In 1840 Vivianna Slater stalks Lord Oliver Montgomery as she wants him to reconsider tearing down Candlewood Estate because the Shelter for Poor Orphans is located there. She follows him to a brothel where unable to resist Oliver kisses Vivianna and finds he wants more; so does she. Owner Aphrodite tells Vivianna to use her feminine wiles to get what she wants from Oliver.
Vivianna learns that Oliver's older brother Anthony committed suicide at Candlewood after seeing his almost fiancée kissing him. Oliver believes that Lord Lawson, the next Prime Minister, killed Anthony because his brother found incriminating documents. Oliver feels the papers are in a hidden room at Candlewood that he plans to find even if he needs to tear down the place.
Vivianna realizes she must seduce Oliver to get him to change his mind, but needs a teacher. She asks Aphrodite for lessons. The madam agrees on the condition that Vivianna explain her passion for the orphanage. She tells her that she and her sisters were abandoned as children; Aphrodite is stunned. Oliver tells Vivianna he has fixed up another of his properties for the orphans. That night they make love. Afterward he tells her that Lawson killed Anthony and that a confrontation is coming.
This enticing Victorian romantic suspense stars a strong lead couple with the secondary characters enhancing the look at the motivations of the prime duet. Most interesting to sub-genre fans is how cleverly and effortlessly Sara Bennett establishes two sequels without intruding on this fine story line. Though some readers will think the final confrontation was too anticlimactic (this reviewer thought it was perfect), fans will enjoy this terrific historical.
Harriet Klausner