SHALL WE DANCE?

Author: Kasey Michaels ISBN: 0373770383 3/2005 HISTORICAL Publisher: HQN
Time Period: 1820's

A Dance of Scandal... The notorious Queen Caroline, caught between broken dreams and a devious husband out to ruin her, may harbor a stunning secret: a hidden heir to the throne. A Dance of Seduction... Amelia Fredericks, adopted as an infant by the mercurial but good-hearted queen, is now her most trusted companion. And yet... there are rumors. Is Amelia truly the orphaned daughter of a commoner -- or the secret daughter of the king himself? A Dance of Danger... That's the question that haunts Perry Shepherd, Earl of Brentwood. Dispatched to spy on the queen, he has lost his heart to the lovely, loyal Amelia. But does the woman he adores belong to him alone... or to all of England?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

When I first began reading this book, I was a little put off by how many people were introduced to me in the first 50 pages or so. I felt overwhelmed by the amount of characters and felt like I couldn’t keep track. I decided to keep on reading and not get discouraged, as the back blurb seemed just incredibly interesting.

Well, I am glad that I decided to go that route, because SHALL WE DANCE? has a lot more substance than I had originally thought. There are a lot of secondary characters and a few extra main characters than I thought the story needed, but all the same, the book really does shine after everything is said and done.

I absolutely loved Perry and found him extremely funny. He had me laughing out loud, and though at first you truly doubt his motives, he proves to be truly in love with Amelia in the end. Amelia was a little more straight laced than Perry, but it really brought out the dynamics in their relationship. She didn’t seem to laugh as easily, but given the way she was raised that is not hard to believe.

The addition of Nathaniel and Georgiana was pure genius on the author's part. Nathaniel and Georgie have such charisma, such character and really add a nice tone to the book. Nate was just over-the-top funny and Georgie was such a wonderful friend to Amelia that I think the book would not have been the same without them. Never have I read about two more likeable sets of couples in one book.

So, in the end, even though I trudged a little through the beginning, SHALL WE DANCE? became a wonderful story that had me laughing my way through my evening.

Kristal Gorman