Kiss of the Highwayman: 5

"Kiss of the Highwayman" is every bit as delicious as the title promises, superbly crafted to bring the dangers and social restraints of the Regency era to life. The unforgettable hero, Lord Cherrington, is a riotous combination of James Bond by night and Lawrence of Arabia by day, while Artemis Rothwell, our delightfully self-conscious heroine, is an athlete of Olympic proportions in an age of feminine gentility. The intriguing character development lends depth and believability to an already exciting plot. The author clearly knows and loves her characters, and before long, so do we.

A follow-up to "Miranda's Mistake," The Kiss of the Highwayman" proved to be an entertaining and vastly romantic read -- the kind of book that leaves you with a smile on your face long after you've finished reading it, even if in order to fully appreciate this novel you may have to have read (and remembered) certain plot developments from "Miranda's Mistake."With the recent and accidental death of his elder brother, Brian Warren, has become the new Lord Cherrington, the Earl of Cherring. But even though he should be spending time putting the affairs of the family estate back in order, Brian is determined to bring a group of 'gentlemen' highwaymen to justice because he holds these men responsible for his brother's untimely death. Through sheer patience and perseverance, Brian manages to infiltrate the gang, and feels that he is making some small headway into discovering the identity of all the members of the gang, when the highwaymen hold up the carriage of Lady Rothwell and her stepdaughter, Artemis.Lady Rothwell and Artemis are on their way to London for Artemis's London debut. And for safety's sake, have left all their money and jewelry at home; but the one thing they overlooked leaving behind was the Rothwell betrothal ring, the very item that the leader of the 'gentlemen' highwaymen tries to seize. But not before Artemis makes a brave stand that earns her both Brian's respect and esteem. Before he knows it, he has kissed the courageous young lady ardently and rashly whispered to her that the ring will be returned. Can Brian fulfill his promise to Artemis? And will he be able to maintain his charade, esp once the festivities of the London season are in full swing, and he meets the one young lady who has both piqued his interest and his heart...Without fully going into plot spoilers, all I will say is that the "Kiss of a Highwaymen" was a thoroughly enjoyable read not only because of its interesting storyline but also because the authour makes the hero and heroine fall in love with each other not so much because of their physical attributes, but because of their character traits. This really made me believe that Artemis's and Brian's love was true and was one that would last forever. Brian was a wonderfully charming hero; while even though Artemis was molded along the lines of a more feisty minded heroine, she was NOT (thank goodness) one of those annoyingly silly, idiotic ones, and was actually intelligent and courageous. You could see why these two characters were meant for each other. The pacing of events was swift, and the character development for the most part was rather well done. In only one area did I feel shortchanged, and that was with the villain of the piece. I got the feeling that a lot of the villain's character and motives may have been better explained in "Miranda's Mistake;" and while I had read that novel, I don't really recollect this particular character all that well. I do think that the authour should have spent a little