Review: Cloaked in Danger
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 27, 2014
Jeannie Ruesch's Cloaked in Danger caught me off guard. Far from the average romance, Ruesch's second novel defied my expectations and swept me into a whirlwind of wit, romance and intrigue.I think my favorite aspect of the book is that the romantic storyline doesn't overwhelm the narrative. A lot of writers in this genre lose sight of the story when their characters start coming together, but not Ruesch. Neither Aria nor Adam are solely consumed by their passions. Both have a personal objective driving their actions over the course of the narrative, a fact which greatly appealed to my personal taste in literature.Diehard fans of historic fiction might object to Ruesh's quirky and unconventional leading characters, but I found both Miss Whitney and Mr. Willoughby rather endearing in their way. I admit their values and personalities are probably a little too avant-garde for the period, but it isn't enough to ruin the story and actually leads to some rather delightfully entertaining exchanges.The mystery itself didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, but it included enough twists and turns to sustain my interest. It also retained a fairly steady pace beginning to end, which again, kept me engaged in Aria's adventure.A pleasantly amusing piece, Cloaked in Danger is notable for its clever structure and humorous prose. A refreshingly original regency era mystery.