Having watched her mother languish away for a lost love, Raven Kendrick vows never to surrender her heart. But when her life erupts in scandal, she is forced to accept a marriage proposal from the wickedly sensuous owner of London’s most notorious gaming hell. Though fiercely drawn to her enigmatic rescuer, Raven battles to resist her husband, whose sensuous caresses promise ecstasy beyond her wildest fantasies.
To save the reputation of an innocent girl nearly ruined by his brother, Kell Lasseter sacrifices his freedom to wed the dazzling debutante. Long scorned for his Irish blood and dark past, Kell cannot deny that this enchanting spitfire is unlike other society misses . . . anymore than he can quell his smoldering desire for her. Torn between loyalty to his brother and his growing feelings for his rebellious bride, Kell must somehow free Raven’s reluctant heart before they can know the ecstasy of true love.
Review:
This book was decent all around, but there were a few things that bothered me.
The good:
- The writing and characterization in general are solid. The plot also gets going right from the start, which was perfect because my brain was itching for some action.
- I love me a marriage of convenience, and I don’t think I’ve seen a set up quite like this one before.
- The hero and heroine’s emotional baggage is a matched set but it doesn’t grate or feel too contrived.
- There’s more romantic suspense than I was expecting, but it doesn’t take over the whole storyline. The action is compartmentalized into certain sections and it worked well.
- The steamy parts are indeed steamy. Ooo.
The not-so-good:
- While there isn’t a Big Misunderstanding, as it were, the hero and heroine are awful at communicating. They just refuse to talk to each other, sometimes for days or weeks at a time. ‘I’m just doing what the other person wants’, they each think, which isn’t wrong… but isn’t right, either. It’s amazing what lengths they each self-sacrificed without being sure it was a fruitful thing to do.
- Because they don’t talk we don’t get to watch the couple’s love grow very much.
- The heroine gets kidnapped. Several times. And the way people cover for her first kidnapping makes no sense to me. Why would the family say ‘she’s taken ill’ instead of screaming, ‘she’s been kidnapped!’ and running to the police? I mean, what were they doing the whole time she was gone, just hoping she would turn up safe and sound? My brain does not compute.
- While I can’t pin it on any one thing in particular, I never quite connected with the time period.
A somewhat enjoyable enh, and it did read fast, but an enh all the same.
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