Cocktails and Books

I'm so happy I received a copy of this book. I normally don't read Steampunk type historical novels, but this was one that had a great hero and heroine and a suspenseful storyline that kept you turning the pages to find out what's next.

Detective Rafael Lewis is sent to Scotland to protect an heiress who Scotland Yard feels is in danger. While Rafe normally wouldn't like a babysitting job, even if he does get to investigate a murder while he's doing it, he doesn't mind take this job. Especially since he's protecting his former childhood friend and fiancee Francine Greyville-Nugent. While he doesn't expect a warm homecoming, especially given the events that led to their broken engagement, he can't help but wonder if this is his change to make it up to Fanny.

Fanny, of course, if torn between wanting to exact her revenge on the man who broke her heart and leaving him behind without hearing an explanation. But it becomes abundantly clear that she needs Rafe's protection from whoever is trying to kill her, she finds herself seeing the Rafe she feel in love with and fighting her attraction to him and the hope that they could start over.

I loved Fanny and Rafe. You could tell from their bantering that they were truly each other's best friend. They fell back into their old routine, despite the hurt and lies that have separated them for the past five years. When they were finally able to start talking about what happened in their relationship, Fanny discovers that those she thought were her friends might have been behind the collapse of her relationship with Rafe. Rafe and Fanny had to talk through their issues and understand what led to their failed first attempt to understand how they went about moving forward. It was wonderful to see them leave the past behind and find the desire to look towards the future together.

The mystery behind the industrialist murders kept me interested and at the edge of my seat trying to figure out the motivation behind the crime. Jillian Stone did an excellent job of building a villain who you could almost sympathize with in his desire to right the wrongs in his life.

This will most definitely not be my last Jillian Stone book. She writes engaging characters with witty dialogue and a fast paced, action packed storyline. I highly recommend this one.