Dorothea Harper was almost 25 years old and had been married for almost eight years, then widowed for the past three. Her financial situation had gotten extremely grave, so a friend of hers, Ellen, wanted her to meet Lord Tremayne, Daniel Holbrook. Daniel was a friend of Ellen’s protector, Lord Selby, and they had arranged to introduce ‘Thea’ and Daniel so that he could become her protector. Each of them was very nervous at the dinner party Ellen held; however, they were each enamored with each other. He took her home, to the new home he had obtained for her, the first night they met.

Ms. Larissa Lyons has done a good job of characterization; all the people were interesting, but the main two were looked at from various angles. Each was a “beautiful person,” but had undiscovered secrets. That, in itself, was a remarkable find! Each had assets, not necessarily monetary, which seemed to encourage them to link together. Ms. Lyons has taken a plot not often explored, at least that I’ve read, and considered the possibilities as well as the twists in the telling of the story!

The sexual encounters, while explicit, were tastefully written. The confusion between the couple was wonderfully written; I liked the way she portrayed the desperation felt by Thea while showing how she managed to “find” her backbone. I recommend this book for all who like a quick-paced read with lots of sensual encounters.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Explicit

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
August 9, 2007