A LOVER'S KISS

Author: Margaret Moore ISBN: 9780373295081 8/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: HARLEQUIN
Time Period: Regency

Rescued...by the enemy! Sir Douglas Drury was a spy during the Napoleonic war and has the scars, and enemies, to show for it. When he is set upon in a London street, he finds it hard to be grateful because his rescuer is not only a woman, but French into the bargain! Juliette Bergerine has learned to keep herself safe by avoiding undue attention, but now her life is also in danger and, together, she and Drury must take refuge in a mansion in Mayfair. There, this broodingly cynical man proves an irresistible temptation....

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Margaret Moore sets her historical romance, A LOVER'S KISS, in Regency England and France just after the British soldiers have returned home to lick their wounds. Sir Douglas Drury was cruelly tortured after being betrayed by a Frenchman he thought was on the British side. He's still grappling with the past while trying to move ahead as a barrister in The Old Bailey, often defending those who can ill-afford legal counsel. One night, as he walks the streets of London, working out a case in his head, he is attacked by thugs who push him into a dark alley to beat and rob him. He's rescued by (gasp!) a young French seamstress living in a rooming house that overlooks the alley. She struggles to get him to her room where she can minister to his wounds, only to be verbally assaulted the next day when he discovers he's been saved by "the enemy."

Moore masterfully tells the story of Drury and Juliette (who came to England in search of her missing brother), while weaving in relevant bits and pieces of previous stories in the series. To thicken the plot, Drury has an unknown enemy who threatens Juliette's life as well as Sir Douglas'. She goes to him in her need, and he's forced to give aid and comfort to the beautiful enemy while trying to smoke out the villains. Drury's friends help him to see the light and accept his burgeoning feelings for this bereft young beauty, only to have it all go awry when he discovers that her missing brother was none other than his betrayer, whom he killed. Can he love her now? Can she love him when she finds out what he's done?

The daily life of the Haute Ton is brilliantly put on display in all its vanity, arrogance and bias. There are also those commendable characters who redeem their sins by helping the poor and unfortunate. Then there are some, like Dury's most recent lover, Lady Sarah Chelton, who is malicious to the point of wanting to destroy Drury's life as well as the woman who has replaced her in his arms—Juliette.

A LOVER'S KISS is a suspenseful, tragic romance of the first order! I recommend A LOVER'S KISS especially to readers who enjoy the Regency period knowing that there is just a smattering of intimacy and plenty of drama.

Susan Barton