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Miss Elizabeth Stockwell is quite shocked to find a filthy injured man in her stable - and even more surprised to find that he is pointing a pistol at her.
Obviously a gentleman in dire straights, the man is fevered and not in his right mind. He seems to actually want to die of his wounds! After the wounded man falls into unconsciousness, Elizabeth has him taken into Stockwell house so that she can nurse him back to health - whether he wants it or not.
Although she's sure her actions will cause her trouble if she's caught - especially if her brother James finds out she's had a strange man in the house without a chaperone - Elizabeth can't just leave the man to his suffering.
When Lord Henry Langdon awakens and finds himself tended by a lovely ladies companion, he knows he's too lucky for words. But, something is just not right about the lady, and he soon finds out that she is a Lady indeed - the lady of the house, no less, rather than the paid companion she professed to be. What's worse, she holds the Stockwell name, and the Stockwells are Lord Henry's enemies!
Although Henry has his faults, and is indeed the noteworthy blackguard of the gossiping ton, he won't risk harming Elizabeth's reputation. Even though her name was already fodder for the rumor mill when her fiancé suddenly became unengaged to her, she still possesses her virtue and a chance at a happy marriage - but not if he is discovered being nursed back to health at Stockwell House. Henry decides to do the right thing and leave as quickly as possible.
However, fate, and a mysterious past, constantly throw Elizabeth and Henry back together again.
Secrets are revealed and lies unveiled as Henry and Elizabeth struggle to find the desires hidden within their own hearts in this Regency romance. Unfortunately, readers must also struggle along with the hero and heroine, as the storyline meanders to and fro like a drunken sailor. Will they marry in the end, or won't they? They will? Or perhaps they won't? The characters don't seem to be able to decide, and neither does the author.
Although the verbiage and setting in DANGEROUS TO KNOW are passable, and do keep the reader mildly entertained, I found the lack of cohesion to be very frustrating. There also seemed to be a distinct lack of “regency flair” which is generally expected in a regency romance. All in all, I found DANGEROUS TO KNOW a bit disappointing.
Author Leanne Shawler did produce characters with real depth, and the storyline does move along fairly quickly, but DANGEROUS TO KNOW was missing the “spark” that readers look for in regency romance.
Reviewed by Janean Nusz
for The Road to Romance
June 2, 2005
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