COPYRIGHT: 2006PAGES: 336
SETTING: Historical-Regency
TYPE: Mystery
SERIES: 2nd book in the Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery series
REASON FOR READING: Two reasons: 1) loved her romances written as Candice Proctor 2) enjoyed the 1st book in the series (What Angels Fear)
SUMMARY: [from author's website]
June, 1811. On a summer's evening at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, the beautiful young wife of an aging Marquis is found dead in the arms of the PRince
Regent himself. From her back protrudes a jeweled dagger that once belonged to
Bonnie Prince Charlie. Around her neck lies an ancient bluestone and silver
necklace said to have been worn by the Druid priestesses of Wales. Legend
credited the necklace with mysterious powers--until it was lost at sea with its
last owner, the mother of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin.
Still shadowed by rumors of his own dark past, Sebastian is lured into a dangerous
investigation of both the Marchioness's death and his own mother's uncertain
fate. He soon discovers that the idle, profligate Prince is not as innocent as
his court handlers would have the public believe. With the aid of his lover, a
celebrated actress with secrets of her own, his new servant, Tom, Sebastian
follows a twisted trail that leads from a seaside pleasure palace to the most
depraved London slums, from the murdered woman's elegant townhouse in Mayfair to a medieval tavern run by an ex-slave.As he edges closer to the truth, Sebastian finds himself thrust into a world of hidden passions and disguised ambition. And when one murder is followed by another, he confronts an insidious conspiracy that imperils those nearest to him even as it threatens to bring down the monarchy.
THOUGHTS / OPINION:
This book is not a romance but it has a romantic sub-plot. Sebastian is an enigmatic sexy character that I was intrigued by in the previous book and that's where we meet his love interest Kat Boleyn, a famous actress. He wants to marry her but she won't accept as she is hiding a dark secret from him. In WGD the secret is revealed to the reader but Sebastian is still in the dark by the end of the book. I don't know if there will be a HEA for these two in this series but I'll keep hoping. The mystery is excellent and kept me turning the pages as fast as I possibly could. It flowed fast and smooth and I found it hard to put down.
Sebastian's heightened senses of hearing and sight made him seem almost superpowered but never fear, this was not a paranormal in any way. The sensuality level would only be considered subtle since Harris kept closing the door on the bedroom scenes and I found it frustrating as hell. I want the sex scenes! Ok, I heard that. Shut up, I know I'm a slut! Mystery readers might possibly give this one an A but as a romance reader I graded it lower since I wanted more romance and more sex scenes. But still it was a good read.
GRADE: B
5 comments:
Huh! I've seen this book in the store and just assumed it was written by a man. (Not that I don't read books by men, but well, okay, I don't read many books by men.) Sounds interesting.
Of all the authors who have left romance behind them - none has bothered me as much as Candice Proctor leaving it. I mourn whenever I look at her books and realize she's not writing them anymore. I do have the first one of this series altough I haven't read it yet (as with so many others)
And damn it all! I want sex in my books too!
I've never read this author but this looks interesting. I'll also have to check out her romances after the comments made here.
Thanks!
Jennie: Yeah, authors using those initials like that are trying to keep us guessing. I don't read man books written by men either.
Kristie: I'm still mourning her lose as a romance writer. Read the first one please. I'd love to hear you opinion. Not enough sex but still good :)
Jackietoo: Her romances are wonderful. Especially Night in Eden and Whispers of Heaven, both are set in Austrailia.
I just finished reading Night in Eden and Whispers of Heaven. I loved her writing and was curious about the mystery line. Now I'm going to check it out for sure :-)
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