Ian O’Farrell had come from Dublin searching for Lynch; Ian had to prove to his father that he was responsible enough to right the wrong when he did not protect his younger brother from being killed. Lynch was responsible—Ian would kill him to demonstrate to his father that he could be worthwhile.

Rory Lynch kept insisting that Brianna marry him; she kept putting him off, until she finally told him no. He did not take the rebuff well; his determination was strong. No one would take was he considered to be his. The more Rory pushed Brianna, the more she backed off. After Ian started showing up, he took every chance to convince Brianna that she could not marry Lynch.

This novel was extremely interesting; there were myriad of characters involved, but it was written so that it was easy to keep them straight. There are many skillfully executed encounters between the main characters; the violence was frequent and volatile, but it did not give a gory slant to the story. Ms. Donna Dalton has done a wonderful job of revealing her plot, executing her characters (who were believable), and bringing the surprise ending to fruition.

From the servants, both the butler and cook, to the young boy who was always available for “odd” jobs, to the criminals associated with Lynch, and then to the couple and her uncle, the police, there was always something going on. I loved the way Ms. Dalton presented this tale and highly recommend it to all, but the lovers of historical romance will be thrilled! This book will become one to keep on our personal bookshelves.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Brenda Talley
July 25, 2007