His at Night [Mass Market Paperback]

I haven't read Sherry Thomas (ST)for a while and very conveniently downloaded the ebook. I was interested in a bit of humour in a romance story and I was not disappointed. It's not roll on the ground laughing which would wreck the atmosphere, but the injection of humour was just right. I thought this storyline was original and refreshing. ST definitely has a way with words.

This is probably one of the most original novels I've read in a while. I particularly enjoyed the humour created by Vere's 'idiot' persona and the plot had some substance. I also felt the emotional side of the story was particularly well-handled.

This is an intriguing story because you have the hapless Lord Vere who is a Government Spy but hides behind an identity where he plays Lord Idiot who mixes up his facts, gets easiliy confused, has the knack of being in places where he is not welcome or invited, forgets facts easily, talks incessantly & most of that is a load of nonsense. A clever disguise & not even his own brother realises that this is just an act. As an agent he has tracked down numerous criminals & solved a lot of crimes. His latest job is to investigate a man who has made his name through diamonds.

Elissande Edgerton is beautiful & has a many faceted personality but she is desperate to escape with her Aunt from her "despotic" tyrannical uncle. He is truely cruel. What makes her complex is that she "acts" when she is with people which she has had to improvise because that is what her uncle has turned her into. She smiles but its not real & so when Vere encounters her he realises that she is false but he cannot help liking her, admiring her but he falls into her trap as her desperation forces her to entrap him into marriage. Here comes the twist in the tale as he questions why knowing that he is an idiot she has dragged him to the alter.

Along comes the intersting twists as you see flashes of the ingenious man who lets out his true personality - one occassion being when she imbibes too much alcohol. These flashes are tactfully executed by the author. Ellissande soon however discovers this act & realises that both of them have much in common.

Behind this you see the cruelty & menance of the uncle & his attempts to hold his neice under a very tight reign. My one criticism of this story would be that i wanted Vere to display more sympathy to his wife when her uncle hits her & that part of the story to have had more significance.

As they get to know one another & discover the true personality that is inherrant under all the layers they realise what they are really all about. I thought that the story about the background lovestory between the brother & his childhood friend did not really work & dragged just a wee bit.

I really admire ST - this one may not be as good as her previous ones but i still rate her amongst my keepers & this book is still exceptional. The original complex depiction in both characters is really good & that is what makes her unique. I would buy her next book without thinking. A must read this one. I loved the part when Ellissande sees him as he changes his clothes - much like girls admiring the male physique - brilliantly executed. The success of a book depends on how likeable the characters are & in this she excells....