Overall Response

This is a dual book in which we get the Regency-era romance of Rick’s ancestors, Connell and Evangeline, before moving ahead two centuries to a contemporary tale of Rick and Sam set in Devonshire. What connects them is the reputedly cursed Nightshade Diamond — keeping it in your possession brings bad luck while setting it aside draws good luck.

The Regency era story is fine. I’ve never been a huge fan of novellas with brand new characters meeting and falling in love because I’m often left with a sensation of not having enough space. They often come off as superficial and lacking depth. That’s relatively true here. Gilly is an intriguing character but she isn’t given enough space to really develop into the kind of heroine I believe would attract Connell.

I like the supporting cast (if you’re a regular reader of Enoch’s Regency romances, Francis Henning showing up made you giggle) and I was intrigued by Gilly’s parents, but there wasn’t enough softness in her mother, Eloise, to make her truly interesting. I liked her father, but like I said — there wasn’t enough space to really make this work as well as I think it could have.

It’s fine, again, but it’s nothing spectacular. It does, however, a good job of setting up the contemporary story which is much better.

Sam and Rick are at his Devonshire estate where the Victoria & Albert museum are using Rick’s converted stables for a traveling gem exhibit. Sam is in charge of the security and locates the Nightshade diamond that Connell and Gilly hid in the first half of the book. Naturally, Rick doesn’t believe in superstition, and Sam lives her life trying not to attract bad luck. Meanwhile, the gem exhibit is threatened by a thief from Sam’s past.

This was better than Don’t Look Down, but not as good as Flirting with Danger and Billionaires Prefer Blondes.I’m glad we didn’t spend an entire book wit this plot — I think it was a bit thin. I didn’t love the mystery/suspense aspect, but the romantic conflict was mostly decent. There were a few things that kind of tripped me up and kept me from really giving this book a higher rating.

It’s a good book, however. The second story is much better than the first half, but neither are a waste of your time.

Spoilers Ahead

First, with the Connell/Gilly story: I’m not a huge fan of men who pursue women who have told them no (See: To Distraction). However, I think it works better here than it usually does because Connell doesn’t do anything super irritating. He follows all the normal rules — he comes to call, asks for a date. It’s slightly better but still one of my least favorite tropes.

Gilly’s mother actually seriously annoyed me, and I don’t know how her father put up with this nonsense for nearly twenty years. I don’t have much more to say other than that.

For Sam and Rick, my biggest problem was that it’s hard to believe Sam and Rick didn’t catch on to Larson faster. I guess Sam was distracted by Bryce, but I would have thought Rick would do more vetting. I don’t know. I liked the idea of a plant, I just think they’re both smarter than that.

I’m super glad that Sam flipped out on Rick for putting the Nightshade diamond in her pocket. She’s in the middle of a security threat and her entire reputation (and yours) is at risk. This is not the time to prove your point about superstitions. I’m glad Sam called Rick out on this idiocy — it doesn’t matter how Rick feels about the diamond — he knew she felt.

I’m not sure how I feel about Rick being jealous about Bryce and his history with Sam. His heavy-handed nature is definitely his least attractive quality, and I’m glad that Sam continually calls him out on trying to solve problems she hasn’t even had yet. I don’t think Rick really believes Sam would cheat on him, but I guess given his past and Sam’s adrenaline addiction, I get why he can be a bit waffly on the topic.

I like this book but it’s definitely not one I pick up to reread often.

Overall Response

With the comfort of having finished the entire series, I can honestly say this is the best book of the five stories. It has the strongest romantic conflict, the best page turning plot, and some of my favorite supporting characters in the series.

The action takes place in New York City where Rick and Sam are staying while he buys a hotel from a Japanese businessman and attend a special art auction. Sam spots her supposedly dead father, and while she’s sneaking out to meet with him, someone else is stealing one of the million dollar paintings Rick just won at the auction. Sam is arrested for the theft and finds herself drawn into an increasingly dangerous ring of thieves, trying like hell to stay on the right side of the line and keep herself and Rick alive.

The best thing about this book is the resurgence of Sam’s father because Martin is a giant influence on Sam’s character–a huge source of vulnerability–and she’s not thrilled with Rick meeting him. Martin drags Sam into an art theft ring whose leader gives Sam the choice between helping them or death. It’s a high stakes game with a ton of organic conflict because Sam is being forced back into her old life, and Rick knows there’s a small part of her enjoying the adrenaline rush.

I love this conflict between them because it reminds the reader that Sam isn’t really a white hat. She has a good heart, but she also grew up with a different set of moral codes being drummed into her. Her line is not the same as Rick’s, and the gap between those lines drives this plot forward. Sam is always sure that there’s a point where Rick can’t accept her baggage, and it’s that need that keeps the emergency pack and set of clothing close at hand.

Rick drives me less crazy here than he did the last time — he’s really learning how to best handle Sam’s vulnerabilities, and even the moments where I want to slap him, there’s never a point when I don’t understand exactly what he’s thinking. That character motivation was lacking just a bit in the last book.

The supporting cast is great — Patricia comes back and plays a minor role which is fun. The cop that investigates Rick’s theft, Sam Gorstein, is a great foil for Sam — he puts up with way less of her nonsense than Frank does back in Palm Beach.  I also like the bad guys we get — Martin is a frustrating character that completely explains Sam’s inability to trust Rick doesn’t have a breaking point.

This is my favorite book and considering how much I love this series, that’s saying something.

Read more

Overall Response

As a second book, this is a great continuation of the world Suzanne Enoch began to build in Flirting With Danger. While I don’t think I’m as invested in the mystery because it doesn’t affect Sam and Rick personally, it’s still a really good plot that keeps me guessing.

We open almost where we left off in Flirting in Devonshire with Sam and Rick still figuring out what their relationship looks like with no around trying to kill them. Sam is setting up her security business, and Rick is trying to help (though his help is often more like trying to do it for her). When they end up back in Palm Beach, Sam begins to investigate the murder of a man who was on her verge of asking her for help.

Because the murder mystery here is someone who we don’t know, who Sam only meets briefly, and Rick doesn’t know that well either, the stakes are low. In fact, to get Sam and Rick really arguing about what boils down to a private investigation, they make a bet to see who will get to the murderer first — Sam or the police. It feels a little forced. Not in a bad way, but just enough that you can see the effort. This is something that doesn’t happen in the rest of the series which is definitely a good thing.

The supporting cast here is a really plus — we get the return of Stoney, Castillo, and the Donners with the addition of Rick’s ex-wife, Patricia, and the Kunz family: Charles and his adult children, Laurie and Daniel. We also get the introduction of Aubrey Pendelton, a walker who assists Sam and returns in subsequent books.

The plot is great, the characters are great, and the romance…it’s great with some qualifications. I’ll get into the spoilers, but I think the conflict between Sam and Rick feels slightly artificial. Sam was going to consult with Charles on personal security, and it’s not crazy that she feels guilty about his murder which happens only hours after she met with him for the first time. What Sam proposes, initially, is really the equivalent of what a private investigator would do. I don’t really understand Rick’s issue with that or why he comes down on her so hard for it.

I mean, maybe it’s related to wanting her to stay wholly on the right side of the law, and I guess he’s afraid straying even near the line might encourage her to go over it. They’ve only been together for a few months, so the trust is fragile. I get it — I think sometimes, though, Rick just feels like he’s overreacting. I mean, it’s not insanely in your face. I was just trying to figure out why I don’t love this book as much as the rest of the series (I still love this book) but I think it’s because the romantic conflict doesn’t feel organic.

It’s still a great book, though, and I heartily recommend it.

Read more

Overall Response

I actually finished this yesterday and since then have read nearly the entire series, haha. I forgot just how addictive this series could be, and I’m already fighting the temptation to start the last (until next week) entry in the series. I absolutely adore this series. Last year, I did an entire reread of the series and purchased digital copies because I love it so much. Normally, having just finished a reread, I wouldn’t have done a second one this year except Suzanne Enoch is releasing a brand new novel, Barefoot in the Dark, after over a decade. Sooo excited!

I don’t read a ton of contemporary novels, and I read even fewer series with the same couple featured over and over again — I think, other than this series, my only other series like this is the J.D. Robb In Death series. It’s hard to see the same couple again and again, particularly since the romance genre is supposed to have a HEA.

Rick Addison and Samantha Jellicoe have a unique meet-cute in this first book when she saves Rick’s life during a botched robbery of his Palm Beach estate–she’s actually trying to steal from him at the same time but she’s not responsible for the explosion or the dead guard. They team up to find out who’s behind it and trying to kill them both.

The plot is really good even if it gets a bit dodgy from time to time. I only get tripped up on some of the finer points after maybe my seventh reread so that’s probably me being an anal-compulsive moron, haha. The characters and romance are really great. Both of these characters are used to being in command and not answering to anyone else so they really have to find ways to compromise–particularly since Sam lives on the wrong side of the law and Rick has to try and figure out just how much of that he’s willing to deal with.

The HEA is a good stopping point. We get enough resolution fit the definition, but there are so many issues still to be mined between these characters that conflict still remains.  The romance can occasionally feel driven by lust–and it definitely begins that way, but there are points where there is genuine connection between them and it’s fun to watch them try and one up each other throughout the book.

The supporting cast is great, particularly Rick’s lawyer, Tom, and Homicide detective, Frank, who will both come back in later books. I particularly adore Stoney, Sam’s fence and only real personal connection. I was excited to see all of them come back.

Read more