Saturday, July 31, 2010

Till Dawn With The Devil-Alexandra Hawkins

Till Dawn With The Devil
Alexandra Hawkins
St. Martin’s, Aug 3 2010, $7.99
ISBN: 9780312381257

In 1821 everyone admires yet also fears the notorious Lords of Vice. Perhaps the most frightening of the friends is Lord Gabriel “Reign” Housely, who’s deriding of others since his wife died after a spat nine years ago, is beyond polite nasty.

When Lady Sophie Northam was a child she suffered an injury that wrecked her eyesight. When she meets Gabriel, she is unable to see him, but can hear his scornful cynical tone. Instead of backing away like most do when Gabriel rips skin, Sophie senses the melancholy he conceals beneath a veneer of derision. Still she also knows her imperfect body makes her an undesirable so she plans to stay away from the aristocrat she is attracted to in order to avoid the hurt she expects she would feel. He refuses to allow her to run as he wants her too. However, their parents’ deadly trysts leave both wondering if love is enough to surmount their interrelated heritage.

The latest Lords of Vice Regency romance (see All Night with a Rogue and After Dark with a Scoundrel) is a wonderful pairing of a seemingly Romeo and Juliet like star-crossed pair with additional personal issues that make each feels less than worthy of the other. The story line is fast-paced but it is the tango between the female who cannot see yet “sees” into the soul of her beloved and the male who feels guilt over his late wife’s death.

Harriet Klausner

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