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The Season has yet to begin, and the second member of the Bastion Club, tall, handsome Anthony Blake, Viscount Torrington, is already a target for every matchmaking mama in London. None of their flighty daughters can fix his interest, but a certain lady does... Alicia is living a deception. Desperation has caused the determined but penniless lady to boldly launch her ravishing younger sister into the ton and have her make a spectacular match. By masquerading as the widowed "Mrs. Carrington" Alicia can act as the perfect chaperone...but fashionable ladies are not accused of murder... When Tony Blake discovers Alicia standing over a dead body in his godmother's garden, every instinct tells him she is innocent. His connections allow him to take control of the investigation, his social prominence provides her public support, but it is more than honor that compels him to protect her and to do everything in his seductive power to make her his.… (more)
User reviews
Don't get me wrong; I enjoy Laurens' books. But every single one of the men in the Cynster novels has more trouble admitting that they actually love someone than they would walking in front of an
However, Anthony Torrington finally breaks Laurens' mold. Not only does he tell his lady love early in the novel that he loves and adores her (at least, it's early compared to her other heroes, some of whom don't ever say those words), but he also gives her all of the information that he has come across and has her involved in what's going on. This is probably what helped save her neck in the end.
What a breath of fresh air! How many problems in her other books would have been avoided if the men had actually trusted in the intelligence of the women they loved?
As to the plot itself, I find the traitor plot fairly overdone. Maybe once I read the entire Bastion Club series, I'll be ok with it. But right now, after having read two of the Bastion Club novels, I find it boring. I fairly skim over those parts; they just don't interest. That, however, is a personal preference. For all I know, she does that sort of plot very well; it's just not something I'm very interested.
The sex scenes were fairly standard Laurens scenes--full of "incandescently happy" and "soaring above on a plane he had never been to with any other woman--just with her." I personally think it's a fairly idealized view of sex, particularly sex with a virgin, but it makes for good reading. As usual, there was a heavy emphasis on family; I actually like that aspect of her novels. And though Laurens has done the spinster posing as a widow before, it wasn't quite like this, with the deception performed in front of the entire ton. That aspect of things was quite interesting, though I was somewhat disappointed that it was never revealed before the ton.
All in all, I enjoyed this novel. I greatly enjoyed the hero, more so than almost any other male Laurens has written about; I also enjoyed the heroine. Their relationship was one of the more interesting ones in Laurens' books as well, in my opinion. I definitely recommend it, if you like Regency romances.
Anthony “Tony” Blake, Viscount Torrington is an interesting man. I have always wondered how hard it must have been for spies during the earlier wars. I mean it took communications forever to get from one place to the next. There was no forensics to speak of and most of the time little to no backup. These men and woman were essentially on their own and most of the time their superiors probably didn't know exactly what they were doing or where they were. It is a testament of how good Tony was at his job that he survived for a decade. I do love that once he met Alicia he didn't play any games. He knew that he wanted her and set out to make her his very quickly. It was exciting to watch Tony and the rest of the Bastion Club plus Jack Hendon (CAPTAIN JACK’S WOMAN) solved the mystery of who killed the man that Alicia found at the beginning of the story. I also loved Tony’s cousin Miranda and his godmother Lady Amey. I would love to see a story for Miranda.
Alicia Pevensey aka Alicia Carrington is a running a long game in the hopes of securing a husband for her sister Adriana. She hopes that said husband will be able to support the family and keep them from poverty. She doesn't expect to find someone that will love her and want to marry her. Alicia is more than a little naive about men and what they may or may not want. All she has to go on is what she and her sister have read from etiquette books, which are more or less useless concerning the information that pertains to Alicia and Tony. It is amusing to watch her misunderstand what is really going on as far as Tony is concerned. Alicia is smart and quick but she has absolutely no experience in dealing with men of the ton. I was glad that she got through to Tony in the end. I was also glad that Adriana was able to find a husband that she could love.
As always this is a very good story as I said earlier. There is a tension that last right up to the moment that Tony beats the stuffing out of the villain and they learn there is another traitor in the Foreign Office. I also enjoyed getting a look at earlier characters and meeting so many new ones. It was also good to get to know the other men of the Bastion Club. They are seemed to get involved with the mystery and worked toward solving it quickly. This is a quick paced book that had me up several nights until late trying to see what was going to happen next. I am very glad that I didn't read the series when the books were coming out one a year. I enjoy reading each story while the last ones are fresh in my memory. If you love the historical romance genre you are going to love Ms. Laurens's books.
What a great story! I laughed and cried many times! Such wonderful writing and really engaging characters!! I love this authors work!!
I adore this whole series and can not wait to see each
Each book has an add but of intrigue that draws you in. And Stephanie Laurens knows how to deliver the steam!!
I am currently on a Regency kick and this one was terrific!!
Torrington meets a woman no
The characters grab your interest, and the mysteries of murder and treasonous sabotage are well done and keep the pages turning. I have reread it several times. My paperback copies kept wandering away, so I got the audio.
Jill Tanner does very well with the different characters and emotions.
2 Stars
While the murder/espionage plot has definite potential, there are too many implausible twists and turns.
Tony and Alicia have great chemistry, but the number of sex scenes is excessive and Laurens' purple prose is starting to grate on the nerves. I obviously need to take a
2.5 Stars
While the murder/espionage plot has definite potential, there are too many implausible twists and turns.
Tony and Alicia have great chemistry, but the number of sex scenes is excessive and Laurens' purple prose is starting to grate on the nerves. I obviously need to take