Description:
When you walk on the wild side of society, the greatest danger could be to your own heart.
Alyssum Rosewood has just come to a shocking realization. Her life is boring. Visions of spinsterhood dancing in her head, she dons a dramatic red gown and sneaks out to attend Lady Brook’s infamous masquerade ball, where a gentleman sweeps her into his arms and steals a kiss that reveals a passion she never dreamed existed. But then she learns his identity—the reckless and improper Viscount Lambert, her overprotective brother’s best friend.
Robert Lambert finds the lady in red captivating. Her kiss quickens his heart and her innocent yet wicked touch sets his body on fire. But she slips from his grasp and flees before he can remove her mask. Come hell or high scandal, he will find his fiery little temptress.
Certain Robert will be horrified to learn she is the woman whose shocking behavior aroused his lust, Alyssum desperately tries to hide the truth deep in her heart. But with every look, every touch, every kiss, she comes ever closer to throwing caution to the wind…
Product Warnings
This book contains a hidden love, a possessive brother, scoundrels and fistfights. A scarlet gown, ladies sneaking into taverns and a heroine who has just been awakened into the world of pleasure.
Alyssum Rosewood and Robert Lambert share a past – once the best of friends, they have drifted apart as they’ve grown up. While he is what many would call a professional rake, she is stuck in her role as a society woman, trying to fulfill the wishes of the ton by finding a husband.
When she decides that her life is just a little too boring and he takes a friendly wager with some pals, they are thrown together in one passionate embrace. When things get a little too friendly, she runs away before she can reveal who she is. Because of the color of her dress, all he can call her is “Scarlet”
That sets off a string of events that take just a little too much of the book to figure out. Very quickly Robert and his friends whittle down their list to around five women that “Scarlet” could possibly be.
Unfortunately I found this story to be a little long on the dialogue, a little short on the heat. I tend to find that books written in this era are some of the hottest ones around because the passion is so forbidden. You don’t really get to that with this book. It needed to either cut to the chase about who “Scarlet” really is, or it needed to be fleshed out a little bit and become a little bit longer. A lot of time is spent on her telling EVERYONE but Robert she’s “Scarlet”. It’s the worst kept secret in the land, yet Robert nor her brother can figure out the truth.
I feel as if their relationship could have been expanded on a little bit. They share a touching secret that indicates they’ve always had feelings for one another. It would have been nice if those feelings had shown up a little bit earlier and we were able to see them morph into a couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other. It just felt a little forced to me. Another reader may disagree.
The premise of the book was very good and what is there, I did enjoy. Having said that though, I was left feeling empty when it was done. I wanted more.
I will say this, the author did set up the next book in the series well and maybe that one will be fleshed out a little more.
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Interesting premise and great review!
Will keep this book in mind and will look out for it when it’s released.
An honest review of this book…I will put this on my to be considered list…
I’ve been looking at the cover of this book for a while and had high hopes for it….I’ll keep it on my reading list but maybe wait till the 2nd book releases to actually read it.
Thanks for the,,as always, honest review – will h put this one on the maybe list.
I’m adding this to my maybe list.