"A masterful portrait of love and desire"

In her second and third installment to the Knight series, readers lament the lack of romance in Lord of Fire and the flawed conclusion in Lord of Ice. Her latest attempt marks her triumphant return in fixing the glitches, making Lady of Desire one of her most compelling novels after The Duke. Ms. Foley's artful narration is a vicarious thrill from start to finish as she dissects and defines the central protagonist Billy Blade as an intelligent cunning gang- leader in the rookery fighting for survival in the seedy underbelly of London 1816. We cringe at his memories of being a mud-larking beggar, his narrow escapes from malevolent archrival O'Dell and his encounter of the ferocious The Fire Hawks gang. The pivotal moment of his adventure turns out to be the one in which he is captured to Newgate in a burglary sabotaged by O'Dell. To escape hanging and to pardon the death of his captured friends, he has to seek help from his vitrolic father - marquess of Truro and has to agree to reclaiming the title of Earl of Rackford.

The spirited bohemian Jacinda Knight is his love-interest but one who refuses to marry because of the desire for independence. She is inspired by her mother Georgiana who dictates her own choices in lovers but her resolve is crumbled as she learns of passion with Rackford - and that this is a man who cares about her and is willing to change despite his bitterness from his abused past.

With a tortured hero and a feisty heroine sparking off scorching chemistry and smoldering passion, Lady of Desire is gauranteed a top-notch romance with energy and adventure. Ms. Foley is relentless in bringing tension and dimensions to her tale as she interweaves loyalty and fraternity through the comrades of Billy's gang, forgiveness for a scorned father and unexpected poignancy in a tender romance that will have you rejoice with tears. There is no compromise in the materials as Ms. Foley's thorough research sculpts the acrid alleys of London's underground and the sweeping glittering balls of Regency- era and is attentive to the double standards between opposite sexes during the times. Ms. Foley's complex tale and superb narration paints a vibrant portrait of love, struggle and forbidden desires with strokes of light humor and a bold scope which makes this one of the first 'must-read' novels of 2003.

Reviewed by Desmond CHan
Posted January 16, 2003

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Summary

Impetuous Lady Jacinda Knight is the daughter of a scandalous woman—and Society predicts she'll follow in her mother's footsteps. Then one night, in flight from an arranged and loveless marriage, Jacinda finds herself alone on a dangerous street face-to-face with Billy Blade, the notorious leader of a band of thieves. His stolen kisses awaken in her a longing for a man she can never possess.

A handsome outlaw running from a secret past, Billy Blade has never met a woman like Jacinda—her fiery innocence and blossoming sensuality set his rebel's heart ablaze. Having turned his back on the privilege and power of his tyrannical father's house years before, he vows to return to reclaim his title, Earl of Rackford—to win the love of the ravishing beauty who has stolen his heart.