A Dangerous Liaison With Detective Lewis by Jillian Stone (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"When Fanny Greyville-Nugent’s father suffers a gruesome death in the clutches of his own machine, mourning his loss is not the beautiful heiress’s only heartbreak. Scotland Yard is convinced he was targeted in a plot to halt the rise of industry, and Fanny’s former fiancé, dashing and dubious detective Raphael “Rafe” Lewis, has been assigned to the case.

For the estranged ex-lovers, bringing the notorious assassins to justice proves as tumultuous as quelling pent-up desires. Fighting peril and passion at every turn of a dangerous journey from Edinburgh to London, they are pursued by an anarchist group hell-bent on destroying her father’s mysterious entry into the London Industrial Exposition ."

My Thoughts:

 A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis was a delightful way to begin 2013 and is my first read of the year!  I don't know what I expected when I opened up this book (other than romance) but I got so much more!  From almost the beginning of the story, the pages were filled with a whirlwind adventure as Rafe and Fanny found themselves caught up in romance, mystery, and intrigue.  I loved that this book wasn't your typical romance but instead was a harrowing adventure/mystery where I never knew what would happen next.  Was it highly unlikely at points?  Yes.  But I have to admit that I didn't care because I was so caught up in the story.  I couldn't wait to see what kind of trouble that Fanny and Rafe were going to find themselves in!  The suspense and mystery filled the pages of this book and also kept me constantly guessing.  My favorite part of the book besides the romance developing between Fanny and Rafe was the fact that I never knew what might happen next.  I just really enjoyed the constant level of tension that the author created in this book!

The romance that developed between Rafe and Fanny was so sweet and genuine.  They had a shared history from their past that was a major part of the book as they tried to both deal with it and move on.  I liked the fact that it wasn't always easy for them.  It made me root for them as a couple so much more!  And the author did the unexpected when it came to their relationship towards the later half of the book which I really appreciated.  Sorry but you'll have to read it to find out what I mean :)  My only complaint was the numerous references to Fanny's mouth.  I mean really...how many times could Fanny bite her lips or lick her lips in one book?  Apparently enough times that it caught my attention but as that was my only qualm I can't really complain.

Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable read which cements Jillian Stone as a must read author for me.  The first book in this series (An Affair with Mr. Kennedy) was just as good as this one so I'm adding all of her books to my TBR.  I would definitely recommend this book to fans of both adventure and romance.  I would recommend starting off with the first book in this series but it isn't a necessity.  I did like the fact that characters from the first book carried over into this one but it doesn't mean that you can't read them out of order.  As for me, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on A Private Duel with Agent Gunn which is the next book in this series.  Definitely recommended!

Bottom Line:  An adventure filled romance that I couldn't get enough of!

Disclosure:  I checked this lovely read out from my local library.