Review: Wonderful historical romance with intriquing characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 29, 2013
Where to begin with this wonderful story? This is the first in the Bourbon Boys series and I will definitely be reading the next three. This has a very tortured hero who does not believe in himself anymore and a woman who has never known love, the two of them together are amazing as we go through a roller coaster of anguish and heartbreak before love.Gaspard Toussaint is a spy for France in 1820, this is after Napoleon's reign and several years of strife. He is employed by the Duke of Evoque along with three others, Sabien, Max and Faron. Gaspard grew up very poor, the son of a blacksmith and joined the army at age sixteen where he was under the control of an evil captain who beat and raped him for three years until he got big enough and was able to get his revenge. He met Sabien the day he killed the captain.Gaspard is known around Paris as the "molly" Comte, something he wants everyone to believe as it is the perfect cover for his job, not even his closest friends know his secret. Claudia Pascale, a woman from England is he granddaughter of Amaury Pascale, a man with his own secrets. She has always been a disappointment to her parents because she stutters and therefore has never known anything but ridicule from them.When they meet one evening, he finds that he can't forget her and seems to gravitate toward her. He knows that he can't ever be anyone different than who he portrays, he feels has no honor or decency to others so tries very hard to stay away. Unfortunately people and politics get in the way and Gaspard tricks his way into a marriage with Claudia. She has money and wants to escape her parents and he desperately needs money and to escape Paris, a perfect union.This book is so good, a mixture of historical romance with so much erotic heat that I had to fan myself several times. The chemistry between Gaspard and Claudia is amazing as he teaches her all the secrets he knows in the bedroom. Gaspard is a wonderful tortured hero, as you cry with him when he tells his tale of abuse at the hands of the captain. He continues his sexual ways while spying and you just know that he puts his feelings aside to survive.I love the two together, they are perfect. You can feel the pull of feelings as they work through their own pasts and troubles. Did I tell you about the heat? I love when she is asking him about his life with men and when he goes into detail with his explanation, oh my! We did not spend much time with Max and Faron but we did get to meet and spend time with Sabien and I really like him, his story is next and I am excited to read. I am also interested in her grandfather, I wonder if we will hear from him again? The evil of Evoque is intriguing, he played a part in Gaspard's past and as the two leave Paris for London I know we have not seen the last of him.The only problem I had was that Gaspard seemed to be able to leave the world of spying so easily and lives in relative openness, but I know the overall story arc will continue so I am sure the questions will be answered. The plot progression is not fast and is unhurried for the most part, there are bits of danger where the pace picks up but this is more about the relationship between Gaspard and Claudia with some spying and intrigue thrown in the mix. I truly recommend this book for lovers of historical romance with erotic heat.Review also at Ramblings from a Chaotic MindCopy from author for an honest review