'Lions and Lace' and 'Fair is the Rose' are two great books by this author. They were each long enough to share a great story. However, this book is way too long and it drags. Having enjoyed the past 7 books that I've read by this author, I was not prepared for the slow story in this one.
Aurora Dayne is an orphan who grew up in a kind orphanage but has decided to leave the orphanage (where she now teaches) because the owner has died and the new owner wants to marry her. He is a religious drab who will kill any life that is in her. She receives a letter offering her a job in Jamaica complete with passage on a ship from London. While aboard, she learns that she has been kidnapped because she has the solution to a missing jewel.
The secondary characters are interesting; Aurora is a whiny, weepy young woman. Because of the life she has lived (cloistered with other underloved children), her character is probably pretty accurate (immature). Vashon is an alpha male, hard-headed, and desperate to find the huge emerald jewel. Frankly, they deserve each other; neither character was interesting or admirable. 2.5 stars
Aurora Dayne is an orphan who grew up in a kind orphanage but has decided to leave the orphanage (where she now teaches) because the owner has died and the new owner wants to marry her. He is a religious drab who will kill any life that is in her. She receives a letter offering her a job in Jamaica complete with passage on a ship from London. While aboard, she learns that she has been kidnapped because she has the solution to a missing jewel.
The secondary characters are interesting; Aurora is a whiny, weepy young woman. Because of the life she has lived (cloistered with other underloved children), her character is probably pretty accurate (immature). Vashon is an alpha male, hard-headed, and desperate to find the huge emerald jewel. Frankly, they deserve each other; neither character was interesting or admirable. 2.5 stars
