Delos -
Helpful Score: 1
I read The Paid Companion by the same author first and enjoyed it. I grabbed this one because it sounded similar and it was, slightly, in plot structure but not in quality. I'll guess this is an earlier effort and the author has improved over time. The first one I read was good enough to distinguish itself slightly above normal for the genre, but this one is probably just above median. A lot more firelit gown rending scenes in this one though, than The Paid Companion, so if you're into that aspect, this one would definitely be better. She, the author, seems to always have intelligent, assertive heroines pleasantly out-of-step with their historical surroundings. At least her heroes, if slightly unbelievable for the context, are skillfully developed enough for you to care whether or not the heroine succeeds in winning them over by the end. (It's fun to read if only to watch the author go from writing to conform to the genre, presumably to please a publisher, but then becoming more confident and successful and be able to poke fun at elements of the genre in her stories).
