Helpful Score: 2
Wow! I hope I'm not overpraising this story because it's been so long since I read a great romance, but this is a really great romance. It has an involved, character-driven story line with lots of twists and unexpected turns. The book opens with Lady Mary Alexandra (Lexa) Howard, English granddaughter of the late Duke of Leyland, being palmed off by her guardian into an arranged marriage in Charles Town, South Carolina. Trying to describe what comes afterward would be difficult, but I can say that for those who love pirate romances and revenge plots, this is a top-notch example of both. Lexa is a good strong heroine who gives as good as she gets, and Kit Ryan is a wonderfully conflicted hero. There are lots of colorful subcharacters here, also. I especially liked that the villian turned out to be redeemable, after all. All in all an excellent historical romance. I'm now exploring this author's backlist because I liked her writing so much!
