13:11-13

I absolutely loved Through A Glass Darkly and I was pleased to find that the sequel begins right where we last left Barbara: on her way to the colony of Virginia, looking ahead to a new life as a new woman, escaping the heartache and scandal of London. Though the author does provide a bit of background, this really is not a stand alone book, and to truly appreciate what happens in the sequel, you need to read Through A Glass Darkly first.

Change is an easy thing to decide and a difficult thing to do. It is the day-to-day struggle of it that defeats people.

Barbara carries these wise words from her beloved grandmother with her as she navigates through the trials and temptations of turning her life around. The narrative moves back and forth between Barbara in Virginia, the loved ones she left behind in London, and a newcomer to London. He is Laurence Slane, a dedicated Jacobite, posing as an actor while spying on the King's court for the Old Pretender, King James III, and increasingly curious to know the woman all of London is still talking about.

All of the characters I loved in the first book are back in this one: Barbara's cousin Tony and her former lover Charles, still pining for Barbara but moving on with their lives; old Aunt Shrew in rare form and up to her ears in intrigue; Barbara's delectable, scandalous mother, Diana, in a surprisingly melancholy mood; Barbara's old friends Therese and Jane and Gussy, and of course, her grandmother, the formidable Duchess of Tamworth.

Barbara's time in Virginia strengthens her and when she receives news of startling developments back home, she sets out to face them head on, arriving in London at just the right time to take control of her own life while throwing everyone else's into chaos. Barbara soon finds herself conspiring with former enemies against former friends, winds up in the middle of a Jacobite plot to overthrow King George I, and discovers the courage to stand on her own and risk her heart to love again.

It's not as gut-wrenching as Through A Glass Darkly, as this novel has more of a plot, with more action and excitement and less exposition of human nature. This sequel did not get to me as much as the original did, but I really enjoyed it and thought it was one of the better sequels I've read. Two things keep me from giving it a higher rating: First, a story line in Virginia involving Barbara's suitor that seemed to fizzle out and disappear without any satisfaction when I thought it was going to play a larger part, and Second, I didn't like the way the conclusion of the story was presented. I won't spoil it, but I will state that I hate when authors leave important things up to my imagination! I stuck with the book for this long, I deserve to read about said things firsthand! But overall, this book is a good read, a satisfying continuation of a great story. ( )

http://bibliophibian.blogspot.com/2009/08/twenty-six-now-face-to-face-karleen.ht... ( )