Review by Kirkus Book Review
A female private investigator tangles with a rakish duke. Though she's the daughter of a duke, Daisy Hamilton is excited to commit her first highway robbery. An employee of the women-led private investigation firm King & Co., she's been given the job of stopping an elopement, leading to this opportunity to play a dreaded highwayman. Just as she's ready to launch her faux ambush, though, she's forestalled by three actual thieves, and after they're defeated, she learns that she's accosted the carriage in error. It's actually occupied by known rogue Lucien Vaughan, Duke of Cranford, and he's determined to ensure that the elopement she's focused on goes through, though he hasn't told her that. Though Daisy and Lucien have been avoiding each other since they shared a scorching kiss five years ago, they're suddenly all too close when they begin racing to Gretna Green to catch up with the runaways. Lucien is powerfully affected by Daisy, but he's gone to great lengths to conceal this from her, but it doesn't take long for them to fall into bed together and discover their extraordinary chemistry, repeatedly. When they get to Scotland and Daisy discovers she's too late to stop the elopement, and then learns of Lucien's true interest in their journey, her burgeoning trust in him collapses. But just as she's prepared to sulk back home, they're spotted by "the worst gossip in the whole of London," putting her reputation in danger. And though part of her wants to marry Lucien, now that she might not have a choice, she may resent him too much to accept. The third book in Bateman's Her Majesty's Rebels series is enjoyable, thanks in large part to the fiery scenes between Daisy and Lucien. Unfortunately, it loses momentum in the final third, which centers on Daisy's inability to decide on a path forward; though this provides some additional emotional development, it also means that Lucien's point --of view largely disappears, weakening the impact of the happily-ever-after, even if the ending is reliably satisfying. An eventful Regency road trip full of easy intimacy and difficult decisions. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
