TOO DANGEROUS TO DESIRE

Author: Alexandra Benedict ISBN: 9780061170478 8/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON
Time Period: England 1825

His embrace will be her escape . . . Lonely and overcome with grief after a painful loss in his past, Adam Westmore walks the ocean's edge in solitude. Forced to marry a depraved prince, a desperate Evelyn Waye believes she has no choice but to throw herself from the jagged cliffs into the crashing surf below. When Adam sees the enchanting woman in terrible danger, he rescues her from death and brings her back to his humble cottage. Hesitant to reveal his true identity as a distinguished lord, he nonetheless offers to protect her. And she needs protection, for the prince will find her—and harm her. Evelyn wants to trust the handsome stranger who saved her life, but her cursed beauty has made her suspicious of all men . . . even one whose kindness disarms her, whose gentle touch inspires passion within her. Soon Adam and Evelyn are consumed by desire . . . a dangerous desire that puts their very lives in peril.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

TOO DANGEROUS TO DESIRE by Alexandra Benedict is poignant and heartwarming, a story will not be easily forgotten.

A misadventure at sea begins what will become, for Adam, an all-consuming search to avenge his wife's death. The lord turns his back on family and friends and concentrates on uncovering the identity of the man responsible for Teresa's being stolen from him. But when he spies a woman disrobe, then leap to what will surely be her own death, he must put aside his heartache to accommodate some of hers. Adam rescues Evelyn from the sea and when she shows she is determined to end her life, he vows to protect her from the Devil that makes death preferable to life. Little by little their trust grows and, with it, other, more sensual, feelings stir. Evie revives emotions Adam has buried, forcing him to return to those he has ignored in order to find a way to make his rescued beauty forever safe.

The idea that both Evie and Adam are running from sorrow, and from their own internal emotional turmoil, gives depth to what might otherwise be a somewhat predictable story. The fact that those they must turn to have their own hidden demons and skeletons in the closet, makes this even more intriguing. Pirates, black sheep and one truly horrific bridegroom help make this an outstanding read. I cringed at one point, laughed at others, and was touched throughout.

Alexandra Benedict's TOO DANGEROUS TO DESIRE shows that the heart can be revived and that in the end, everyone gets exactly what they deserve. Well done!

Kay James