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The newest instalment in the Bastion Club series finds Charles St. Austell, Earl of Lostwíthíel, temporarily abandoning his search for a bride. In order to help his ex-commander Dalziel, he’s returned to his home in Cornwall to investigate rumours of French spies. He is surprised to find his first love, Penny, lurking around his home. She’s hiding secrets related to the spies, and he’s not about to let her get away with them… or from him a second time.
Charles is a former spy. He also has a reputation as a rake, which he must overcome in his efforts to convince Penny they are meant to be together. Penny still has strong feelings for Charles, even after he left for war. Memories of their past intimacies haunt her and she does her best to fight her attraction.
At times, I almost felt like this should be two separate books – a romance and a mystery/adventure. The romance in the story is terrific and appealing to the reader. The dramatic plot of the story is complex, well-thought out, and includes lots of mystery and action. However, once you put the two parts together the dramatic parts start to bog down the story in places. I felt the book was too long; a few of the repeated visits to the village could be easily left out since the visits seemed repetitive and unnecessary.
Charles’s character was well-rounded and interesting. I did feel distanced from Penny though, perhaps because she doesn’t reveal her secrets and feelings to either the reader or Charles until halfway through the book.
In my opinion, this book marks a maturation of Lauren’s style. Her early works were simple but entertaining and relatively light-hearted romances. In the last few years, her books have become more complex and dramatic. This book especially focuses on the dramatic plot, sometimes in detriment to the romantic-side of the story. While I did not feel this was Laurens’s best book, I do think she is on the threshold of something great, and I look forward to reading her next work.
WARNING: Story contains explicit sex.
Reviewed by S. Khaw
for The Road to Romance
December 31, 2004
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