Friday, February 1, 2008

One Sinful Night-Kaitlin O'Riley

One Sinful Night
Kaitlin O'Riley
Zebra, Mar 2008, $4.99
ISBN: 9780821780930

In Galway, Ireland, Aidan Kavanaugh is stunned to see his beloved sixteen year old Vivienne Montgomery being hugged by Nicky Foster. Angry and upset observing the woman he planned to marry in a compromising position, Aidan leaves his hometown; Vivienne’s heart is broken and her reputation ruined although she knows she is innocent and cannot understand why Nicky did what he did.

A decade later in 1870, Vivienne lives with relatives in England; hiding her past from them and everyone else. Successful shipping magnate Aidan has had a bad business week topped off when Gregory Cardwell introduces him to his cousin Vivienne. Aidan is engaged to someone else but like her still feels the attraction. Whereas Aidan refuses to act on it, Vivienne decides to take a chance on love even if she fails means her reputation will be destroyed again, but history repeats itself as he sees her compromised again.

The key to this entertaining Victorian romance is the underlying jocularity to the warm second chance at love plot. Aidan and Vivienne are superb lead characters while the villain makes Karl Rove look like child prankster. This my first Kaitlin O’Riley historical, but will not be my last.

Harriet Klausner

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