It's my observation that there is a lot more sex in stories than there needs to be. Perhaps that is why I liked this story by Amanda Forester so much - there was only enough to prove the burning passion between them. There is the temptation, a scene filled with a taste of the forbidden, then the final capitulation resulting in expressions of love and sealing their marriage commitment. The element that the author included, and for which made a favorable impression, was the heroine's turning to her faith during times of insecurity, confusion and seeking guidance. It's not heavy-handed at all. It reads as natural as a person thinking about anything else when being in a situation of unusual uncertainty and stress.
This is the blurb: This adventurous duke...has met his match The Duke of Marchford requires a suitable bride, but catching spies for the Foreign Office takes up most of his time. Not wanting to face another London season as an eligible man, he employs the notorious Madame X to find him a match.
Miss Penelope Rose knows the rules of marriage among members of the ton better than most. Her own unsuccessful attempts at matrimony did not stop her from becoming London's most exclusive matchmaker. Marchford proves to be a difficult client, but as he draws on her social expertise to help him flush out a dangerous traitor, they find that falling in love may be the riskiest adventure of all.
The weird part is that I didn't read the blurb. I just picked up the book and started reading. It wasn't the cover, the author or anything else that prompted me to try it out. The book was passed down from a friend, and since I trust her judgement and have always liked her reading choices in the past, I figured that there was a good shot I'd like it. I, in fact, adored it!
I enjoyed the strong female character, the stubborn hero, the hero's opinionated grandmother and a few other unnamed secondary characters that will remain anonymous because of their roles in the plot. A plot, I may add, that is solid, well-thought out and thoroughly entertaining and thrilling.
If readers of this blog post are romance readers, like a bit of romantic suspense, a story light on sex and heavy on seduction, titillating scenes, near misses and a satisfactory moment of completion, with some explosions, spies, daring-do and close call rescues, then this book should hit all the right buttons.
This might be a novel from 2014, but it's a great read for 2021 too!!
