When confirmed bachelor
and architect, Carden Reeves opens the door of his London home to find a dazzlingly
beautiful woman standing outside, his first thoughts are naturally wayward. But the
carefree gentleman gets a shock when the lovely lady turns out to be a widow, Mrs.
Seraphina Treadwell, who’s come all the way from Belize to deliver the sad news of
his elder brother’s passing and as well his three young nieces. In one stroke, Carden
finds himself the seventh Earl of Lansdowne with the responsibilities and obligations this
entails in addition to coming close to losing his chosen profession.
Unwilling to completely
give up his happy-go-lucky and rakish ways, he decides to seduce the lovely Sera, while at
the same time trying to cope with his sudden increased eligibility in the marriage mart
and trying to learn to be a family man for the first time in his life. Sera, whose past
experience has made her wary of rakes like Carden, is at first wryly determined to thwart
him. But Carden then begins a intense game of discovery and seduction. Before long, Sera
realizes that she’s fallen for a man who loves flirting with danger, and who’s
committed to not committing. An unknown adversary soon adds danger to this volatile
situation, and excitement and peril ensue.
Leslie LaFoy’s story
is a typical historical romance with seduction as its main theme. There aren’t a
great many surprises in either the plot or the overall story. What’s interesting are
some of the issues this story raises and which are generally taken for granted in similar
tales of this genre. One of the prime issues is that the rigidly held rules of society of
those times didn’t allow a peer to pursue a paying profession, which is exactly the
dilemma Carden faces. How he deals with it is interesting initially, but the issue kind of
fades away as the romance portion of the story takes over. The author manages to convey an
authentic air of that era, be it the lawless land of Belize or the more sophisticated
jungle of haute London society. Side characters are also vital to the story and provide
some much needed comic relief at appropriate moments. Sexual tension is abundant and how
feelings develop and change between the main protagonists makes the story a sensual
journey of discovery. Charming and entertaining.
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas
for The Road to Romance
November 12, 2003 |
