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Kidnapped by the man who murdered her father, nearly beaten to death and severely poisoned; so far, Samantha Hastings’ engagement to Lord Benjamin Westwood has been tumultuous at best. The killer revels his venomous, revenge plot had assistance, the Hastings and Westwood families must band together to defend themselves against a new threat. Samantha develops a risky plan to draw the accomplice out of hiding, but this scheme may cost her more than she is willing to sacrifice. The masked ball approaching and Samantha may not survive until her wedding day because - by the end of the evening - at least one person will die….
5 out of 5 (exceptional)
This is book two in the Wiltshire Chronicles, and you really SHOULD read book one before this, A Perfect Plan. This one follows immediately on from that and not all is recapped here.
And AGAIN we're left hanging! Not quite as badly as book one, granted but still. Thing are not resolved, the murderer from book one is still at large, as is his recently revealed accomplice (not WHO said accomplice is, mind, just that there is one!) There are some developments in the general plot line, a twist that literally smacked me upside the head because I did NOT see that coming, ideas, ideas, ideas as to who wrote that little missive to previously aforementioned murderer!!
I love how Samantha and Benjamin's relationship continues to grow, within the confines of "proper" behaviour of their time. Love that both of them push those confines far more than anyone should. LOVE that while Edward, Sam's brother, knows full well of that pushing, he doesn't restrict it. Almost encourages it, to be honest!
Thomas, Benjamin's twin, seems to be spreading his wings, with ladies, quite literally, swooning at his feet BUT one particular lady has him running for the hills and I can't wait to get that full story!
OH!! I and LOVED that while Samantha was often and frequently shortened to Sam, Benjamin was not once shortened to Ben. I need to say that. Its a bugbare of mine, and I loved that Benjamin was given his full name every time. Not even Thomas shortened it!
Wonder how long I'm gonna have to wait for book three!!
Still can't quite stretch to five full stars, however, I'm rounding this one UP to 5 stars for the blog/amazon purposes. But getting there, creeping up each time. So...
4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Best-selling, award winning, author Alyssa Drake has been creating stories since she could hold a pen, preferring to construct her own bedtime tales instead of reading the titles in her bookshelves. Enraptured with many different types of genres, Alyssa currently writes Historical romance, Paranormal/Urban Fantasy romance, Contemporary romance, and Romantic Suspense stories. She thoroughly enjoys strong heroines and often laughs aloud when imagining conversations between her characters. Alyssa graduated from the University of the Pacific, with a B.S. in business and a concentration in French literature. Currently she resides in Northern California with her blended family, where she works full-time at a chocolate factory. She believes everyone is motivated by love of someone or something. One of her favorite diversions is fabricating stories about strangers surrounding her on public transportation. Alyssa can often be found madly scribbling notes on a train or daydreaming out the window as the scenery whips past.