At Long Last

Shirlee Busbee's "At Long Last" was my first sensual romance novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ofcourse, now that I have read a great many romance novels, I have started to see flaws in her writing, as you would in any novel, but I still liked it. I found it easy to follow and overall written quite well.

In 1797 Natchez, a depressed Jeremy Montgomery contemplates suicide like several of his peers have done after losing the family estate to gambling. He informs his older stepsister Arabella that he lost the plantation in a card game, which jeopardizes the lifestyle of his mother and their four other younger siblings. Arabella confronts the winner of the game Daniel Layton who informs her that he already lost the estate to Tony Daggett, the man she once loved with her very soul.Desperate, Arabella visits Tony, offering some of her property in exchange for the vowels on the family plantation. He rejects her offer and tenders one of his own. He asks her to be his mistress in exchange for the IOU. Arabella feels she is entering into a devil's agreement because she still loves Tony in spite of her belief he betrayed her and may have murdered his first two wives. Tony loves Arabella, but has never forgiven her for lacking trust and faith in him. Neither one knows that an enemy lurks ready to destroy this couple before they can straighten out their misconceptions through love.AT LONG LAST is a powerful historical romance that will provide spicy pleasure to fans. The story line is exciting due to the battle of the sexes between two obstinate, intrepid, and wonderful charcaters. The support cast adds a taste of the controversy between those who want the status quo (Spanish rule) and those who demanded to join the new American nation. Readers who relish a passionate historical romantic tale will enjoy Shirlee Busbee's AT LONG LAST.Harriet Klausner