Thursday, November 20, 2008

Seduced at Midnight- Jacquie D'Alessandro

Seduced at Midnight
Jacquie D'Alessandro
Berkley, Jan 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780425226759

In 1820 strange paranormal occurrences happen in Mayfair that parallel the plot of a novel The Ghost of Devonshire Manor that the Ladies Literary Society is reading; the London Times mentions ghosts in their article on the robbery-murders of two aristocrats. Worried for his daughter’s safety Lord Bradley hires Bow Street Runner Gideon Mayne to protect his daughter, Lady Julianne. When her dad introduces Julianne to Gideon, she recognizes him as the man she has been waiting for since she began dreaming of love.

Gideon and Julianne understand they are unsuited as she must make a match within her social class. Still as their desire for one another explodes, Gideon remains dedicated to what matters most: keeping his beloved safe from human or ghost.

This entertaining Regency romantic suspense plays out on two levels that nicely converge into a wonderful tale. First there is the “forbidden” romance between the lady and the bodyguard, which has been the theme of many books and movies (for instance the Costner-Houston film The Bodyguard). However the second subplot brings freshness with the Ladies Literary Society (and much of London) asking do you believe in ghosts as the lead duo get embroiled in the robbery murders. Once again Jacquie D'Alessandro will keep her the audience up past Midnight (see CONFESSIONS AT MIDNIGHT and SLEEPLESS AT MIDNIGHT).

Harriet Klausner

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