Amanda Halverston has a love/hate relationship with Rhys Stanton. Knowing him for the rake he is, Amanda has avoided him for months and would continue to do so if it weren't for the letters she has been receiving. When the first extortion letter arrives, Amanda ignores it thinking it to be a joke. The joke is on Amanda, because in ignoring the letter she is accosted the following night. Realizing that whoever is sending her the threatening letter just might be serious, she turns to Rhys for help and is willing to make a bargain.
In the five months since he and Amanda were thrown together helping her sister uncover a nefarious plot to sell young women, Rhys has done nothing but think about her. The stubborn woman refuses to have anything to do with him and while he is a confirmed bachelor through and through, Rhys can't help but wish that Amanda desires him as much as he desires her. When she asks for his help to find out who is sending her vile extortion letters, Rhys offers Amanda a bargain, which Amanda refuses. Or does she?
A PERSISTENT ATTRACTION hits very close to home for me even though it is a historical romance - and a well written one at that. It made me think back to my teenager days and my high school crush. I loved him but hated him. He liked me one day, hated me the next. In between my own recollections, A PERSISTENT ATTRACTION became a novel of fortitude, with the plot and characters remaining in my mind long after I read the last word. Silvia Violet has skillfully taken two characters and made them personally engaging. From the ballrooms to the back alleys, her setting took me through a plethora of emotions. I flushed when Rhys and Amanda were together, I rolled my eyes at Rhys' bargaining skills, and I smiled when all was right in their world. Rhys and Amanda claimed my heart like they claimed each other's.
A PERSISTENT ATTRACTION released in February 2008 from Samhain Publishing. It is the second book of Ms. Violet's Regency Intrigue series but can be read completely as a stand alone. Of course, as a reviewer I recommend reading the first installment, A Carnal Agreement, just to meet Amanda and Rhys!
Natalie S.