Her Officer and Gentleman

After having read and enjoyed; HER MASTER AND COMMANDER, the first book in Karen Hawkins's two book mini-series, I was eagerly awaiting the release of HER OFFICER AND GENTLEMAN ~ And I must say, the superbly talented Ms. Hawkins's delivered a charming, engaging and highly entertaining romantic tale; that met and exceeded my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming story! All alone from the age of tender 10 - tormented by the death of his mother, loss of his twin brother to a ship's press gang and total abandonment by an uncaring father -- Christian Llevanth grew up on the streets of London, forced to depend on fighting, cunning and his wits to survive. As an adult he became a daring and mysterious highwayman; known to the Ton as Gentleman James for his suave manner with the ladies. Now, due to an unexpected inheritance, the handsome, charming, wealthy and newly titled: Christian James Llevanth, Viscount Westerville ~ regardless of his mysterious background, is welcomed everywhere by the cream of London society. However, Christian is on a quest and has vengeance on his mind. He's waited more than 20 years to solve the mystery of who betrayed his mother and caused her to be falsely accused of treason; then left to die alone in prison. He won't rest until the guilty person is apprehended ~ and held accountable. From evidence he's gathered, Christian's thinks the elderly and reclusive duke of Massingale is the villain responsible; and he's determined to gain entry to his home to prove it. Even if that means he must charm, sweet-talk and if necessary ~ seduce the duke's only granddaughter to do it. Lady Elizabeth Westover or Beth to her family and friends is lovely, kind, caring, thoughtful, and loving. She's also quite intelligent and can be a little bit stubborn at times. Beth has lived all her life at Massingale House with her irascible grandfather and she's devoted to him. When her now ailing grandfather decides he wants her to go to London to experience a "season" and possibly find a husband, Beth, even though she feels she's too old at 25, agrees to go for one season to please the Duke. However, she has no intention of marrying and to deter any man from courting her ~ she'll make herself as unappealing as possible. Well, Christian and Beth are clearly two people with opposing agendas, yet from the very first time they meet something special sparks between them. Christian feels an instant rapport with Beth that he'd never felt with another woman before. He's drawn to her but it makes him feel confused and conflicted because the driving force in his life has always been finding his mother's betrayer and now when he's so close to succeeding, he must struggle with these new, raw feelings of desire and longing for Beth. Beth's confusion is just as great, Christian's mere presence affects her peace of mind. She can't have a proper conversation with him ~ everything he says to her is filled with sexual innuendo; she resists, but h

This book is great. I read it thru in one setting and am sorry that it ended. I couldn't put it down. The characters are well thought out (especially Reeves the Butler) and the conversations very witty. My only wish is to see more of the Reeves character in future books. Good Job Ms Hawkins!!!

I really enjoyed reading this book. The heroine was a smart, strong female. I love to see very likeable heroines because so many times they are too 'innocent' or 'stuborn' so you get frustrated with the character. Not the case here! Also, Reeves adds just the right amount of witty humor. This is the perfect follow up to 'Her Master and Commander' but could also be read on it's own. Karen Hawkins does NOT disappoint with this book - VERY GOOD!

Former highwayman Viscount Christian Llevanth, Viscount Westerville needs to know who claimed his late mother was a traitor, as those lies led to her incarceration and death. Christian lives for revenge and believes his target should be the Duke of Massingale. He sets his plan in motion starting with gaining access into the Massingale home by courting his enemy's granddaughter, Lady Elizabeth. However, she is nothing like he expected from a descendent of a duke. Instead Lady Elizabeth uses a fake stutter to keep beaus away as she has no plans to ever marry. Westerville ignores her efforts to cool his ardor as he reminds himself of his mother's plight caused he firmly believes by her grandfather. Still he finds Lady Elizabeth exciting and feeling like a traitor because he desires her. She persuades him to tell the truth and soon they begin a search for what happened to his mother while journeying on a path of love encouraged by the matchmaking butler Reeves. HER OFFICER AND GENTLEMAN is a terrific Just Ask Reeves Regency romance that sub-genre fans will fully appreciate. The amateur sleuth story line is filled with twists and turns including a fabulous final spin. The lead couple is a delightful pairing as he feels like he is betraying his deceased mother while she ponders whether her values are meaningful all because of love. Reeves is Reeves as fans of Karen Hawkins will understand (see HER MASTER AND COMMANDER). Harriet Klausner