Review: If historical details are important to you in historical fiction, don't bother with this book.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Date: 11 11, 2013
HE'D SHAME HERWhen vengeful Tony Duvalier discovered that a "Miss L. Delaney" was responsible for his uncle's death, the hot-tempered aristocrat vowed he'd make the gold-digging chit pay. But when he met the innocent-looking Laurel Delaney, he couldn't reconcile the emerald-eyed, lustrous-haired lady with his image of a scheming, cheap hussy! It would take the powerful planter tremendous effort, but he'd humiliate the guilty femme fatale -- even if it cost him the kind of love he could feel only once in a lifetime!SHE'D FOOL HIMWhen her trouble-making cousin Lavinia begged Laurel to help her hide from the Duvalier family, compassionate Laurel didn't hesitate. Disguising her relative as a traveling companion, the refined heiress steam-boated away from New Orleans. Giggling with the success of their escape, she bravely met the fierce Duvalier -- and was stunned by his arrogance, confidence.. and charm. Laurel knew she should avoid the very man she was deceiving. But the moment she felt his commanding embrace, the aroused woman knew she had to submit to their sensual, raging MIDNIGHT FLAMEWhen I start a book, in my mind it is a 5 star.  As I read the book I might feel that the 5 stars are justified or maybe not.  This is a definitely maybe not.  The longer I read it, the more stars it lost.Here's the thing... if an author is going to write historical fiction, then I insist that the historical aspects be true to historical facts. This is extremely important to me.Apparently this author is unaware that a man's shirt was considered underwear until the 20ith century and no gentleman would have appeared in front of a lady without a coat.  He especially would not have taken her for a drive around a plantation with his shirt unbuttoned to his navel.As for Laurel..she is one of those too insipid to live heroines.  Once again this author eschews character development in favor of cliched people reacting to preposterous circumstances.  I feel this way about all the characters.I am tired of cliched characters and this book is just full of them.  The virgin. The well-bred lady turned whore for no known reason.  The misunderstood daughter who loved well but not wisely.As for the virgin... she falls in love with her masked kidnapper and has sex with him. Really?  Her kidnapper?  Only we know he is actually the hero of the story.  Laurel marries the hero, not knowing he is the kidnapper. She longs for the kidnapper.  Despite what the love songs might tell us, she does not recognize that her husband is her kidnapper.Then she staggers off to Texas where starts wearing Levis to work the ranch.  I find that very hard to believe. Oh, Levi was selling canvas pants in 1853 for those looking for gold in California but by 1858 he was not yet using denim.  Also at this point int history "jeans" and "denim" were not synonymous and from what I can tell, the fabric which was called "jeans" is not at all what we think of today as it was sold as a men'[s dress fabric.I don't believe women were wearing men's pants in 1858.  They would have been wearing the split skirt. Women raised to be ladies as Laurel and Lavinia were, would have been concerned for their modesty which would have been protected by a split skirt.Another historical detail which bothered me was Laurel's unbound hair flowing down her back.  Even if she didn't put it up once she reached a marriageable age, she certainly would have put it up after she was married.If you are going to write historical fiction, pay attention to historical details.