The Perils of Pleasure-Julie Anne Long

The Perils of Pleasure
Julie Anne Long
Avon, Feb 2008, $6.99
ISBN: 9780061341588

Colin “The Satin of Sussex” Eversea knows he has done a lot of scandalous things as a rake, but to be convicted for murdering a Redmond cousin seems too ironic to be real to him because he knows he did not kill his family’s rival. Refusing to show remorse for a crime he swears he never did though rooming with the king of flatulence Bad Jack in Newgate is a form of torture that makes him want to confess to anything just to get away from the odor. However, he knows that short of a miracle he will be hanged for that crime rather soon.

Mercenary Madeline Greenway saves Colin from the noose, but not for any altruistic reason. Instead she abducts the charmer planning to obtain ransom money for him. When someone attacks them, she assumes Colin is the target, but quickly realizes her assumption is false; someone wants her dead. Teaming up as they fall in love, they try to find the culprits who framed him and are trying to murder her.

Gender bending the prisoner romance, Julie Anne Long provides Regency fans with an exhilarating tale, starring two fascinating rogues. The story line is fast-paced from the moment Madeline kidnaps Colin and never slows down as the amateur sleuths follow clues and love to uncover the identity of their adversaries. With a terrific final twist, fans long for more thrillers like THE PERILS OF PLEASURE.

Harriet Klausner