Sir Richard Harmsworth was a bastard. The stigma had followed him and haunted him his entire life. He has managed by living the life of a nonchalant rake. He concocts a plan to get his hands on the Harmsworth jewel, a family heirloom, and use it to establish his credibility. It turns out that the jewel was given to Genevieve Barrett, a bookish spinster and secret scholar. When Genevieve refuses to sell the jewel to Richard’s agents, he dyes his hair and takes on a new identity has a student wishing to study with Genevieve’s scholar father. Richard’s growing attraction to Genevieve causes conflict with the lies he has told. Genevieve never wanted to marry, but finds herself attracted to Richard (who she knows as Christopher Evans). Danger lurks as others become interested in the jewel as well. Can Richard and Genevieve find their way out of this complicated web to reach what their hearts most desire?
A Rake’s Midnight Kiss was pure enjoyment from beginning to end. The story itself was nothing unique or special, but the characters were given enough depth to make them multi-dimensional. Richard probably evolved the most, moving from a misguided, selfish dandy to becoming the decent, loving man that he was meant to be. Genevieve moved from a rather defensive old maid to a warm and loving woman without sacrificing her toughness and humor. Yes, there were some clichés we have seen a bit too often – swimming naked in the pond, a greedy evil villain, a really smart dog (I liked him) – but these plot devices were merely icing for a deep-down good story. It was clever, funny, touching and sensual all rolled into one. A book not to be missed.
**ARC provided by NetGalley**
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