"wonderful historical romantic crescendo"
While Richard II rules England, Lady Elena sadly knows she
must go to the Principality of Montverde since she learns
that she is the long lost princess. She realizes her duty
is to marry the current head of state in order to
strengthen Montverde with her political marriage though
she would prefer to remain in England. While at sea, pirates attack and capture her vessel.
Elena becomes a prisoner of assassin Allegreto who sees
his beautiful detainee as an expendable hostage to achieve
his objective of regaining his family's place in
Montverde. However, he admires Elena's spunk initially
shown through her ire at him. As he forces his pretty
prisoner to be his bride he soon finds his respect for her
courage turning into passion and love something the
jailbird reciprocates. Though the Stockholm syndrome of captive and warden
falling in love has been overused, Laura Kinsdale keeps it
fresh because of the lead male protagonist. Allegreto has
been a paid killer yet this hired gun shows depth and
ethics as he did in FOR MY LADY'S HEART that enables the
audience to see beyond his assassin job. Elena is a
courageous soul though one must wonder how she found the
back bone to stand up to one as notorious as Allegreto.
Only a talent like Ms. Kinsale could bring this unlikely
pairing to a wonderful historical romantic crescendo. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted March 1, 2004
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