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From the title, El Dorado, you would never know this is the sequel to one of my favorite books, The Scarlet Pimpernel. The opening chapters were slow, but the story soon picks up speed.

The first half of the book is about Armand, brother-in-law and fellow conspirator to Percy Blakeney (a.k.a. the Scarlet Pimpernel). He makes some foolish choices that jeopardize the Pimpernel’s plans to free the heir to the French throne from prison. Blakeney steps in to save the day and when he makes his appearance, the story finally becomes as engaging as the original book.

This is not primarily a romance, but I loved how Sir Percy referred to his wife, Marguerite, as “dear heart�. I appreciated her complete willingness to trust him and to die for him, if need be.

There was plenty of Christian imagery in this book, which I didn’t recall from the first one. Blakeney is compared to a savior and after his imprisonment is described as one “on his way to Calvary�. When Armand fouls up the plans, he calls himself “Judas� and feels the only way to redeem himself is to give his life for Percy. Fascinating vocabulary. The writing, too, was exceptional at times.