Brand
Villiers, Earl of Faversham is the ultimate rake – women, wine and gambling are his
only passions, and he is famous for never losing. With a reputation like this, no wonder
his grandmother despairs of him ever getting married; not that he’s even interested
in that holy state.
Lady Charlotte Quinton
leaves behind her exile in York and hurries to Brand’s London home when she learns
that her beloved grandmother is recuperating there after a carriage accident. Her past
misdeeds have done to little to endear her to Brand, but Char is now a changed woman and
is bitterly repentant. But the two of them cannot be in the same room for long without
barbs being thrown and feelings being hurt.
When Char realizes that
the carriage accident might have been deliberate, she hounds Brand until he’s forced
to take her into confidence. Brand reveals that someone is quietly and very cleverly
murdering all the members of a disbanded hellfire club that he’d also once belonged
to. Char soon joins forces with Brand to unearth this diabolical killer, even as the
killer strikes repeatedly. To save Brand, Char is ready to do anything, even pretend to be
his mistress! But Brand has sworn never to lose his heart again, least of all to Char, a
woman he despises……or does he?
In ‘One Wild
Night’, Barbara Dawson Smith returns with another complex and suspenseful tale
featuring the well-known Kenyon family. This time it is Brand and Char’s turn to star
in a book of their own. Readers of Smith’s previous works know all the serious
mischief Charlotte has caused and with almost disastrous consequences. However, in this
book, Char has grown up and has become a changed person. But others, notably Brand, aren’t
as ready to forgive or forget. This adds an edge to this otherwise unsurprising story.
Characters are continued from previous books and not much introduction is given or needed.
Out of all the characters, Char’s is the only one with any depth which holds the
readers’ interest. Only disappointing fact is that no credible explanation is given
for Char’s change of character. Brand is portrayed so well as a rake that the readers
may find it a bit hard to accept his later change of heart. The murder mystery, which is a
pure ‘whodunit’, is very good indeed, and ends most shockingly and
unpredictably. This is the major highlight in a story which otherwise doesn’t hold
that many surprises.
Reviewed By Rashmi
Srinivas for The Road to Romance
August 25, 2003 |
