The Stalking-Horse

The story's pace is dictated by the historical timeline, and Sabatini keeps it short and basic. This leaves the characters a trifle high and dry, and we don't interact with the hero until halfway through, thus ending with a super hasty romance. What's missing is the usual sparkle and dash Sabatini's earlier novels offered. So, while I enjoyed the careful historical slant, it didn't capture my heart and give me characters to love as I have loved some of his subjects in other novels.