Helpful Score: 4
When I read the blurb for this book, I was intrigued; the storyline sounded interesting. But the narrative was so stilted, wooden and antiquated, it was a complete turnoff. The characters were so one-dimensional that I didn't even care what happened to them - I skipped to the epilogue. Boooorrriiinnngggg.
Helpful Score: 1
Intrigue and treason reunite two childhood friends who become lovers in Victorian London.
Helpful Score: 1
Friends from India reunite in 1850 England.
From Publishers Weekly
In romance veteran Brandewyne's latest entry, idyllic days in India in the 1830s are cut short for young Rose Windermere when her best friend, Hugo Drayton, is murdered, along with his parents. Fearing for their own safety, Rose's family moves back to England. Fifteen years later, Rose is shopping at the market when a strange man thrusts a letter into her basket and, before fleeing, cautions her to guard it with her life. Seeing the seal of Hugo's family on the letter, Rose surmises that it must concern the business of Hugo's cousin, and the veiled message inside indicates a lovers' rendezvous. Soon, however, Rose suspects she's being followed, and with a little investigation finds that her pursuer is Raj Khanna, a handsome Indian businessman, who's after the letter for reasons far graver than romance; amid rising suspense, Rose uncovers a plot to assassinate Queen Victoria and the truth about what happened to her beloved Hugo. Fast-paced, rooted in solid period details and supported by a fine cast of secondary charactersespecially the scrappy street urchins who come to Rose's aidBrandewyne's latest is another winning romp. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information,
In romance veteran Brandewyne's latest entry, idyllic days in India in the 1830s are cut short for young Rose Windermere when her best friend, Hugo Drayton, is murdered, along with his parents. Fearing for their own safety, Rose's family moves back to England. Fifteen years later, Rose is shopping at the market when a strange man thrusts a letter into her basket and, before fleeing, cautions her to guard it with her life. Seeing the seal of Hugo's family on the letter, Rose surmises that it must concern the business of Hugo's cousin, and the veiled message inside indicates a lovers' rendezvous. Soon, however, Rose suspects she's being followed, and with a little investigation finds that her pursuer is Raj Khanna, a handsome Indian businessman, who's after the letter for reasons far graver than romance; amid rising suspense, Rose uncovers a plot to assassinate Queen Victoria and the truth about what happened to her beloved Hugo. Fast-paced, rooted in solid period details and supported by a fine cast of secondary charactersespecially the scrappy street urchins who come to Rose's aidBrandewyne's latest is another winning romp. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information,
England, 1850: As she makes her way through London's crowded streets, Rose Windermere is nearly knocked to the ground by a man who whispers a dire warning?and presses a letter into her hands before fleeing. The letter seems innocuous enough--merely plans for a gentleman to meet his lover. But for Rose, the mark with which it is sealed recalls her idyllic childhood in India and a world that was destroyed one terrible night, when an uprising left her dearest friend, Hugo, dead.
Amidst a city enthralled by its Great Exhibition, Rose is pulled back into the exotic land of her youth, as the past comes unimaginably alive. Caught in a web of deceit and intrigue, she must unravel the strange machinations of a man whose lust for power will threaten a monarchy--and Rose's own heart.
England, 1850: As she makes her way through London's crowded streets, Rose Windermere is nearly knocked to the ground by a man who whispers a dire warningand presses a letter into her hands before fleeing. The letter seems innocuous enough--merely plans for a gentleman to meet his lover. But for Rose, the mark with which it is sealed recalls her idyllic childhood in India and a world that was destroyed one terrible night, when an uprising left her dearest friend, Hugo, dead.
Amidst a city enthralled by its Great Exhibition, Rose is pulled back into the exotic land of her youth, as the past comes unimaginably alive. Caught in a web of deceit and intrigue, she must unravel the strange machinations of a man whose lust for power will threaten a monarchy--and Rose's own heart.
Amidst a city enthralled by its Great Exhibition, Rose is pulled back into the exotic land of her youth, as the past comes unimaginably alive. Caught in a web of deceit and intrigue, she must unravel the strange machinations of a man whose lust for power will threaten a monarchy--and Rose's own heart.
