Review: Delightful Regency Romp With Compelling Characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2013
As a fan of Julia Quinn I found much in this story to remind me of one of my favorite authors.  From the delightfully witty dialogue and fast-paced banter oozing sexual tension to the many colorful familial interactions, I found myself consumed by this Regency romp and impressed by this new-to-me author.  Add in a bad boy trying to be good and a good girl trying to be bad and you have a wonderful romance to delight those looking for a HEA.Ambrosia is taking part in her fourth Season and knows she has to choose a husband as it's what's expected of her.  As she's always done what's expected she continues to meet one suitor after another but ends up being drawn to the one most inappropriate....Duncan Maddox.  Since the death of her perfect older brother she's taken over the role of representing the family name.  It's led her to living a regimented existence, never doing anything other than what's perfect.  It's also led to an uptight, unhappy woman choking from the pressure of expectations.  She's become a woman who barely even smiles and fights every bit of intense emotion she starts to experience.  I ached for her and the pressures she's put on herself.  Meeting Duncan though both scares her and excites her as she wants to be bad with only him though she knows he's completely inappropriate.  I loved seeing her slowly come to life through the erotically-charged banter between her and Duncan.  She's like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon and I loved seeing her vibrant and fun side emerge, through their sizzling sexual encounters, against her better judgement.Duncan has always been happy being the bad boy.  He's a charming and sexy man full of life.  As the younger son he was happy living his carefree and debauched ways, but with the death of his brother he must now clean up his act and the prim and perfect Ambrosia is just what he needs to earn his place in society.  What starts out as a cold-hearted plan though soon involves the heart and has him looking at her in a whole new light.  He never contemplated real marriage before as his parent's numerous affairs left him disillusioned but he finds himself drawn to her, admiring her the more time they spend together and the more similarities he discovers between them.  He works hard to woo her which leads to an intense battle of wills which makes their HEA even more rewarding.Along with this wonderfully intense romance comes a despicable villain unashamed in using friends and family for financial gain.  James pretends at being Duncan's friend but he's a cheat and his scenes with Ambrosia are unsettling as he wants her for himself and lets her know that constantly.  His actions add an element of suspense and moments of heart-pounding anticipation as we wait to see him come to a satisfying end where he gets what he deserves.  James is a villain who richly earns the title.  Along with a good villain there's an entertaining cast of secondary characters in Ambrosia's colorful family who aren't afraid to speak their minds.  They aren't ashamed to play matchmaker as Ambrosia continues to fight her attraction to Duncan and I applauded their actions done in love.  From start to finish I found this a thoroughly compelling read with characters I came to care about and I look forward to what Ms. Jefferson plans next.