The Guarded Heart

I totally Love this book. It was very well written, The characters were intriguing. I Love both the Heroine(Erica stone) and the Hero(Owen Kingsley) they had very good chemisrty together. My Favorite book Ever!

This book tells the story of Erica Stone, who left Regency England to be with a husband she barely knew. She arrives in Vienna to find her husband mysteriously murdered and herself alone. Owen Kingsley, the Duke of Graves promises her protection if she will spy for England during the Congress of Vienna.I found the setting for the book very interesting, and as a whole I liked the book very much.I haven't given it a 5 star rating because although Erica's character was very well developed, the Duke's history was only hinted at and never fully developed. I kept having the feeling, that somewhere along the book I missed something. I wish the author had taken a few more pages of the book to tell us in some detail how the Duke came to do the job he was doing. On the whole it is a very good book, quite above the average for a Regency Romance.

This book tells the story of Erica Stone, who left Regency England to be with a husband she barely knew. She arrives in Vienna to find her husband mysteriously murdered and herself alone. Owen Kingsley, the Duke of Graves promises her protection if she will spy for England during the Congress of Vienna.I found the setting for the book very interesting, and as a whole I liked the book very much.I haven't given it a 5 star rating because although Erica's character was very well developed, the Duke's history was only hinted at and never fully developed. I kept having the feeling, that somewhere along the book I missed something. I wish the author had taken a few pages of the book to tell us in some detail how the Duke came to do the job he was doing. On the whole it is a very good book, quite above the average for a Regency Romance.

I do love haunting the secondhand bookstores for they often yield up some real treats. I found this one recently and just finished reading it. This was a very satisfying pleasure to read. It is the story of Owen Kingsley, the Duke of Graves, ineligible to serve in the army because of a crippling birth defect, who chooses espionage as his method of serving his country at the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15. A somewhat dark character, he is committed to his cause and disciplined in his approach. He is, of course since this is a romantic novel, a man of many layers who needs a loving and sympathetic woman to bring him out of himself. Although the vehicle of the disabled man believing himself to be of no merit and unworthy of love is often used, it is very well done here. Erica Stone, newly widowed and stranded in Vienna, is taken under Graves's wing and agrees to spy for him. The story that unfolds is set against the political machinations of the Congress which attempted to restore equilibrium in Europe following Napoleon's abdication and exile to Elba.The Congress of Vienna is an interesting backdrop to the story and the author brings in many characters from real life such as Lord Castlereagh, Tallyrand, Wellington and various other luminaries of the times. The research is evident in the author's handling of this often overlooked interlude between Napoleon's exile to Elba and his return to France in the months leading up to Waterloo. So, for those of you who are interested in the military, political and social history of this fascinating time, here is a wonderful read.The way the relationship between Erica and Graves develops is beautifully developed. Two people, so obviously made for each other, have many obtacles to overcome before they can reach happiness and contentment in a happy and loving relationship.I enjoyed the secondary characters in this story and the strong yet loving, loyal and sympathtic Erica. Owen Kinglsey is a wonderful hero and eventually finds, in his mid 30s, the sweet happiness he thought he would always be denied him but which he richly deserves.Well worth seeking out a copy of this; an excellent read and highly recommended.