Title: A Simple Case of Seduction Author: Adele Clee
Read copy: eBook
Published: May 22, 2017
Publisher: Adele Clee
ISBN: 0995570523
ISBN-13: 9780995570528
From the back streets of London to grand country estates, theirs is a journey of self-discovery, a breathtaking story of love and redemption.
Nothing is simple when it comes to seduction.
Daniel Thorpe has made a point of avoiding Daphne Chambers ever since she refused his proposal of marriage. But three years have passed, and as experienced enquiry agents solving crimes against the aristocracy, their paths were destined to cross.
Chasing criminals is no job for a lady. But the woman is too stubborn to take his advice. Is it any wonder she finds herself the victim of a silent stalker, one happy to hide and wait in the shadows?
Daniel was surprised when she accepted his offer of help, more surprised to find that one passionate kiss in a carriage brings all the old feelings flooding back.
My rating:
Three years ago, Daniel Thorpe offered marriage to his friend's widow, only to be summarily rejected. His heart broken, he still kept an eye on her throughout the years, keeping her safe. But it looks like he hasn't done a good enough job, since a ghost from the past is haunting her, never to be seen and never taking anything. It looks like the ghost is looking for something, but Daphne has no idea what or why. Looks like this might be a job for her guardian angel.
In my review of the previous book in this quasi-series, I mentioned how Mr Daniel Thorpe and Mrs Daphne Chambers had more chemistry and more spark in their one little scene together than the two leads of the book in the entire story. Well, that chemistry was utterly absent in their own book.
I have no idea what drew him to her and vice versa, I didn't feel any sparks nor attraction...They appeared merely props, characters written for the sake of the story, pushed together because they happened to be main characters. Period.
She was a tad too naive for a woman of her age, especially a woman in her profession, her gullibility, her bubbly-ness, and her idiotic blindness to her own ineptitude (she's survived so far mostly because he was there to get her out of trouble, which she learned toward the end) got annoying really fast, and I actually wanted something bad to happen to her to make her see reason.
But she had her guardian angel to get hurt instead of her, the gruff, abrupt thundercloud by the name of Daniel Thorpe. The chip on his shoulder was rather disproportionate to what actually happened to him, and he definitely held the grudge for too long (or maybe we weren't given all the facts), and no matter how attractive, protective, and charming (when he wanted to be) both the author and the heroine made him appear, I wasn't convinced.
I was utterly indifferent about both of them, not caring one way or the other about what did, might, and would happen to them.
The suspense also left me quite cold. It was uninspiring, dull, slow-paced, and, let's face it, quite forced with the whole treason sub-plot. It just didn't click, feeling disconnected from the rest of the story, making it seem like I was writing two different books (neither of them particularly good).
A real disappointment given the great introduction to these two characters in the previous book and all the possibilities of suspense elements given their specific line of work.
1 star, Adele Clee, bitchslappable heroine/hero, bodyguard/military/merc/gov/cop/spy, historical, historical romance, regency, suspense/mystery/adventure/thriller
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