by Wendy LaCapra
Series: Furies #2
Pub. Date: July 14, 2015
Publisher: Entangled Scandalous
Pages: 241
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
My Rating:
Sultry Scale:
London, 1784
He had everything under control, until she proved him wrong...
Sophia Baneham has lived in the poison of her dead father's shadow for longer than she cares to admit. Now she exists outside of polite society's influence, holding gambling parties for London's most dangerous men. When a man walks into one of her soirees, a compelling mix of charisma and icy control, he offers the lady of sin a wager she can't refuse...
Lord Randolph is a spy in the service of His Majesty, but he's given an oath to protect the daughter of his mentor. Even as his gamble of marriage starts to spiral out of control and his passions ignite, Randolph is determined that he'll handle things his way...
But when danger closes in, Randolph won't just have to protect Sophia from an intended killer. He'll have to protect her from himself...
The Furies series continues where it left off, with Sophia Baneham, Lady Scandal's flight from danger and her new husband, Lord Randolph. Sophia has went into hiding in a most unlikely place, where she has cast away the trappings of the ton, and allow the quiet and simple life to help her evaluate how her past and present have intersected with the dashing Lord Randolph.
This book is all about secrets and intrigue, and we continue to unwind the plot of the mysterious Kasai that we learned of in Lady Vice. Sophia appears to be in the most danger from this enigma, but it is a danger she has prepared for since her father's murder. I liked Sophia's character, particularly her perseverance in the face of danger, and her willingness to help those around her (as demonstrated by Lady Vice and Duchess Decadence). I really enjoyed the aspect of the Furies, a historical girl posse flouting convention and society with their exclusive soirees.
However now Lady Scandal has met her match in the earl, Lord Randolph, whom she has married as a result of a wager - one which she entered into thinking Randolph was only a handsome rake whom she could manage. How wrong she was! I absolutely loved Randolph and how his duty to protect Sophia quickly turned to love. His scandalous dirty talk was excellent - the author did a really good job crafting it to match the time period. Well done.
I liked this story better than Lady Vice - the writing style was less florid and easier to follow (or maybe my brain was just not as tired when I read this one). I also liked the intrigue and espionage - although the resolution seemed to fall a bit flat. The plot is not fully resolved, as the story arc will continue into the next book with the reconciliation of the Duke and Duchess of Wynchester. As for Sophia and Randolph, the passion was in good supply, but I would have liked to feel more connection to their characters. All in all, this was a good read and I think historical fans will enjoy it.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Author
Wendy LaCapra,
a 2012 Golden Heart® Finalist, has been reading romance since she discovered
Victoria Holt (in the library's adult section!) From that point on, her
only dream was to create worlds with historical richness, intrigue and
pleasure. She lives in NYC with her husband and can occasionally be found
gossiping about history and romance with the Dashing Duchesses or
burning up the web with those mystical mistresses of resilience, the GH class
of 2012 aka the
Firebirds.
Excerpt
“Speak, Sophia,” he ordered. “Say something. Anything.”
She clapped her palms together and concealed her shaking
fingers by tucking her hands beneath her chin. “What do you wish to hear?”
“I know you are angry with me,” he said with an edge of
impatience, “and I am sure your pretty head is full of dark delusions. But the
past does not affect what is between us. We have our marriage to consider now.”
The word marriage bounced off her gut like a coward’s blow.
“I am not angry” —she was furious— “and my pretty head is
not full of delusions.” Not anymore.
He resumed his slow prowl until she felt his heat against
her back. My. Had he always been so tall?
“Play ice-hearted queen, if you must,” he said, “but look me
in the eye when you lie.”
“With pleasure.” Her skirts swished as she turned. She fit
between his shoulders like a small painting fit an over-large frame, but
victory did not always go to those with a physical advantage. She granted him
the most dazzling of her smiles, a smile she used to knock men on their heels.
Weaving a purr into her words, she added, “Then again, what does a hard look in
the eye mean, one liar to another?”
Randolph had sense enough to step back.
“I did not tell you of my past connection to Earl Baneham,”
he said low and quiet. “But my deception was for your protection.”
She hated hearing the Earl’s name on his lips.
Earl Baneham. Her father. Or, as they’d called him when he
worked for the East India Company, The Ruthless. The Earl had taken pride in
his reputation, and had insisted that any man he mentored show proof he
possessed the same quality. Her gaze dropped to Randolph’s clean, gloveless
fingers. She did not want to know what atrocity those hands had committed to
gain access to her father’s lethal—and very secret—club.
She sidled away from Randolph…and closer to the poker.
Information. She needed information. “How long did you work for Baneham?”
“There are few who assisted the government in the same
capacity as I, who had not worked with your father.”
“Not an answer.”
He sighed. “I began assisting him during my grand tour.”
Five years? How could she have been so blind? She kept her
dry, rough eyes wide open.
“Tell me,” she asked, “how well did you absorb the Earl’s
tutelage? Did you memorize his book of rules?” She wagered he had a copy of
those rules in his pocket. “Did you believe, like his other starry-eyed
students, that he held every answer to questions of power and authority and
governance?”
“He was wise and effective,” he said.
“More like brutal and cold-blooded. I do not need a lecture
on the earl from one of his lackeys.”
He stiffened. “I was hardly Baneham’s lackey.”
“To the Earl, everyone was a lackey.”
“Oh?” he asked. “Why then, did he trust me with his most
valued possession?”
“His most valued possession?” Her voice edged up like a
cocking pistol.
“You.”
The single syllable exploded in her mind.
“So, I am a possession the Earl could will to a particularly
esteemed devotee?” She bared her teeth. “A possession from the Latin
possidere—to be master of, to own.”
“A possession from the Latin possidere— to have and hold.”
His smooth voice rolled over her fury. “I would protect you with my life,
Sophia.”
Giveaway
Furies Series
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