Readers were first introduced to Allegreto, the elegant assassin, in For My Lady's Heart. Now he is a charismatic, dangerous man who will stop at nothing to regain his rightful place in the rich Italian principality of Monteverde. And the perfect tool has just fallen into his hands, in the lovely form of Lady Elena—the long-lost Monteverde princess. Only she can solidify his claim...but the dark passion that grows between them is more dangerous than any treachery mortal men could devise. (Publisher's blurb)

New purchase. MMPB.

It's hard to write journal entries months after one has finished the book in question. And for the life of me, I can't remember why I didn't write one right away.

However, I remember this book well enough. It isn't often that an historical romance causes me to drop my jaw and raise my eyebrows in shock. This is a sharp departure from Laura Kinsale's usual bittersweet style. Oh, the bittersweetness is still there, but the story line here is edgy and unpredictable and even a little dangerous. Allegreto and Elena have an extraordinarily intense relationship, and their story breaks new ground for this particular genre.

Without giving too much away, I think I can safely say this is not a book for the immature reader. Kinsale's sex scenes here are much more raw than in her previous novels. Definitely not for the kiddies, folks.

And not a book I'm planning on releasing to the wild either. I'll find some other means of letting this one go.

Mailing to fellow BXer Shendoah as a surprise. She's certain to appreciate this one. [grin]
Greetings from Little Rock, Arkansas!

Lookie what I found in my mailbox today!! I wondered if age was wasting my brain because I could NOT remember if I was expecting this. For once I read previous journal entries on a book and WHEE, nope wasn't expecting it. Thank you for the surprise! And now I am intrigued...


(I'm going to wait to read this till DH is home, so that pent up energy can be spent appropriately....)

Toss aside everything you ever knew about romance novels. They do not apply to this book. Considering this is essetially a historical Romance, this was unbelievably dark. The writing is fantastic. You can feel yourself gliding across the lake, laying seige to a castle, riding through the alps.

Placed in the late 1600's this book is much more raw than your normal aristocratic historical romance with the young country maid bringing the powerful aristocrat to his knees. Neither Elayne nor the Raven are exactly what they seem to be. The combined power of their personalities is powerful, dramatic and intense.

Yes, it's a romance novel, you know the couple ends up together. This book never lets you see HOW though. The obstacles are as big as the alps the story takes place in, the characters complex, the story line twists and turns. Every path taken ends up not where you expected. The ending is as exhusting and powerful and intense as the rest of the book. It certainly does not fall off into "and they lived happily ever after", it leaves you wondering how exactly they survive.

I'll agree this is not for the immature reader. I'll have to decide how to release this next.

Headed to Tzurriz.