Beguiling Intrigue
Jane ToombsHistorical romance
Available from Amber Quill
ISBN: 1-59279-466-1
January 2006
| Quentin Fletcher, Marquis of Devon, has everything. He is handsome, rich and unbelievably lucky. He is also very arrogant. His friends think it's time to bring Devon down a notch and have a scheme planned to make Devon look less than perfect. Lord Alton, Ogden Stewart, and John Willoughby plan a horse race. They have the perfect horse, which they plan to disguise by blackening its white markings. They also think they have the perfect jockey. Justine Riggs, cousin to Willoughby, has been raised as a boy. Her father had wanted a son named Justin. Instead Justine was born and his wife died, leaving him to raise her alone. He brought her up to hunt and ride just like a boy. The plan is to dress Justine as a male and let her race, thinking that Devon will be even more upset to learn that it was a female that bested him. Everything goes as planned until there is an accident in the park with a runaway barouche. Justine stops the runaway horses and in doing so reveals she is a female by losing her hat. Devon is angry but he cannot seem to stop thinking about the beautiful Justine.
Beguiling Intrigue that is what Devon thinks Justine is. She is beautiful yet she can do almost everything as well as a man. He does not know what to think of such a female. Jane Toombs has written a delightfully creative romance filled with colorful characters. Devon, who is thought of as perfect, has a secret side to him. He is handsome and rich. He is lucky at cards and women. He is also very arrogant and quick to anger. Justine is beautiful and graceful. She is smart and skilled with weapons and horses. Just don't ask her to sew or play the pianoforte! She thinks she is very unfeminine and despairs she will never find love. The dialogue is well written and conveys the emotions, as well as the thoughts of the characters. This is a passionate story and many times the passion appears as dislike, when it is in fact frustration. This leads to misunderstandings. The plot of the story is to see Devon as less than perfect and find a husband for Justine. This is fulfilled through a skillfully entertaining means. The setting is described through the way the characters spend their time and how they are expected to behave due to their gender. Jane Toombs has written a delightful story filled with suspense and intrigue. The men that Justine is introduced to all seem to have secrets. Some of these secrets could lead Justine into danger or unhappiness. The author creates a story that will have the reader imagining all kinds of dreadful things before the truth is revealed. Beguiling Intrigue is an innovative romance filled with passion and suspense that readers will find truly entertaining.
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Reviewer: Anita |
