One Wild Night [Mass Market Paperback]

Someone has been killing off the notorious members of now disbanded Lucifer League over the past couple of months. And Brand, once a member of that club, has been trying to discover who may be behind the murders. His fear is that someone may have struck out at the Rosebuds because of his investigation and because the Rosebud themselves had a hand in causing the Lucifer League to disband. It is Brand's contention that one of the members of the League is trying to bury his past association with the league.

Charlotte of course wants to help Brand discover the identity of the murderer and help protect the Rosebuds. But Brand is still suspicious of Charlotte. He doesn't think that she's changed at all and still sees her as the bitter and troublesome young lady she used to be. Never mind that Charlotte seems to inspire a lot of lustful thoughts in him! (Obviously that just proves that she's trouble!) But Charlotte refuses to standby and wait for someone to try and get to the Rosebuds again, and she determined to help Brand with his investigation. (Hence her decision to agree to pose as Brand's mistress. Now why would a young woman who wants to marry and have children decide to do the one thing that would put an end to her dreams of a respectable marriage?) Will Charlotte be able to persuade Brand to accept her help and will she be able to cope with the reawakening of her desire (so long repressed) for him? Especially since he seems to feel nothing but contempt for her?

The plot premise of "One Wild Night" was a rather good one -- the interweaving of a romance subplot between two people who are reluctantly attracted to each other and who are constantly at daggers drawn, with a hunt for an elusive and dangerous murderer. I also found the heroine of the novel, Lady Charlotte Quinton really engaging, and thought that the authour had done a wonderful job of redeeming the previously unlikable Lady Charlotte, and showing us just how much this character had changed for the better. The hero, Brand Villers, unfortunately, left a lot to be desired. Unlike Charlotte, Brand had not matured with time, and he came across as being completely immature, spoilt and a little too obsessed with his desires and needs. Yes, he's had his share of hard knocks, but unlike Charlotte, he also seems to have chosen to sink rather than to turn his life around and do some good. He also spent for too much time thinking about how it would feel to bed Charlotte, in spite of her shrewish ways, and not a lot time following up investigative leads. Which leads me to my other "niggle" -- for someone determined to discover who the murderer actually was, Brand was a really poor detective. Getting Charlotte alone in some dark corner and keeping her away from other gentlemen seemed to be his main objective. And because the investigative subplot was not that well developed, the sense of suspense and urgency was not always there, thus making "One Wild Night" not that exciting a read.

On the other hand, if you're a fan of the Rosebud series and enjoy the interconnecting story arcs, then "One Wild Night" will prove to be an enjoyable read -- just perhaps not a 5 star one.

Brad investigates the accident as he feels that it was deliberate tying back to someone killing the members of the disbanded Lucifer Club. The Rosebuds were witnesses to the end of the club so are possible murder victims. Charlotte reaches the same conclusion and begins her own inquiries until Brad brings her into his. As they work close together, they fall in love, but an unknown assailant wants Brad dead or at least accused of murder by Bow St. and only Charlotte can save him at risk to her own life.

Barbara Dawson Smith is becoming very well known for her exciting Regency romance novels such as ONCE UPON A SCANDAL and HER SECRET AFFAIR. Her latest tale, ONE WILD NIGHT, is an exhilarating amateur sleuth historical romance starring two delightful lead protagonists and the charming Rosebuds. Though the hero's holier than thou ethics towards the heroine come across hypocritical when his indiscretions come to light, readers will appreciate this solid historical suspense.

Harriet Klausner