Wow, this writer is on a winning streak! Flawless had the advantage of an original setting: Cape Town late 1800s after the first Boer war. The Christies patriarch recently died and had issued his four children a challenge: they each must turn around one of his failing investments (and receive a substantial amount of money as their reward) or forfeit any inheritance. Viv and Miles's marriage is on the skids, but they decide to make another go at it for the sake of the inheritance. Through great storytelling, I was privy to the rebuilding of their marriage, how they each had their epiphanies about themselves and what they really wanted, and what they had to do to trust one another enough to reveal their secrets. Viv and Miles cared deeply for each other but they were frightened by the possibility of being hurt yet again. They each saw how the other changed and eventually came to realize that they were now different people. Scaling their walls of fear and distrust was a challenge for both of them.

The plot was more character and relationship driven instead of having some outside evil enemy or mystery to solve. Also, I got to read about some interesting history of the growing British settlements and the diamond industry in a relatively unknown part of the world, which is unique for a historical romance. There was a lot of tenderness here but never assume that it put this story to sleep. In fact, it just made me connect with Viv and Miles more. There weren't as many love scenes as I'd normally prefer, but it didn't matter; the writing won hands down. Simply put, this was an original and fascinating tale; don't miss this one--I highly recommend it. 4.5 stars

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