BLURB ON BACK OF BOOK:
Being kidnapped is teaching Miss Celia Seaton a few things about life: Lesson one: Never disrobe in front of a gentleman . . . unless his request comes at gunpoint.
Lesson two: If, when lost on the moors, you encounter Tarquin Compton, the leader of London society who ruined your marriage prospects, deny any previous acquaintance.
Lesson three: If presented with an opportunity to get back at Mr. Compton, the bigger the lie, the better. A faux engagement should do nicely.
Lesson four: Not all knowledge is found between the covers of a book. But an improper book may further your education in ways you never guessed. And while an erotic novel may be entertaining, the real thing is even better. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Loved Miranda'a previous book, 'The Dangerous Viscount' Review HERE, so I was really looking forward to this book. It did not quite live up to my high expectations. Maybe it was the book opened on a kidnapping. Or perhaps the heroine did not appeal and the hero left me cool.
It starts off amusing enough, poor Celia has not had a good stay in England at all. Her past is muddied with bad luck and now she just lost her job as a governess and is now kidnapped. Perhaps her luck has begun to change as she is left with a half-naked, unconscious Tarquin Compton, the stuffy obnoxious fop who insulted her publicly ruining her chances at marriage. (a lame reason to be sure) Now she can get her revenge on the uppity leader of London society. He awakens with amnesia and Celia spins a banbury tale of them being betrothed. Oh goodie, another heroine who lies and schemes and dupes the hero. Their road trip reminded me of the movie "The Sure Thing' with John Cusack where the H/H snipe and pick away at each other, trying to ignore the attraction between them. It got tedious for me very fast.
You may think after all that I disliked the book, I didn't. I so admire and love Miranda's witty writing and her ability to weave plots. Ultimately this is about fitting in society and fitting in with another person. Both characters have a life journey and learn lessons along the way to the point they acknowledge the love that has grown between them. I liked that. Tarquin for all his shallowness is rather appealing and adorable deep down, I liked that too. So this book was a bit of a roller coaster for me and I think I was expecting to be blown out of the water like I was with 'The Dangerous Viscount'. I wasn't.
I was at first thrilled to see an appearance from Sebastian from "Viscount', however I don't remember him being quite that bumbling, maybe it is just me. I was a little disappointed at his scenes.
Regardless, there is enough to recommend, and this a was solid, satisfactory read.
2.75 stars out of 4 for the book
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