A Little Deception

Rose Chesterfield bears the weight of rescuing the family name and plantation in the West Indies. Her irresponsible sister-in-law Helena has risked the entire plantation by incurring a debt to Viscount Rampton, one of London's most unscrupulous bachelors.  Disguising herself as Helena, Rose prays her wits will keep her from succumbing to the eligible Rampton's charms.

Rampton is determined to have Rose for his own.  When a series of jewel thefts begin to implicate her he discovers he has been fooled not once but twice and his faith in her begins to deteriorate. Rose is further marred by an enemy who seeks to destroy her happiness. Will her love be proof enough to make Rampton believe her innocence?
 
Although it is slow to start, the plot does begin to thicken with an incredible amount of twists and turns from the devious mind of Helena. She is very cunning and malicious and takes this story from the level of being a delightful romance to a mystery, intertwined with crime and revenge. Rose and Rampton are missing that connection early on. There is a strong amount of desire that is felt by the reader, however the growing love between them does not have enough of a spark to ignite the flame. There is a lot of bickering throughout with various characters as well, that tends to drag the story somewhat. This is certainly a historical romance with an edge and a departure from the mundane!

Margaret Fario