Genre: Regency
A Stand-ALone Novel
ISBN: 9781420100013
Releasedate: May 6, 2008
Publisher: Kensington Books
Format owned: MPB
For sale at: The Book Depository Store

Synopsis
A SCANDAL?

Spirited and sensual, heiress Leah Jamison knew she would marry one day, but she had thought it would be for love, not because of her father's trickery. Yet her anger soon melts itno arousal when she experiences the expert caresses and bold kiss of the man who will become her husband. Richard Wexton is a duke, accustomed to command. Instead of resisting him, all she can do is ask for more…

OR A WEDDING?
Richard Wexton, the Duke of St. Austin, is a man of honor and he is furious at the idea of being blackmailed into marriage! Alas, he has no choice but to consent to the outrageous scheme. Then he sees Leah for the first time: His bride-to-be is a beauty beyond compare. He cannot ignore his feelings of ardent desire--and passionate love...

REVIEW
Desperate to protect an innocent little girl from telltales and the gossiping tongue of the TON, Richard feels compelled to go in accordance with the proposition Leah’s father handed out in his scheming state of mind. Spirited as she is and believing to be true that love is what makes a marriage work – not this arrangement that was made behind her back – makes Leah not go along quietly.


But once she sets eyes on the dangerously handsome Duke of St. Austin, she comes to know that love might not just be all that holds a marriage together. She gets familiar with the feeling - the urge - that comes with feeling passion for a man she does not even know. Nonetheless, she does know she cannot get him out of her mind and is determined to make him open up to her!

This is an author to watch out for; Janmarie Anello knows how to write a heart-filling romance story set between a hero and heroine. You just know straight away, though they don’t know each other at the start, they belong to each other.

The cover of this novel does not instantly give you the regency vibe and I would understand a sort of reluctance to see it as such but trust me when I say this is a quality regency novel! A well thought out and good structured story that has all one desires from the regency genre. The jealousy within the “Ton” is so very well written, up to the fact where one looks in the other persons eyes and walks away without saying a word – the silent treatment – it makes you feel pity for the person undergoing it! Janmarie is telling a tale which is swiping you off your feet and making you long for more! The world of Duke’s and Duchess, and the longing of two separate people coming together and growing towards each other is making the story sparkle off the pages.

The way twists and plots are entwined within this passionate love tale got to me and made me want to keep reading on and on. She truly gripped me with this story and I thought it was a nice surprise as, honestly said, I didn’t expect it when I first started reading! What I found refreshingly new to my shelves, was the fact that they tried to make the best out of the situation at hand. With bantering about, no hate and fighting over the marriage they were both forced into. But accepting what simply was and even though Richard was reluctant against emotional ties it was great to see he opened up to Leah’s strong passionate charitable character. As well as the fact that this story was spread out over months and not just a few weeks in time, making it more realistic as you are able to indulge yourself into their world and get the feeling you get to know the characters through time.

Their connection grabbed me on a deeper level, their love for each other grows throughout the story, making their passion and love-scenes all the more intense to read. It gave me as a reader the feeling that the characters made their way into my heart.

The secondary story lines, which are implemented in this story through the jealousy of Richard’s previous bed partners, are adding to the story and making this novel a real page-turner! I absolutely adored Richards brother, Geoffrey, who is a rogue first hand and I am hoping and silently praying for him to have his own story in time. Because with the way Janmarie Anello writes her stories I just know I would re-read her novels from time-to-time, as this story has touched my romantic filled heart!

4 Stars