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Publisher:
Brava
Release Date:
July 29, 2008
Genres:
Historical Romance
ISBN:
Print
9780758223678
Bookmark Rating:
Reviewed by
Jennifer Ray
Review Posted:
June 2008
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Lady Helena isn’t sure exactly why the mysterious Nicholas Ramsay claims he
wants to help her, but she has the distinct feeling he isn’t telling her the
whole truth. With no other options, however, she is forced to accept his
protection, although she proceeds with extreme caution. That caution only
extends so far, however, when the dangerous Ramsay launches an all out sensual
attack on her body and her heart…
Finally, Nicholas has the opportunity to put his plans for the lovely Helena
into motion. He’ll sate both their physical desires during their dalliance, but
that’s as far as it can go for a man without a heart…
Charlotte Mede has crafted a very inventive plot, rife with plenty of intrigue
combined with romance. While the romance between Helena and Nicholas is the
predominant storyline, the pursuit of evidence regarding Darwin’s theory is just
as important to the plot, as it figures greatly as a weapon against the villains
who are intent on doing harm to Helena.
Ms. Mede tackles the friction between Science and the Church as the theory of
evolution threatens to topple the near-absolute power religious leaders hold over the
populace. With a Bishop who is as far from pious as you can get in the role of
the villain, this disconnect between the theory of evolution and the story of
Creation is all the more uncomfortable in a way that that enhances the suspense
very well.
The heroine of the piece, Helena, is a woman to be admired. Fighting for her
independence after a life of being subjugated by her father and husband, both
now dead, she is besieged by her husband’s powerful relatives who seek to gain
her fortune for themselves through control of her. All she wants is to be left
alone to lead a quiet life with her artistic pursuits and charitable works, but
that is not to be. Things really ramp up when the dangerous Nicholas Ramsay
enters the picture, showing her the sensual side of herself she had come to
believe didn’t exist.
Nicholas Ramsay is an intriguing character. Powerful and dangerous, here is a
self-made man who still suffers from the scars of his past, but must learn to
overcome them before he can find true happiness. What disappointed me about him
was that we never really experienced that transition with him. His character
and goals remain the same throughout most of the story. Although we see plenty
of reasons why he should fall for Helena as the book progresses, he is seemingly
unmoved by her virtues, dead set on achieving his revenge no matter what. When
the story finally concludes, he does a rather abrupt about-face, which was
difficult to believe without seeing him change over a period of time.
Additionally, there were a number of scenes that were ‘skipped’ in the story.
The first time I noticed it, the heroine had been rendered unconscious by the
villains. When she wakes, she finds herself on a boat with the hero, with no
explanation of how she escaped the villains’ clutches or how she came to be on
Nicholas’ boat. I thought I’d accidentally turned multiple pages, or that
perhaps the advance copy I received had left pages out of the book. The page
numbers matched, however, and as I read further, the scene was described
sketchily in Nicholas’ thoughts. There was never any real explanation of how
this man physically overcame several of the bad guys by himself, though. There
were several similar occurrences throughout the story, and they served to make
me feel as if I were missing parts of the book, although it was apparent it was
written this way. Many of them felt important enough that I would have enjoyed
‘seeing’ these scenes play out.
All that said, this was an enjoyable and creative plot, one I’m happy to have
not missed. Charlotte Mede has a wonderful imagination, and I will definitely
be keeping an eye on this author’s future work.
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