Liked some of this author's other work, but I kept putting this book down and eying other items on my TBR. I started skimming over the hero's sister and her subplot which finally got me thru the story. Slow, fairly predictable. Has no MISTAKE in it, very unlikely public affair. Annoying when blurb on the back gives away plot - the blackmail/murder plot item was not revealed til very late in the book and the heroine was just a sad widow, unaware that this had taken place years earlier. Lot of references to a one night stand the previous year, but nothing about how it came about or flashbacks etc, just that it was too much and he had backed off emotionally/physically afterward. Think this book had a lot of potential, but was barely worth a library read, definitely not a keeper.

Also, I hate the proliferation of subcharacters. You get introduced to several single men that have "NEXT" written all over them, including one with a particular obvious plot for arranged marriage drama. The book was already drenched with the hero's sisters either getting staged for sequels or involved in a romantic subplot. Please stop. This is just horrible, and the more people buy these "series", the worse the actual books get as they fill with fluff setting up casts of future books and less plot for current main characters. I counted maybe 6 people set up for future stories, and a few roughly drawn parental figures, no friends, barely a peep out of the son. Very shallow book.

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I didn't think I would like this book after reading the clip from her previous novel, but I was pleasantly surprised. Quite an enjoyable book~!

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Disappointing. From previous books by Emma Wildes, I had high expectations. She follows her formula of telling two stories in the book, with two couples finding their way together. But this book was less steamy and less romantic than the others I've read.

The primary story is of Luke Daudet, a Viscount who suffered terrible loss during the war, and Madeline May, a young widow with whom he shared a torrid one night stand a year ago. Circumstances bring them together again and they begin an affair with her acting has his mistress.

The second story is of Elizabeth, Luke's sister, and Miles, a step-cousin unrelated by blood. They are the young, inexperienced couple circling each other in confusion and breathless anticipation.

Unfortunately the story was plodding, the plot just not terribly interesting. None of the characters was drawn well enough to conjure much emotional interest in them, Miles being the most interesting of the foursome but lacking a strong enough counterpart to make a great love story.

Much as I have come to appreciate Emma Wildes' style, this book was short on romance and depth. If this is an example of her current writings, I will probably pass in the future.

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Good book. Madeline and Luke have a brief history of a one night stand a year earlier. The intensity of the encounter threatened Luke's control of his feelings, so he didn't continue the pursuit. Madeline also had trouble forgetting that night, as it broke through her grief over her husband's death. Now Madeline has a problem, and Luke is the only one she feels she can trust to help her.

When Madeline defends herself against a blackmailer, she's horrified to realize she may have killed him. With nowhere else to turn, she sends for Luke. He isn't all that happy to respond to her summons, but he also knows she would only contact him if she were desperate. Despite the circumstances, it is evident that the sparks between them are still there. Once the matter at hand is resolved, Luke knows he should go back to avoiding her, but he can't do it. Instead, he gets involved in retrieving her property, then protecting her from the consequences. In spending time together, the attraction between them flares up again. But Luke is still not interested in marriage, and she doesn't plan to marry again, so Madeline decides to take what she can get, and they begin an affair.

Though she is the one who propositioned him, Madeline quickly realizes that she risks losing her heart to Luke. From his question to her, "Can you promise that you won't die?" she senses that there is something in his past that prevents him from risking his heart. I liked the way that she did not push him, but expressed her love the only way she could. Though he has quite the reputation as a rake, Luke treats Madeline with respect and kindness. He was so torn up by what happened in Spain that he swore he would never risk his heart again. But from the moment of his first encounter with Madeline, Luke sensed that she could put an end to his ability to keep himself emotionally distant from those around him. Once he saw her again, his protectiveness was aroused as well as his attraction to her. Every time he felt himself begin to soften towards her, he reminded himself of why he couldn't go there. Unfortunately for Luke, pulling himself back became harder each time. Before long, he realized that he wanted more.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Luke do things he would never have dreamed of before getting involved with Madeline. Publicly escorting her to various events was one thing, but when he showed up at the opera when she was with her mother and aunt, that made quite a statement. I had to laugh as his friends and family realized his feelings for Madeline long before he would admit them. It took a near-tragedy to break him free of his fears and allow him to open his heart to what they could have together.

Woven throughout the book was the question of how Lord Fitch had gotten his hands on Lord Brewer's journal. Not only did Luke and Madeline try to figure it out themselves, but Luke also asked for help from his friend, Michael. Michael was involved in working Intelligence for the Crown during the war and has continued now that the war is over. His investigation uncovers a possible link between the journal and his pursuit of an English traitor. Michael and Luke feared for Madeline's safety when they figured out who the traitor was. I was on the edge of my seat as they raced to stop the culprit before it was too late.

There was also a fun secondary romance between Luke's sister Elizabeth and their step-cousin, Miles. It was clear from the beginning that Miles had it bad for her, but Elizabeth was utterly oblivious. They had been friends all their lives, though Elizabeth was very good at picking fights with him. Miles had the patience of a saint as he waited for her and put up with her shenanigans. I had to laugh when the light finally went on, and she realized that the antagonism she felt toward him had its roots in attraction. Once she did, there was no holding her back as she put the energy she used to use to tease him into winning her man.

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