A Scoundrel by Moonlight by Anna Campbell

ISBN: 9781455557936

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Una

Description:

Anything can happen in the moonlight . . .

Justice. That’s all Nell Trim wants-for her sister and for the countless other young women the Marquess of Leath has ruined with his wildly seductive ways. Now she has a bold plan to take him down . . . as long as she can resist the scoundrel’s temptations herself.

From the moment Nell meets James Fairbrother, the air positively sizzles. Yet for all his size and power, there’s something amazingly tender in his touch. Could he really be such a depraved rogue? The only way to find out is to beat the devil at his own game . . . one tempting kiss at a time.

Review:

I loved this book. The dialogue and humor punctuated by a good writing style brought the characters alive to the enjoyment of the reader.

James Fairbrother has been trying to diffuse family secrets. When he returns home to find a beautiful girl searching his library in the middle of the night he knows all is not what it seems. From their first meeting there is a stirring within them. James is honorable and tries to keep his distance. Nell is his mother’s companion and he wants to give Nell a wide berth but he does not trust her story or his own feelings. Although he is dashing and has the ability of rank to do as he pleases Nell Trim brings out a gentle side of him. She also makes him realize that there are two sides of the rich life. All he knows is that Nell is different from any woman that he has ever known and he is determined to win her over. But could he marry her? He and mainly the society he is thrust into know that they belong to two different worlds.

Nell has seen her half-sister die in childbirth and knows who the culprit is. She is determined to avenge her sister’s death and others from the lechery of the Marquess of Leath. Nell is prepared to hate James. She can barely keep her subservient demeanor around him. They clash but it doesn’t degrade into name calling or out and out meanness. They have grown up conversations and grown up feelings. Nell cannot reconcile the James she sees at the estate with the man her sister described. He is respectful and considerate not an unprincipled boor. The problem remains that the Marquess of Leath that she knows does not seem capable of such crimes. Nell knows that there is no possibility of any future with James because of the class difference in spite of the fact she is falling in love with him. Besides, she knows that her purpose from the beginning was to bring the Marquess to justice.

Campbell has produced a fast moving and exciting story that kept me reading. In fact I couldn’t put it down once I had started it. I know I for one will be on the lookout for more Anna Campbell books.