Ballantine – April 2008
Historical Romance/Adventure
Like a gateway between East and West, lies the Greek island chain
of Kavros. Napoleon conquered it almost two decades ago. When he
was defeated, Austrian, Russian and Turks, to name only three, cast
covetous eyes upon it. At the moment, Kavros is a protectorate of
the British.
The family that ruled Kavros for generations fled Napoleon and
went into exile. The king was poisoned, his heir drowned, his second
son stabbed. Princess Sophia, the only remaining member of the royal
house, lives in England with her lady in waiting and her stout core
of bodyguards. She turns twenty-one on the morrow and is ready to
return to Kavros to take up her duties as queen. There's a slight
problem there, however.
On the way to a secret meeting with lords of the British Foreign
Office, Sophia's party is ambushed. Whether the purpose is to abduct
or assassinate the princess is unclear, but her guards valiantly
hold off her attackers until she can escape...with no small assistance
from Sophia herself, who shoots one villain and stabs another. Sophia
is not a soft, pampered royal. Leon, her chief of security, trained
her well in survival. He gives her a previously agreed upon code
signal, puts her on a horse, and sends her away. Sophia follows
the coded instructions that will allow her to go into hiding where
her guards will be able to locate her. She finds an abandoned barn,
crawls up into the loft, changes into plain clothes out of her survival
knapsack, and goes to sleep.
Major Gabriel Knight of India recently arrived in England after
taking an arrow in the abdomen to save his younger brother. Gabriel
almost died -- or maybe he did die for a moment. Either way, he
had what we would call today a near-death experience, white light
and all. It changed Gabriel from the “Iron Major” whose
motto was No Mercy, into a troubled man who looks back on his heroic
career as a cavalry officer with feelings of guilt; though that
puts it too simply. He only wants peace until he can discover why
he was sent back. There must be a reason he was spared. Meanwhile,
he's leased an old farm with only a surly daily housekeeper as company.
The morning after the attack on Sophia, Gabriel climbs the ladder
to the barn loft with fresh milk for the three kittens in residence
there. But what does he find but a dark sleeping beauty. When Gabriel
jumps to the conclusion that she was sent as a gift from his brother
Derek, Sophia doesn't set him straight. She can't; secrecy is imperative
when lives are at stake.
Fate must have brought these two together. In only a day and a
night, they grow close, close enough that Sophia realizes that,
with enemies still out there, to ask Gabriel for help would be to
drag him back into a life he's foresworn. So when her men find her
the next morning, she leaves without saying goodbye. Destiny, however,
is not finished with these two.
Sophia is intelligent, educated, trained to keep a cool head, and,
even though she was a young child when she left her country, she's
devoted to it and constant in her duty to her family's heritage.
Sophia understands that Gabriel, though physically mended, needs
more time to heal his inner wounds. She’s strong enough to
give him up for his own sake. Gabriel is hurt when his Gypsy sneaks
away. However, this time the hand of fate wears the guise of his
diplomat brother-in-law, the Marquess of Griffith, who summons him
for a mission.
On a balance scale with fairytale on one side and reality on the
other, realism greatly outweighs fairytale in the matter of HER
EVERY PLEASURE. The relative strengths of characters -- brought
vibrantly alive through Ms. Foley's huge talent -- and plot -- rich
in adventure and passion -- are pretty close to call. Both are excellent,
but characterization has a slight edge from my point of view. Gabriel
is deep, all that is noble, but questions the worth of his former
life. But he's still a man, not a saint. If you have ever tired
of weak or silly heroines who do the wrong thing and make matters
worse, you will absolutely love Sophia. Gabriel and Sophia are both
unselfish in nature and brave in the face of danger, but will they
be able to overcome each of the several challenges they meet? The
plot takes our band of heroes through dangers and betrayal, in England
and beyond.
HER EVERY PLEASURE is the third novel in the Spice series that
stars Gabriel, Derek and their sister Georgiana, children of Lord
Arthur Knight, one of the British ruling class of India. The series
is connected to Ms. Foley's popular seven-book series, the Knight
Miscellany. All these books are highly enjoyable when read individually,
but together are close to unbeatable.
RRT doesn't grade books, but we are allowed to award a Perfect
10 to an exceptional read. Here's one for HER EVERY PLEASURE.
www.romrevtoday.com
“Foley's adventure romances featuring
the Knight family have won praise and a loyal following. She doesn't
disappoint with Gabriel's story. Powerfully intense and emotionally
driven, this is another example of Foley's talent for writing multilayered
love stories that keep readers enthralled. Here is another winner
for your keeper shelf.”
www.romantictimes.com
[Comments, Notes, to be added as they become available]
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