I received this book from a friend some time back and had never read it, so in searching for a book for Msmorvay's write-off, I thought it would be perfect. This book was published in 1993 by Bantam Books. I haven't had a lot of time to actually sit down and read a book straight through so it took me awhile to get through this one.

Prudence Merryweather travels through the foggy London weather to meet the man known as the Fallen Angel. She is summoning her courage the whole way there because she feels compelled to help her brother, Trevor. It seems that her brother was upset with Sebastian, the Earl of Angelstone (the Fallen Angel), for dancing with his sister. And decided to challenge Sebastian to a duel to protect his sisters’ honor. She insists that Sebastian apologize to her brother so the duel would not take place. (This girl has a lot of nerve!)

She does manage to get Sebastian to agree, but that is only after he extracts the promise from her that she would give her word of honor to repay him, if he ever needed it. She reluctantly agrees to the bargain. He shocks her when he seals their bargain with a kiss and then proceeds to escort her home. The devil looking after his own.

Despite Sebastian’s need to be alone, he is drawn to Prudence’s company and the fact that she researches spectral phenomena. And she seems to be drawn to his badness. Sebastian enlists is friend, Garrick Sutton, is his quest to let Trevor know that their will be no duel between them. Jeremy Fleetwood, Sebastian’s cousin, is disappointed to discover this. It seems that Jeremy does not believe Sebastian should be retaining his title and strongly wishes for his death within the near future. Garrick tries once again to convince Sebastian to settle down and produce an heir, to keep the title away from Jeremy.

At a ball that they are all invited to, Prudence tries not to notice when Sebastian disappears, but simply cannot help herself. She follows him, and finds him rooting around in Lady Thornbridge’s chamber, looking for a necklace. But Prudence is nearly thrown into the wardrobe when Sebastian hears someone entering the room. Lord Thronbridge is there, with his gun, ready to shoot the man he thinks is having an affair with his wife. But Prudence jumps out of the wardrobe to save his life and provide an excuse for Sebastian being in the chamber. Sebastian makes up the story that they’re engaged and went into the chamber for privacy to discuss their future.

Off the hook, the pair decide to keep the farce going until Prudence returns to her country home at the end of the season, neither wanting to make the other look like a fool when the engagement is broken. Will Prudence realize Sebastian’s true feelings for her before it’s too late? How will she react when she discovers his real reasons for being in the Lady’s chamber that night?


*~ My Thoughts ~*
What have we here? Your typical love story that takes place between high society folks, they sneak around, neither wants to profess their love for the other until they both realize that they cannot live without each other. Sounds like every other love story I’ve read. But somehow reading this one by Amanda Quick just seemed a little different than the others. I’m not totally sure why this is.

I did enjoy this story and it’s characters. You have the typical male hero who isn’t looking for love but cannot help himself when he meets the lead female. Sebastian is not a people person, but he finds that he just cannot get Prudence out of his mind.

Prudence is not looking for love either, especially with someone with Sebastian’s reputation. But she can’t help her hormone’s can she? She seems to be a naive character despite being portrayed as intellectual. But Quick quickly shows that these two main characters both seem to understand each other and are not just into the sexual side of things.

Overall, I would have to say that I am going to have to recommend this story. I think that Quick just has a way with words that makes this story seem less tawdry than other romance stories. Maybe it’s the mystery coupled with the naive romance between the two main characters that changed the course of this story from those regular romances. I wasn’t able to figure everything out until I was almost at the end.

Maybe it’s the fact that the main heroine is so unlike those ravishing bimbo’s that are portrayed on the covers of those gaudy romance novels. But I think it’s the fact that these two main characters have a bond and are able to be loyal friends before a relationship is even brought into the question.

A friend gave this book to me so I cannot attest to the hardcover price. She purchased it at a thrift store because she thought I would enjoy it. My particular book was also the large print version. I really enjoyed Amanda Quick’s writing style and knowledge about historical figures. That seems to lend some authenticity to the story. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another one of her books if I came across one.

* Thanks to Msmorvay for sponsoring this w/o! Check out her profile page for more w/o entries.


~ Happy Reading!

Kim

ISBN: 0-553-29317-6
Format Read: Hardcover
Pages: 273
Price: $7.50 - Paperback


Recommended: Yes