Review: Hot Finish by Erin McCarthy

Not all marriages last forever . . . Suzanne Jefferson is broke, which is why she has given up charity work for wedding planning. Fortunately, she has a high-profile client--and best of all, he's paid in advance. There are just two teensy problems: The bride is a bon fide bridezilla, and Suzanne's ex-husband is the best man. At least she thought he was her ex-husband.

Two years after their marriage fell apart, stock car race driver Ryder Jefferson still can't stop thinking about Suzanne. Which is why he isn't too upset that, due to a glitch, the two are still technically married. Now he is imagining easing Suzanne's woes by satisfying her needs in the bedroom. After all, that's the one room they never argued in. Besides, with wedding bells ringing all around them, Ryder is wondering if--even though they'd quite the race a few laps too early--they can still come on strong with a big, romantic finish.

Erin McCarthy's "Fast Track" novels are fun and full of energy, sex, hot guys, and the women who either love them or want to. Book 3 is no exception. It is somewhat different in character than the first two in that the main characters have had their hot and heavy relationship and it has blown all to smithereens. Now as a wedding planner, Suzanne is hired to plan the wedding of one of her ex's racing buddies--and she needs this job because it is now her only means of support. It is during one of the more trying encounters with the brainless twit who happens to be the bride, that Ryder Jefferson presents an envelope from their lawyer which contains the almost unbelievable news that in truth, Suzanne and Ryder are still married. Even as they try to work through the back-tracking and trying to get the divorce degree re-instated, they each must face the factors that brought them together and those which tore them apart.

The racing world in no different than any other professional sport: too much money and too much publicity. The romances and the break-ups are way too public and that factor alone can make a tentative situation really bad. These two individuals have gotten caught in the media meat grinder and on top of their personal issues there are all the other factors that being in the spotlight can engender. But most of all, it seems these two people just need to GROW UP. Their squabbles seem just a little on the adolescent side, and as one who has been in the helping professions for a number of years, I marvel how otherwise grown up adults can descend into the world of adolescent bickering when deep emotions become involved and heart really begin to hurt over real or perceived injuries.

McCarthy's style adds to the excitement of this series and this novel is no different. Some reviewers seem to feel that this third in the series is a disappointment. I don't think so. I just think that it takes a far different situation that the sexual rat race as its main plot. Public marriages don't seem to survive well, and often it is because of just the kinds of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, childish bickering, disappointments, and insecurities that drove these two so far from each other. Add in the loss of their unborn child and there was lots to overwhelm the good sense they were both born with.

I like novels that deal with substantive issues, and while McCarthy's writing embraces a sizzling eroticism and a fast-paced story development and dialogue, the journey these two make through their personal issues is fascinating and engaging. I think it is a fitting finish to this series. And, might I add, the guys on the covers are real "eye candy" too. (I may be old but I'm not dead). I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

Review: Leave Me Breathless by HelenKay Dimon

According to Judge Bennett Walker, trying to kill him is a dumb idea. They might make him wear a big black nightgown to work, but it covers a lot of muscles, and he's definitely packing beneath it. He's also an ex-prosecutor and an ex-GI Joe. So when his brother brings in Callie Robbins to protect him, Ben has a few issues. First, he doesn't need a bodyguard. Second, she's a 130 pound girl--more smoking hot than smoking gun. And third, what if his body wants her guarding the night

Callie has no problem brushing aside Ben's disbelief. She left the FBI to escape the boys' club, but she can be deeper undercover and twice as lethal as any beefy John Doe. As for whether someone's after Bennet or not, the death threats and car bombs look pretty convincing to Callie. Of course, she might get distracted, sitting inches from the sexiest judge in DC for ten hours a day. Keeping him safe is no picnic. Keeping it professional--that might be impossible.

This novel is a very good eye full of the comings and goings, the behind-the-scenes activities in one particular courthouse written by an author who has been there, done that. The fact that judges are often in harm's way is not news to anyone. The difficulties in protecting them can often be overwhelming. Ms Dimon has written a very erotic and suspenseful tale about the death threats again two judges--life-long friends who have been chewed up and spit out by the rumor mills as lovers, and who might have been killed in a car bombing if they had been a few feet closer when it exploded. Both judges refuse to be intimidated, especially Judge Walker whose experience in the Marines and as a former prosecutor convince him that he will survive beyond the threats and the fear. His brother, owner of a security company, is not so sure. And it is on his insistence that the former FBI agent, Callie Robbins, is assigned as Judge Walker's "personal assistant." Both Judge Walker and his brother Mark bring a lot of personal baggage to this situation. Working through that as they try to work together is often difficult.

This story obviously highlights the stresses and conflict that judges deal with outside the courtroom, but it also highlights the issues that they must deal with in their own personal lives and some which come from former situations that can "bite them in the backside." Both Ben and Mark have commitment issues but neither is willing to own up to them, admit them, or deal with them. Callie has to deal with her own history--anger over the men at the FBI who outwardly accept women as co-workers but who still look upon women as good for either bedroom or kitchen duty. She has a need to prove her own worth as a professional. The dialogue is bright and informed, the characters are intelligent, well-trained for their professional responsibilities, but flawed and hurting just like everyone else. The love stories between Callie & Ben, and Mark & Judge Emma Blanton are delightful and erotic; the suspense of finding the person who is trying to do away with both judges is a parallel story that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

I think romance readers will find a story that is fun to read and worthy of the time and effort. I think it is a very good read, and I think the mystery story is good enough to keep mystery romance fans engaged and interested right to the last page. Some surprises here, but that is the nature of good writing. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

Review: Promises Keep by Sarah McCarty

Cougar McKinnely is a retired U. S. Marshall and now living in the Wyoming Territory. He is feared not only in his home territory but throughout the Western territories, often referred to as Gut'm McKinnely. He is of Native American extraction, adopted by Doc and Dorothy McKinnely after being thrown out of his home and living on the streets at the age of 13. He is a man wracked with guilt after the death of his fiance a year previously, and finds that he can no longer "perform" with the ladies. Thus he now visits Madame Cecile's Pleasure Emporium, hoping that 1) he won't be seen by anyone he knows, and 2) that one of the "ladies of the night" will be able to assist him in this personal "break through."

It is here that he encounters Mara Kincaid, a young innocent woman who has been sold to the brothel by her father to pay his gambling debts and who was to have been "auctioned" off by Madame Cecile. She is given to Cougar instead for a fairly hefty payment, and he has his way with her, only finding out, after the fact, that she is still a virgin and that she has been drugged. She comes out of her stupor sufficiently to plunge a daggar into Madame Cecile's throat, and Cougar takes down the madam's bodyguard, then absconding with Mara out of the window. However, her reputation is forever ruined, and even though she is unwilling to enter into any long-term relationship, being fiercly independent, she ends up married to Cougar. Unbeknownst to Mara, Cougar has fallen hopelessly in love with her.

This story is hard to read in some ways as it is very open about the social abuses and prejudices that seeminly good people heap on the underdog, especially women who have few if any options when abused or misused by men. In the Wyoming Territory of 1869, women had literally no legal standing and were the property of either their fathers, brothers, or husbands. They could be bought or sold as hookers or as wives or daughters. Thus this is a story of such a society and the pain it brought to a good woman like Mara. It is also the second in a series that brings some very delightful characters into being, full of wit and wisdom, of loyalty and generosity, and willingness to accept people who live on the fringes. There are some genuinely funny people here, and it is a novel that embraces all that made the Old West what it was--both good and bad--and I think helps readers understand that the territories of that time were not the romantic localities often extolled in musicals and movies. Life was hard and often short. Cougar, along with his adoped parents, his cousin Clint, his loyal friend Asa, his friend and sometimes adversary Rev. Swanson, together with a cadre of gutsy women and a few stalwart men, form the backdrop of this story that is full of tentative emotion, goodness, hope, hurt, loss, and betrayal. No reader of this story could possibly be bored.

I like Sarah McCarty's writing and the storylines of her books. She doesn't back away from the realities of that historical period while spinning a tale of romance and budding marital encounters that have the stamp of authenticity on them. These are characters and situations that smack of the real thing. And because of that, readers like me have real reactions to their successes and failures, their gains and losses. Hopefully, for those who have not read this book, you will do so at some time in the future. It is a very good book and one that is not only entertaining but educational, feeding the mind, the heart, and the libido. I give this book a rating of 4.50 out of 5.

It's the 41st Anniversary of my 29th Birthday . . .

While the picture at the left isn't really a B-day picture, it is one of the special days in my life -- marking my 25 years as pastor of my church and celebrating with my best friend -- my favorite husband.

Those days that mark the passing of the years . . . they just keep coming, faster and faster. I just can't seem to find a way to keep the time from speeding up. I can remember stuff so well from former years -- they say the short term memory is the first to go -- and yet there are so many things and happenings that I am delighted to remember: people who are special, special memories of my kids and grandkids, good times with hubby (my best friend), and the joys of just being alive. Yes, we've had the downers, too. But that's what flavors the "pot of life" and keeps us from getting, as my grandmother would say, " . . . too big for our britches." Savoring life: I think that's what I am doing today. And there is little that has gone on before that I would change. Yes, I have lost precious people in my family and delightful friends that I miss terribly. But I have also made so many new ones in different settings and contexts.

So today is a day for family, lots of surprising remembrances on Facebook, some musical eCards in the ole email box, and a beautiful birthday ring from my favorite husband.

Also, I thank all of you for embracing this blog, for following it and chiming in when you feel like doing so, for your comments and your encouragement. You are all very special to me.

Blessings to you all . . .

Review: Promises Linger by Sarah McCarty

Allow me to say right off the bat that I am an avowed Sarah McCarty fan. I just like everything she writes! I think I tend to be seduced by those writers that seem to be able to write with the "big picture" in mind, and even if they struggle with that concept during the creation of their novels, they sure don't give the reader that impression.

Promises Linger in the first in a series of novels that Ms McCarty wrote about the old West. The main story line involves the saving of the Rocking C ranch by Elizabeth Coyote, a young woman in her early 20's who has been left alone after her dad's death and who now faces losing that huge property unless she can find someone to help her save her legacy. Initially we find her in the town saloon . . . verbally shucking her first husband because after only a day or two he has shown his true colors--abusive, unloving, wanting the ranch only as a grub stake for his gambling. No way is our Miss Coyote going to tolerate that, and since the territory only recognizes these "common law" marriages as long as both parties remain in the relationship willingly, she is "divorcing" this man. Almost before anyone realizes it, she is "interviewing" Asa McIntyre who was sitting quietly at the bar, a man with some notoriety as a cowboy-for-hire, and at times even as a gunslinger, but a man who is also known as one who keeps his word and has a certain respect and sense of honor, even among the toughest of the tough. After a short exchange of assurances--he will never hurt her, she will obey him--they agree to the match and they start out for the next town where the judge performs the ceremony. No "common law" arrangement for Mr. McIntyre.

The conflict in this story is built on two situations: 1) the uneasy relationship between Elizabeth and Asa as they try to begin to "rub along" together in this thing called a marriage; 2) the ongoing problems with rustlers, injuries, small accidents, etc. that have been siphoning off the ranch's resources. The reader is really kept in some suspense as to how this marriage is going to work out--can these two people make a life together, especially with Elizabeth's independent spirit up against Asa's very real sense of how men and women approach the "division of labor" in the society of these day. It is not an unusual kind of dynamic--it is one that often surfaces in romance novels of that period and the resentment many women hid in their hearts over society's suppression of their greater gifts. But Ms McCarty has crafted two characters that are people of purpose, depth, thinkers, and people who feel deeply and who have the capacity to love deeply. Both want to make a home and a sense of place for themselves and both want a future that embraces a family and hopefully, children to fulfill their lives. This is especially true for Asa who began life as the son of a New Orleans whore, who was beaten daily almost from his youngest years by an unstable mother who saw on him "the mark of the devil" and who has longed for a home and the presence of "a lady" in his life. He finally sees that possibility in this alliance with Elizabeth.

The second area of conflict is over the future of the ranch and here we have a true mystery. In the midst of this comes characters that will be more fully explored in subsequent novels but in Ms McCarty's unique way they will tromp through all these novels as all are integral to all the situations and the lives of one another. Who is behind the slow but insidious reduction of the life of this enterprise? Is it some unknown person or group? Is it Elizabeth's neighbor and closest friend who was her father's partner and with whom she grew up? He stands to gain the most. Elizabeth doesn't believe it; Asa is not so sure. So the questions and the illusive solution to this mystery flow as an undercurrent to the obvious story of Asa and Elizabeth. Some of the questions are not answered until almost the last page. McCarty keeps us all on the edges of our chairs until almost the last minute. Very good writers tend to do that.

Finally, as a historical piece this is a part of American life that is not often explored. We know about the cattle drives and the expansion of the states and the growth of the railroad West. But how all those aspects of social growth affect individual families is a subject that holds unending delight for historical romance readers. A number of current authors are writing what is know as "cowboy romance" but I think this is not just the cowboy thing. I think this is again the exploration of the ways of men and women caught in very difficult circumstances, with few social "safety nets" and almost none of the "finer things in life" that were often enjoyed by Americans in the Eastern United States. Life was indeed hard, and relationships even harder. A bad harvest, a stray bullet, a renegade outlaw gang, the untimely death of a provider--all were almost the kiss of death. Yet in the midst of all that was caring, authentic loving and the growth of human connections that somehow managed to survive the worst of the worst.

I know these stories have been around now for several years, but they are worth reading and re-reading. Well written, engaging the mind and emotions, they are the best stuff of which historical romance fiction is made. I highly recommend this book and all the series as worthy of one's time and investment of energy.

I give this novel a rating of 4.75 out of 5.

On the Joys of Used Book Stores . . .

Yes, I love book stores, but I especially love USED book stores. Anyone with a limited book buying budget knows that it will not always be possible to get the latest books without using up all the designated funds. But if one is patient and willing to "troll" through a variety of locations, it is possible to make one's funds stretch quite a bit further by latching on to used books.

I recently Googled "used book stores" and found that there was one right about 10 miles from our little unincorporated area in So. California. Oh Happy Day!! The surprising reality is that it is located right across the street from one of our family's favorite restaurants in Palmdale, CA and I never really paid much attention. Today I managed to find a somewhat flimsy excuse to drive the 10 miles (not considered very far in our locality) to check out this store. Lo and behold, it is quite extensive with a really LONG wall full of romance novels of all kinds. Now I didn't get any of the top four authors I was hoping to find. But I did find four books that were written by some of my favorite authors: two by Sandra Hill: Wild Jinx (2008) and The Cajun Cowboy (2004); one by Tracy Anne Warren: The Wedding Trap (2006); and one by Sophia Nash: A Dangerous Beauty (2007). The Warren book is the third in a trilogy I started earlier this summer on my travels to Minnesota. The other three are books I don't know anything about but I really like those two authors, especially Sandra Hill who is one of the wittiest writers around.

This little used book store also sells new books and is called the Li'l Book Bug, located on West Palmdale Blvd, right off Fwy 14. They also have a Facebook page where lots of specials are usually posted. (Just thought I would do a little commercial for one of our local book vendors.) Used books stores seem to be few and far between in our area so I was delighted to find this one.

My other reason for haunting used book stores is because there are often older novels that are not mentioned due to there being around for a few years, that are real romance fiction gems. So I try to make a monthly trip to such a store if there is one that is relatively convenient. Usually the owner/proprietor of such an establishment is a great lover of books and is so well versed in almost all the literary genres. What a resource. I have been delighted in the past when I have found books that are out of print.

So here's hoping that each of you has a used book store which you haunt on a regular basis, and if not, here's hoping that someone will find the resources and desire sufficient to open one in your area of the planet. Bye for now . . .

On the Joys of Re-reading Favorite Books . . .

Just a few comments -- I have been reading lots of print books as well as ebooks for The Book Binge and just haven't done much for myself and my own reading list. That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed the books I read for review. I encounter authors I would probably not recognize and therefore not tend to buy if it were not for the pre-publication tomes I receive. Just one of the perks of being a reviewer and I am enjoying it a great deal.

However, one of the joys in which I have indulged recently is rereading some of my favorites. I have just finished both Here Kitty Kitty as well as Go Fetch by Shelly Laurenston, one of the best and, I might add, wittiest writers I have encountered. Just such good stories as well as wonderful characters. Those three best friends: Sara, the Alpha Female of the Magnus Pack, Angelina Santiago, mate and fashion mavin for a tiger-shifter, and Miki, the genius IQ mate to Conall, best friend and second in command to the Magnus Pack Alpha. Three friends who were all mistreated, psychologically and physically and emotionally abused by their families, just manage to find one another's strengths and live weird, off-the-charts lives that are absolutely hyusterical in so many ways. I am now in the process of rereading Pack Challenge which is the first book in that series.

I have also just completed rereading Samantha Kane's Brothers in Arms series -- all seven novels, and have once again been impressed that in spite of the similarity of the stories, they all manage to be different in significant ways, largely because the characters and their own unique experiences in the Napoleonic War have changed them. All have been seriously scarred by the horrors of that war; all have found "brothers in arms" that have helped to keep the "demons" at bay. But in each case, the love of a good woman and the warmth and sharing of those threesomes has made it possible to experience healing and a future that is wrapped in hope of one sort or another. Kane is a very good writer with a hefty sense of that historical period and a proven ability to craft characters that are strong, imperfect, and believable.

And last, I have also re-read several of Ellora's Cave novels in the Cougar Challenge series by various authors. All are about older women who have taken a challenge as issued by others who contribute to a blog called Tempt the Cougar. Each is coming out of difficult circumstances and each is needing somehow to redeem her own sense of self-worth, renew her sense of personal and/or sexual vitality, convince herself that an "ex" is wrong about her size, lack of attractiveness, sexual prowess, etc. These are very good stories written by some of the proven mavins of erotic romance. And the sizzle factor is always there, but the main ingredient in these stories is how each woman is redeemed from her age related depression or her belief that she is "over the hill." Some of these women form lasting relationships with their new loves, while others go into a "wait and see how this all plays out" kind of mode. But without giving anything away, all are stories that warm the cockles of the heart with seeing how older women re-discover their personal magic. And believe it or not, there really are men out there who adore women of maturity.

Hope you are all having a good week and that these "dog days" of summer are treating you well. Here in So. California we are having an unusually mild August. Normally the temperature is baking everything in sight. We will take all the "mildness" we can get!! Best wishes to all my friends and followers and all who stop by.

Until next time . . .

Review: Raising Kane: Rough Riders, Book 9, by Lorelei James

She surrendered the reins. Now he's raising the stakes.

When a patch of ice sends attorney Ginger Paulson head-over-high-heels down a flight of stairs, she has no one to care for her young son and her invalid father, until lethally sexy Kane McKay shows up at the hospital, determined to prove his cowboy chivalry. Past experience has inoculated her against take-charge men, but even Ginger isn't immune to Kane's invasive charm and Built Ford Tough body.

For two years rancher Kane McKay has followed the Little Buddies mentoring program Cardinal Rule: hands off his Little Buddy Hayden's mama. But one look at Ginger's bruised body and Kane is through watching the stubborn woman take care of everyone but herself. The feisty, curvy redhead needs his help, and he'll give her the hands-on type whether she likes it or not.

After Kane throws out doctor's orders and issues his own demands--her full sexual submission--Ginger realizes Kane's caring nature extends beyond just fulfilling her physical needs. Can the former hell-raiser convince the gun-shy single mom to look beyond his past toward a shared future?

Boy, oh boy, oh boy -- those McKay men just keep coming on strong and those of us who are Lorelei James fans are delighted! Here is the other half of the McKay cousin twins--Kade of Strong Silent Type and now his brother Kane. Kane was introduced to us on several occasions in the other Rough Rider books but now we get to see him up close and personal, still somewhat bound by his former lifestyle when the Boar's Nest was the center of wild, wild living for a number of the McKay guys. Now the Boar's Nest has been sold to Cam, completely renovated and enlarged to house Cam's greatly enlarged family, and Kane is a single man who has finally grown up and who has taken seriously the responsibility of being a mentor to Ginger Paulsen's fatherless son. Readers have also met Ginger in a number of the other Rough Rider books, always being there for the women in those stories, sometimes even representing them in legal proceedings. Now Ginger is in deep trouble herself, not legally, but personally. Her injuries are such that she has no means of caring for Hayden or for her invalid dad. Here's where Kane comes in. He is at the hospital because Ginger's son called him.

Ginger is one of those marvelous Western women who have learned that not only are the men trained to be strong and dependable, but the women must be strong and self-nurturing as well. The problem with Ginger is that she has borne the burdens of so many others that she doesn't remember how to let someone else care for her. Kane has "hankered" after her for a very long time, but he knows that he has to put his responsibility toward Hayden first, and thus, the hands-off policy when it comes to Hayden's mom. Now Ginger finds herself dependant on Kane for almost everything, and being thrown together for a number of consecutive days isn't making it any easier to resist one another.

Kane is very much built in the mold of his McKay cousins and his brother: a true Alpha male. He takes charge in the bedroom, but has his gentle side as well. I guess the quality I like best about these McKay guys is that even though expressing their deeper feelings is not always easy, when given sufficent cause, they are not threatened nor do they feel less than they are for having shown their emotions. It is not always easy, but then, they are known for doing the tough stuff.

This book is charged with those deeper feelings: genuine caring for the welfare of a vulnerable little boy; consideration for the sense of place that is held by Ginger's dad; deep physical attraction that is kept in check in order to see to the overall welfare for the family. Kane has come a long way, and Lorelei James has given us a character that has grown from a selfish, indulgent young man with adolescent urges that are given free reign, to a mature man who knows his own abilities and his limits, and is willing to do what he must for those he cares about. All of James' characters are the kind of people I would like to have known in real life. Perhaps that is why it is possible to go back and re-read these stories and discover additional nuances to their character as well as to their relationships.

Readers who love Lorelei James will adore this book. Those who are looking for a great cowboy romance will find this very satisfying. And anyone who loves a great love story will hit the jackpot here. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It was definitely worth the wait. I give this novel a rating of 5 out of 5.

Review: The Mane Event by Shelley Laurenston

NYPD cop Desiree "Dez" MacDermot knows she's changed a lot since she was pals with her childhood buddy, Mace. But it's fair to say that Mace has changed even more. It isn't just those too-sexy gold eyes, or the six-four, built-like-a-Navy Seal body. It is something in the way he sniffls her neck and purrs, making her entire body tingle.

Meanwhile, for Tennessean Ronnie Lee Reed, New York City is the place where any girl--even one who runs with a Pack--can redefine herself. First order of business: find a mate, settle down, and stop using men for sex. Even big, gorgeous, lion shifter men like Brendon Shaw. But she needn't worry, because now that Brendon's set his sights on her, the predator in him is ready to pounce and never let go.

I have to start off by saying that I really love Shelley Laurenston's books! I have read a number of them now, and I find them engaging, entertaining, educational, and so very funny. She has a wonderful way of bringing her characters to life so that, at least in my case, I would love to know some of them in real life.

This book is certainly not her latest but it is still a great read and one that many have missed. It is really two stories -- one featuring Mason Llewelyn, a lion-shifter, and the second story features Brendan Shaw, another lion-shifter who has two cubs by Mace's half sister and who is introduced in the first story. While he is not a part of the Llewelyn Pride, he has a connection through his children. The characters in both these stories are absolutely a hoot! I found myself laughing--from a low-grade chuckle to an extended laughing spree. The brother/sister Alphas of Ronnie Lee's pack are just too funny, and the repartee among all the characters in both stories is rib-tickling.

And yet, in the midst of all this fun and joie de vivre, there are the issues of fear of commitment, trust issues, the true nature of intimacy, and the purpose and place of family in all our lives. As sub-plots these are, I think, the true "hooks" for me. In Mace's case there are sisters -- his oldest sister is the dominant female of the Pride -- who would send most of us to the looney bin. Yet when push comes to shove, he knows that his family is really where his true heart lies, except for his true mate Dez. Watching Dez push Mace's sister is really wonderful fun, especially as Missy Llewelyn can't stand Dez. Yet even Missy is forced to reveal a deeper bond and affection for her brother that eventually has to expand to include Dez IF she wants to keep him bonded to the Pride. In Brendan's case it is just heartwarming to watch him with his two children--respecting their mother even though they are not in a relationship, and keeping their welfare uppermost in his concerns. His true mate Ronnie Lee, a werewolf, still has that open heart to accept even two lion-shifter cubs, and her affection and open hearted acceptance is returned.

So I recommend this book as a delightful journey into the world of paranormal individuals who are dealing with the same issues as humans, and who can often help all of us look at ourselves with greater insight and certainly a great deal of humor. I give this novel a 4.75 out of 5.

Review: His At Night by Sherry Thomas

Elissande Edgerton is a desperate woman, a virtual prisoner in the home of her tyrannical uncle. Only through marriage can she claim the freedom she craves. But how to catch the perfect man?

Lord Vere is used to baiting irresistible traps. As a secret agent for the government, he has tracked down some of the most devious criminals in London, all the while maintaining his cover as one of Society's most harmless and idiotic bachelors. But nothing can prepare him for the scandal of being ensnared by Elissande.

Forced into a marriage of convenience, Elissande and Vere are each about to discover that they are not the only ones with a hidden agenda. With seduction their only weapon, and a dark secret from the past endangering both their lives, can they learn to trust each other even as they surrender to a passion that won't be denied?