"A great addition to this popular series"
After eight years of dire financial straits caused by his
deceased father, Viscount Luc Ashford is wealthy.
Successfully steering his family through the great debts,
he allows himself a night of drinking to celebrate. When
he tumbles home, Lady Amelia Cynster accosts him with a
proposition that they marry and he use her large dowry to
pay off his no longer existing debts. Perhaps it is the
marriage of his best friend to Amelia's twin that
encourages him (see ON A WICKED NIGHT) and though he has
the income to pay his bills, Luc finds the idea of Amelia
as his bride quite appealing. He accepts before falling
drunkenly unconscious at her feet. However, Luc insists on a proper courtship, which Amelia
acquiesces to even as she tries seducing him. Waiting
becomes agony, as Luc wants Amelia as much as she desires
him. When they finally marry, passion is their middle
names until someone steals items from their home. The
theft causes Luc to worry how his beloved Amelia will react
when she learns why he married her is not the reason she
believes. The ninth Cynster novel is an enjoyable Regency romance
starring two likable lead characters spending much of the
book hiding their love for one another when they are not
gazing or kissing. The well-written story line focuses on
these delightful protagonists whereas a subplot involving a
mystery augments their tale with unnecessary suspense.
Though nothing new is added to the Cynster universe, fans
of the series and Regency tales in general will enjoy
Stephanie Laurens' latest historical. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted April 25, 2002
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