Renee Bernard has done an excellent job in this wonderful read.This is her debut and it is bold. This is one of the most erotic historical romances I've read...but well done. Bernard has a flare for drawing likeable, believeable characters and I can't wait to read the next book by her!

Great book. Was very delightful and entertaining. Would recommend it highly to anyone who loves a wonderful romantic and sensual story.

I wanted to write a glowing review of this romance novel, because it is one of my favorites, and because Bernard's two follow-up books have not lived up to its wonderful promise. But if I was a romance writer, and if I could claim just one book to my name -- I would be proud to have written this one. The two main characters, Merriam and Drake, are about as sexy as two romantic partners get.

Yes, this is an erotic book. But the sex scenes push the plot along. They never feel forced or done just because the author thought: "Well, it's been fifty pages, better put in a sex scene." Actually, I can well believe that a person would stay up all night reading this book once it's begun. The first scene grabs the reader in a steamy hot embrace of lust, righteous indignation and instant attraction.

Middle-class widow Merriam Everett lives in a quiet world of lady's lectures and philanthropic endeavors. She has never been loved, not by her overbearing father or her late philandering husband. Then, one day, she accidentally overhears the wonderfully handsome Julian Clay call her a "whey-faced widow," and something snaps in Merriam's docile, scandal-free little world.

She decides to do something so out-of-character that she can hardly believe she's doing it -- she decides to put on a sexy costume, attend a notorious masked ball, find Julian, seduce him, and then leave him "unfulfilled." She wants revenge for every slight she ever endured from the mean-spirited men in her life. Unfortunately, she makes one small error. She mistakes Drake Sotherton, the so-called "Deadly Duke" for Julian, and then cannot stop the erotic game before it culminates in one of the sexiest opening scenes in romance novel history.

The reason I love this book is because the main characters actually do change and become better people for having known one another. The subplot, which concerns the murder of Drake's wife and Julian's possible involvement, makes for exciting subtext to a really heartfelt love story. The last chapter is just wonderful.

This is a romance to be savored, placed on the keeper shelf, and re-read over the years. It is this lady's pleasure to recommend it highly to any romance reader.

"Oh my GOSH!" Talk about Hot, Sexy, and Emotional. I read this book from cover to cover non-stop.

I read this book straight through, even though it meant losing half my sleep for the night. But I couldn't help it. I was hooked from the first scene. I loved both main characters, as much for their flaws as their strengths, and the secondary characters were just as interesting. I would have thought that with this many love scenes (ooh, la, la:-), a book would have to lack plot because how could someone fit it all in? But this book had plenty of plot. I wasn't even sure who the killer was until the end. No boring beginning here, no sagging middle, no convenient ending; Ms. Bernard's debut is simply fantastic with plenty of mystery, plot, characterization and (need I say it?) scorching hot sex. I only just found out about her, thanks to a reader who mentioned her at Dear Author, but I've already got her 2nd book and will get the 3rd asap. She won't be able to write fast enough for me!