"A funny historical romance"

In 1789 on a cross-oceanic voyage of the merchant ship Aurora, Anne a fellow passenger, forces Evangeline Clemens to cause a distraction so she can commandeer the ship. The blackmailer uses Evangeline's brother as a hostage to insure cooperation. Evangeline tries everything including innocent seduction to occupy Captain Austin Blackwell's mind though she gets the body too.

Anne succeeds even as Austin thinks Evangeline must be a spy. In spite of mistrusting her and regaining control of his ship, Austin begins to fall in love with Evangeline who knows he has had her heart from the moment she first saw her captain. However, the adventures are just beginning for this duo sailing in perilous waters.

PERILS OF THE HEART is a fun diversion as the Georgian romance reads like the serials as the Pauline heroine lands in one predicament after another. The story line is so jammed with action mindful of Groucho's room on the ship in Night at the Opera that the audience never fully meets any of the cast including the lead couple and the villains, though her motives are explained. Still Jennifer Ashley shows such a flare for high adventure that those Georgian romance readers who prefer 200 proof activity need to use a seat belt as they feast on this ultra non-stopper.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted October 30, 2002

Summary

Evangeline Clemens is caught on the wrong side of a mutiny against a handsome American captain with fathomless dark eyes. Can she convince him she had no intent to disrupt his mission to keep America from another war with England? Or will he take her away in chains? Either way, Evangeline is about to discover just how ruthless, and how passionate, the dark-hearted Captain Blackwell can be. Romance and swashbuckling adventure abound!