A Dangerous Man

Another fabulous romp. Even more sexy scenes - kept me going right to the end...and I'm wishing there was more. When's the next one????

YAY, another author to watch. Janmarie Anello's "A Dangerous Man" is my second read by this author and just an enjoyable and moving as the first. Richard is outraged that he must acquiesce to a blackmailer and marry a merchant's daughter in order to protect his family. But from his first glimpse of Leah, he's struck by her beauty and it doesn't take long for him to realize she's just another pawn in her father's plans. But Richard was fooled by love before and still suffers from the memory and he has no intention of developing deep feelings for this woman. Leah can't believe what her father has done now. She's being bartered away to fulfill her father's dreams of the future without regard for her feelings. Surely this Duke will help her resist her father's plans? But when Leah discovers the difference between love for a friend and love for a mate, will it matter? Plots and schemes swirl around her while she fights to win her husband's love. Anello writes with feeling and a touch of melodrama. She 'feels' like a less-experience writer and there are certainly weaknesses in plotting and pacing. Yet she somehow manages to keep me reading through the occasional eyebrow lift and yes, even though I know how the story will play out, I come to care for her characters and want to see them triumph despite of that. She can play on my emotions and draw me into the story and that makes her an author to watch for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information regarding her next release, but I did add Anello's name to my watchlist.

The Dangerous Man is a very nice book, even if it contains some mistakes and plots that are left hanging. The story is the classic marriage of convenience; a duke and a miller's daughter are married when the duke is blackmailed by the rich miller. Leah and Richard are attracted to each other right from start, Leah even admits to herself that she loves him the second or third time they meet. And when everything seems idyllic the true problem to their marriage appears: Rachel, Richard's evil sister-in-law, who is determined to get Richard for herself. More secrets and plots are intertwined as the story progresses, and the seemingly flat tale of the first 3-4 chapters gains depth and pace. This story developed in a much different style than it started; more complex, emotionally engaging and the heroes proved to be 3-dimensional than flat as they originally seemed. Some plots were left hanging and I was not sure if that was a mistake or if the author plans to solve them in her next book. All in all, it was an engaging read that captured my interest and tugged my emotion strings; I would gladly read another book by the same author. If you're not interested too much in historical accuracy, you'll not regret reading this.

The plot line of this novel is a familiar one, a forced marriage but what makes this a stand out book is the characters not the plotline. Richard Wexton, Duke of St. Austin is forced into marrying Leah by her scheming father. Turns out that Richard's wayward younger brother has been spilling family secrets over the gambling table when he was quite drunk. To keep these secrets from being spread all over the ton, Richard agrees to marry Leah sight unseen. He is surprised at her beauty and is instantly attracted to her. More than that, he admires her courage and recognizes quite quickly that Leah is not part of her father's machinations. He has been bitterly hurt in the past and wants no emotional entanglements. Leah is young and idealistic. She is opposed to the marriage but has in instant physical reaction to Richard. She doesn't even know about the blackmail but believes that money may have been the reason why she is to marry a powerful Duke. She goes through with the marriage hoping to divorce the next day. She believes she has fallen in love with him instantly. Richard does not want the scandal of divorce. He and his bride do an imminently practical thing. They decide to make the best of a situation. No histrionics, no ranting about how much they hate each other. This was refreshing. So often we get an angry hero or a petulant heroine at this point of the story. Instead we have two people trying to figure out how to make a future. Leah must navigate the nastiness of the ton (she is a tradesman's daughter), figure out how to deal with her possessive, strange sister in law, scheming former lovers and make her marriage work. She is determined that her husband and she have a love match eventually. Richard really likes Leah but does not want her to figure out the blackmail scheme or learn about the secret (which the reader will figure out quickly). He also must deal with an alcoholic brother and his own emotional vulnerability which tears him apart. I liked that Leah grew up emotionally in this novel and realized that intimacy and love do not go hand in hand. There are a couple of side stories here which might be material for further novels. I'll be keeping an eye out for following books by this author.

Leah Jamison is the daughter of a cold, manipulative wealthy merchant. A man who has already tossed aside one daughter who failed to please him. Leah's father connives to blackmail Richard Wexton, the Duke of St. Austin, into marrying Leah to save a beloved member of his family from ruinous scandal. Leah's affections and hopes are already turned in another direction and she has no desire to be forced into a marriage. Her first meeting with the Duke, in which she is informed of her imminent marriage, is frighteningly intense. She is immediately physically drawn to the Duke, but is also put off by his cold, remote manner. The Duke in turn is captivated by Leah's beauty and seemingly innocent regard. They are quickly married and Leah is thrust into the Duke's elevated world. Leah struggles to fit in and to understand the Duke's convoluted family. His sister-in-law, the beautiful but venal Dowager Duchess, his beloved niece and his never do well brother. The Duke struggles to fight his growing regard for Leah and to keep from her the secret which led to their hasty marriage. The book is well written, the characters well drawn and the story line interesting. Some of the secondary characters could have been fleshed out a bit better and perhaps only one or two of the secondary stories should have been included so they could be more fully explored. That said, the book was quite interesting and well worth reading. I look forward to reading Ms. Anello's next effort.