Saturday, April 19, 2008

A Notorious Proposition-Adele Ashworth

A Notorious Proposition
Adele Ashworth
Avon, May 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780061128585

In 1850 at Winter Garden Garrett Burke was investigating for the Crown the theft of the Martello Diamonds when he met and fell in love with Lady Ivy Wentworth. She reciprocated his feelings. However, after making love with her and planning to ask her to marry him, he went out on his assignment that ended badly; he blamed Ivy, whom he believed betrayed him.

Two years later Garrett and Ivy are together at Winter Garden seeking to uncover secrets long buried there. As they begin to find clues of a treasure in the mansion’s secret corridors, their love surfaces as neither stopped wanting the other. However, he does not trust her and she knows how he feels making her angry that her love was not strong enough to persuade him otherwise.

This is an engaging Victorian romantic mystery starring two likable protagonists whose short history together includes making love, falling in love, and distrusting love. Readers will enjoy this amusing suspense tale that takes place in WINTER GARDEN (previous book written in 2000; not read by me) as Adele Ashworth writes another engaging historical as few authors consistently bring to life the 1850s-1860s as consistently vivid as this writer does.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: