Shady Lady

This was my first Thornton and it was great. I love mysteries and this was a very good one. I could not put the book down and was not tempted to miss a page. The romance was a great bonus, the chemistry between the main characters was great! I am definitely a fan!

Setting - England, 1817 --- Jo Chesney, editor of the Avon Journal has enough on her mind trying to put her latest issue `to bed' but when an infuriated Waldo Bowman, war hero and purported rake starts in attacking her and her paper for discussing him in the paper's gossip column - she fights back. Naturally, he was stunned to discover that the editor, J.S. Chesney is a woman. A widow no less who has kept the paper going as a tribute to her late husband, and in spite of her shrewish tongue, he secretly admires the termagant and is determined to discover the identity of the gossip columist, Lady Tellall.Lady Tellall, is actually Jo's best friend, Lady Chloe Webberly, who unbeknownst to Jo has run into trouble. Two weeks have elapsed before a mysterious message from Chloe arrives telling Jo to be careful, that they could both be in mortal danger and to look for Chloe's diary for answers. With no further word from Chloe, Jo receives a letter from another acquaintance who has noticed the disappearance and is worried. After a mysterious break-in occurs at the newspaper (which Jo attributes to Waldo trying to ferret out the identity of Lady Tellall) Jo and her aunt travel to London to discover what they can from the people who last saw Chloe. Along the way, Jo and her aunt, get caught up in another adventure culminating in Jo's arrest for kidnapping, assault and resisting arrest. With nowhere else to turn she engages the assistance of Waldo whom she knows has connections to the Special Branch. Now, Waldo has the task of not only keeping her out of trouble but of guarding her from her own follies. When she turns around and uses her paper to set a trap for the killer Waldo realizes that she is unlike any woman he has ever known and he cannot lose her before he can convince her that they belong together. This is a wonderful regency romantic intrigue in which the mysteries, twists and turns will keep you turning the pages well into the night. Subtle hints throughout will give you your own ideas of what prompts the villain, but I am also sure that the ending will be as much of a surprise to you as it was to me. Thornton has always done character development extremely well and this is no exception with interesting and varied secondary characters enhancing the story. As expected, this book will grab the reader right from the start and keep you in suspense right to the very end in this, Thornton's latest extremely entertaining romantic intrigue. --- Marilyn Rondeau, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com

In 1817, irate Waldo Bowman visits the printing office of the Avon Journal to confront J.S. Chesney for the comments on his being a rake by her columnist the unknown Lady Tellall. Waldo is stunned that J.S. is a widow Jo, who keeps the paper going as a tribute to her late husband.Lady Tellall who is actually Chloe Webberly sends a letter to Jo warning her to be careful. Not long afterward, Chloe comes up missing. Jo seeks her best friend's diary hoping there may be clues to her disappearance. At the same time, her aunt involves her in a "criminal" incident with a young lad at a boarding school. Jo heads to London with Waldo following her because he believes she is in over her head and insanely feels he needs to protect her. After bailing her out of jail, Waldo shadows Jo and soon becomes deeply involved in the search for Chloe, but also needs to keep his now beloved Jo safe as someone believes she has the infamous diary.SHADY LADY is an exhilarating Regency romantic suspense that takes off from the moment J.S. tells Waldo to leave until the final moment when he knows he must face danger to try to keep his beloved widow safe. The lead couple is a delightful duo and his friends provide insight into both stars. Fans also get a sense of Chloe through the words of others. Though the villain's motive to protect his family name from scandal at any cost seems off kilter (why cause the problem in the first place), fans will gain plenty of pleasure from this fine historical.Harriet Klausner