"Interesting characters and storyline in this Regency romance."

The quiet of the Cornwall countryside is the only solace Brook Meylan can find even two years after her husband's death. The brief union with Lyon A'Court has left lasting scars, both visible and invisible. Her girlish dreams of love and marriage have been cruelly broken by the reality of life as the Countess A'Court. She retreats to Loughwydde where she tries to forget secrets too shocking to be spoken. Then the new Count A'Court, Seaton Hamblin, and his sister, May Hamblin, arrive and, along with Brook's family, attempt to persuade her to return to London and the ton. Brook knows that the nasty gossip surrounding her late husband's death will be waiting for her in the city and resolves that nothing can possibly make her return.

Mallory Claeg, future Viscount Keyworth, has led a life that defies all convention. He went against family's wishes and married his mistress and, after her death, has sought forgetfulness in affairs with various widows of the ton. When Mallory meets Brook on the cliffs of Cornwall, his thoughts are instantly drawn to seducing the alluring widow, but he finds in this self-contained woman a kindred spirit, one who's been deeply hurt and is haunted by too many memories. Mallory pursues the Lady A'Court, finding himself drawn to the task of shaking Brook out of mere existence. When he's called back to London because of his father's sudden illness, he demands that Brook follow. But will the reluctant widow oblige?

The pairing of the two main characters and their developing relationship is interesting, though the secondary characters of Hamblin Seaton and his sister at times do not integrate well into the whole story, leaving unanswered questions concerning their intentions. Overall, this book has flow and a good storyline. It's a nice read.

Reviewed by Mary Neal
Posted October 20, 2004

Summary

A scoundrel whose fame as an artist, libertine, and notorious seducer of beautiful women is ongoing fodder for the ton, Mallory Claeg has a secret obsession-Brook Meylan, Lady A'Court, a beautiful widow who abandoned London two years earlier, deliberately severing all ties to her past. Under the pretense of his interest in the primitive landscape of the Cornish coast, Mallory watches her, fascinated and utterly mesmerized by her beauty... Brook tried to escape the gilded cage of the ton's merciless gossip, the memory of a cruel husband, and the pity of well meaning friends. But meddling relatives and unwanted suitors shatter her peace. At first, Mallory Claeg was another intrusion. Yet his sinfully handsome face and irresistible charm bring both temptation and torment. Now Brook must choose between opening her heart-or sealing it off forever...