The Nizam's Daughters (The Matthew Hervey Adventures: 2): A rip-roaring and riveting military adventure from bestselling author Allan Mallinson. (Matthew Hervey, 2)

**Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**Read this book in 2006, and its the 2nd volume of the excellent "Matthew Hervey" series.The historical details concerning this period of history are very well implemented by the author within this story concerning the war in India.This book is set in the year AD 1816, and Matthew Hervey, newly appointed Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Wellington, must leave behind his fiancée Lady Henrietta Lindsey and travel to India to complete a dangerous mission.In India he will find a part of that land called, Chintal, that is threatened from within by intrigue and from without by a military might.All this problems will be settled on the battlefield where the Nizam's Daughters, and these two canons will play an important part, whether benefitting or working against Hervey and his men that remains to be seen.What is to follow is a very interesting tale of the war in India and its implications for Hervey and his men whether its identifying friend from foe, and to understand the feelings and thoughts of these people in India, if only they want to be successful with their English military might in their dealings with the local Indian rulers, and so remain the dominating factor on that subcontinent.Very recommended, for this is a very enjoyable addition to this glorious series, and that's why I like to call this episode: "A Very Satisfying Hervey Sequel"!

Three and a half stars maybe.I am fascinated by this era and looked forward to this second book. Not that I'm in a strong position to verify but it certainly appears to be a well researched book. Maybe the heroics are a bit over egged as other reviewers have commented, Patrick O'Brien certainly does this with far more finesse for his hero.Despite this not being that much of a page turner I would have continued with the series but for the clumsy and ill thought through pricing strategy Amazon seem to employ all too often. As a kindle users we're sucked in with 99p books and when they deem the reader is sufficiently 'hooked' up goes the price six fold. I have abandoned other promising authors for this very reason. Had they an ounce of sense they might have priced the lot at £1.99 and I'd have happily read the lot, spending much more in the process. I can't believe I'm alone in this behaviour.

It's a big gamble for an author to end his first book about a Cavalry regiment with the Battle of Waterloo: where can we go from here? Well, since our hero is British, the answer is India, obviously. Hervey is sent to India - and thereby unable to marry his fiance as planned - to undertake a special mission for the Duke of Wellington.Of course, things don't go to plan: Hervey ends up mixed in local politics and incipient warfare between the princely states. There is a beautiful Rajah's daughter who is causing Hervey no little consternation; nearly as much as the Nizam's daughters - a number of long cannon, the best artillery in India.We get a good look at regency India here, with a number of characters providing surprises of one sort or another. Hervey is still very proper: he is definitely a man you would trust with your wife or sister (like Hornblower, and unlike Jack Aubrey, or especially James Bond!). This does not make him less interesting though, and certainly not boring. He is also not free of pride - when appointed to command the Rajah's armies, he demurs on pragmatic grounds, rather than doubting his abilities to do so (a point then deftly made by the Rajah).The story is probably a little bit better than the telling, but its more than enough to hold your interest, and keep you reading the series.

I'm a great lover of historical novels and have. over the years, followed the fictitious lives of Hornblower, Bolitho and Sharpe. I've read a number of other 'heroes' but have never found any the grabbed my attention until my daughter bought me the first episode of the Matthew Hervey stories. After just half-a-dozen pages I was hooked. Allan Mallinson delivers a superb blend of historical information and a truly believable fictional character, exactly what historical fiction requires. I'm now up to book 4 of the series and the quality has never faltered. I strongly recommend this book (and the series) to any lover of this genre. FIVE STARS

Not so much a page-turner as a page-skipper. The characters lack any depth nor charm. Comparisons with O'Brien are far from the mark. I won't be bothering with any more of the author's works.