Series: Notorious Bachelors (Book 2)
A DEVILISH BUSINESS REQUIRES A DEVILISH SOLUTION.
Madeline May, the widowed Lady Brewer, is in a horrifying
quandary. When blackmail turns to murder, it becomes clear that only one man
can help her: Luke Daudet, the notorious Viscount Altea, who is used to dealing
with men of ill repute, and whom she despises with every fiber of her being.
As a connoisseur of beautiful women, Luke recognizes
Madeline's physical allure and the danger she represents. From the very moment
of their first meeting -- and after one unforgettable night of passion -- he
has known she is different. And when he receives her fateful entreaty, he
realizes he will not be able to stay away....
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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