“Handsome, talented, intelligent Gabriel is one of the most unusual damaged heroes I have ever read about in a romance. Abandoned on the streets of Paris as a babe (he takes his last name, St. Croix, from the street where he was found) and sold to a brothel, he has been used and abused, whether attempting to escape or by the clientele, all his life. Before he could make another attempt to escape, a young boy was brought to the brothel and Gabriel, unable to see an innocent harmed, spent five years bargaining away his income and skills in order to protect him.
Sarah, Lady Munroe, and her half-brother, Ross, Lord Huntington, had been searching for their young brother for the five years since he was kidnapped and have finally tracked him down successfully, traveling to Paris to get him. They are prepared for the worst, but are astounded to find a seemingly healthy young boy--who demands that he will go nowhere without his friend Gabriel. Ross and Sarah are not your typical English aristocrats, and Sarah has a penchant for picking up strays, but the cynical and dangerous Gabriel is another question. Still, they realize they owe young Jamie's safety for five years to this man, so they make him a proposition...
The handling of the slow building of the relationship between Gabriel and Sarah does not short-cut the huge difficulties and improbabilities of love between such a pair. Nor does it ignore the social ramifications. We are in for an epic romance of beauty and complexity and healing and revelation that makes most other tales pale in comparison. There are also many scenes of action and grim adventure that would do any classic historical fiction tale proud, with pirates and smugglers and mercenaries and narrow escapes and horrific battles.
All the characters here are complex and fascinating, so much that I longed for a book of their own for each of them so that they may have their own fantastic story told. Historical detail was not the focus, but the setting seemed solid, with a few historical characters showing up in the briefest of cameos. It is the tale of Gabriel that is the focus, and the description and detail and pacing and plotting all conspire wonderfully to create an unforgettable story.
I immediately re-read this book upon finishing. And I searched for other books by this writer. I rarely re-read a book all the way through back-to-back, but this one was just that compelling and wonderful. The themes and subject-matter of this book are not for everyone, but for those who may be even a little interested, I would highly recommend it. If there were more stars to give, I would do so!
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aprillee wrote this review Wednesday, May 27 2009.
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