Review: 3 1/2 Stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 3, 2013
Overall I enjoyed reading this book and there were more things I liked about it than not. I liked that Penelope has close, supportive girl friends who are independent like she is. These characters do not act like typical regency women, but that is explained by being ladies with financial means and not overly worried about their place in society.  I also liked the hero with his golden good looks. The author did a good job of sticking to his character as handsome, autocratic and competent. The dialogue is a bit stiff in the first part of the book, but this eventually smooths out and becomes more natural once the story gets going.The basic plot is Lady P hires Mr. Howe to find her missing maid. They end up working together and going on several adventures.  The mystery is centered around a brothel, and this could have been much more sordid than it was ( I've read much worse) but sensitive readers may not like these parts of the storyline. There are also a few brief, explicit scenes which will be good or bad depending on the reader. **spoiler: I'm currently very anti-kidnapping and feel tired of reading this plot device, but at least in this one the hero is kidnapped and the heroine rescues him. Nice touch! ** end spoilerIt looks like this is a new author with just a few books under her belt and it seems to me she has a very promising start.