"Entertaining Regency romance"

In 1820 the King is dead and George IV inherits the throne. However, George wants to rid himself of his estrange wife Princess Caroline before his coronation insisting she does not deserve to be queen. Caroline has returned to England after several years on the continent in exile planning to sit on the throne whether her spouse wants her or not.

The retired Minister of the Admiralty Sir Willard Humphrey orders his worthless nephew Perry Shepherd to use the undercover skills he learned during the Napoleonic wars to find dirt to discredit Caroline. To gain entry, Willard suggests Perry use loyal princess follower Amelia Fredericks, one of Caroline's orphans. If Perry fails to perform his duty for his king, Willard says he will enlist odious Jarrett Rolin who will do anything to regain his lost status amidst the Ton. Reluctantly, feeling like it is the less of two evils, Perry leaves his hedonistic pastime behind to uncover regal scandal. Instead he falls in love with his ticket but worries how his beloved will react to his treachery of using her to get at her cherished Princess.

This entertaining Regency romance is many ways is more a political historical tale than a love story. Readers obtain a taste of the Whig-Tory rivalry accentuated by who the support the king or the wannabe queen. The enticing romance enhances the competition for power as Kasey Michaels provides a refreshing look at the machinations and skirmishes between the Regent and his wife as well as the two political parties prior to the coronation.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted March 12, 2005

Summary

The king's coronation draws near, and a dance of intrigue and desire begins...

A DANCE OF SCANDAL
The notorious Queen Caroline, caught between broken dreams and a devious husband out to ruin her, may harbor a stunning secret: a hidden heir to the throne.

A DANCE OF SEDUCTION
Amelia Fredricks, adopted as an infant by the mercurial but good-hearted queen, is now her most trusted companion. Any yet... there are rumors. Is Amelia truly the orphaned daughter of a commoner -- or the secret daughter of the king himself?

A DANCE OF DANGER
That's the question that haunts Perry Shephard, Earl of Brentwood. Dispatched to spy on the queen, he has lost his heart to the lovely, loyal Amelia. But does the woman he adores belong to him alone... or to all of England?