TRAITOR'S KISS/LOVER'S KISS

Author: Mary Blayney ISBN: 9780553592122 11/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: BANTAM
Time Period: 1813 France & England 1816

Mary Blayney delivers a double dose of romance and intrigue as two people from one extraordinary family find themselves on the right—and wrong—sides of love, and the lam.... TRAITORS KISS When an enigmatic beauty rescues Lord Gabriel Pennistan from a French prison, it's just the beginning of an adventure in mystery and seduction. For Gabriel has no idea who Charlotte Parnell is, or why she has saved him.... LOVER'S KISS In her worst nightmares, Lady Olivia Pennistan never imagined she would be kidnapped. And retired soldier Michael Garrett never expected to be her rescuer. But he could hardly ignore the naked young beauty scrambling through the forest. Neither anticipates Garrett being hired to protect Olivia, and the romance that ensues. As their simmering attraction ignites, rumors of Olivia's indiscretion surface—rumors she longs to make come true.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Two suspenseful romantic novels together in one volume make Mary Blayney's TRAITOR'S KISS/LOVER'S KISS a treat! The Pennistan siblings, Gabriel and Olivia, have come of age in a time when adventure and love, intrigue and romance, mix beautifully with their upper-class obligations.

Gabriel Pennistan's story is told in TRAITOR'S KISS. He is a man who is rescued by an unlikely source, a beautiful woman who almost instantly has him naked and in a bathtub! The adventure is only beginning for Gabe, who is caught between his position as a spy and his interest in astronomy. But the woman who calls herself Charlotte becomes the new shining star on Gabe's horizon. He is torn between wanting her—and wanting to discover who she really is. "Charlotte" is so much more than she appears to be, and is smart and determined enough to get exactly what she wants from Gabe—in more ways than one. This Pennistan tale is a twisting one filled with deception and intrigue, and more than a good measure of suspense. I loved watching this heroine in action. She shows that not every woman of her day went around fainting or fanning herself!

Olivia Pennistan makes her story known in LOVER'S KISS. It is a sensual, fun-filled tale of a woman whose heart beats to satisfy the appetites of those she loves, as well as her own. Lady Olivia has a preoccupation with food and cooking that is charming and makes her seem more realistic than so many women of her time. She is not afraid to work in the kitchen, following her own interests. Olivia throws herself wholeheartedly into every endeavor—including love—the way she does in the kitchen.

Olivia seems unfettered until she meets Michael Garrett. He longs to protect her while struggling with the desire to have her for his own. Theirs is a tale of give and take... and give. Olivia becomes the woman she dreamed of being, but not before she comes to terms with the man whose greatest moments had been as a thief and a spy. An unlikely love match—but then aren't they always the most tantalizing kind?

Both of these novels are highly entertaining. Lush, vivid portrayals of a time long gone, they are sure to please fans of this era.

Kay James