"Some like it dangerous...
"Highland beauty Catriona Kincaid cares nothing for propriety--or even her own safety--when she storms the grounds of Newgate Prison. Determined to return to Scotland and restore her clan's honor, she seeks the help of Sir Simon Wescott, a disgraced nobleman and notorious rogue. She is prepared to offer him both wealth and freedom, but she never dreams the wicked rake will be bold enough to demand a far more sensual prize.
"Some like it seductive...
"Simon is shocked to discover the tomboy he met long ago has blossomed into a headstrong temptress. Although he's sworn off his dreams of becoming a hero, he can't resist playing knight errant to Catriona's damsel in distress. Both adventure and peril await them at her Highland home, where they will risk their lives to vanquish her enemies...and risk their hearts to discover a passion beyond their wildest dreams."
Medeiros is another author I've "rediscovered." My archives are filled with reviews of her books and this book reminds me why. I reread her very first book earlier this year and I was left feeling a bit "meh" about it. Not this one. I finished it in about a day or two. It was a captivating, well-paced, fun read with lively characters and a great plot. I particularly loved how we were introduced to Simon and Catriona years before she would "storm the grounds of Newgate Prison" looking to bribe him into helping her regain her clan's honor and rights. It lent a nice note to their backstory and, especially, with how Catriona came to choose him as her accomplice. I appreciated the development of Simon's character. Where he was when we see him in Newgate to where he is near the end of the story really is like a totally different man. What's even more impressive is that this was accomplished in such a believable way. It was gradual and halting; Simon resisted becoming the hero that he knew Catriona believed him to be. He wasn't a knight in shining armor and he hated being lauded for anything perceived to be heroism. That was, until he found something really worth fighting for. Catriona was spunky and passionate, if more than a little naive. This made her character feel younger than she really was. Rather than find this annoying, I (more often than not) found it endearing. She tries to hard to fight for what she believes in and she's willing to sacrifice everything for it. Though some of what she did was cringe-worthy, I still found her a strong female lead.
The overarching plot was historically important and really made it feel like the story was so much bigger than what was contained within the pages -- so much bigger than just the love story between Simon and Catriona. I always appreciate it when authors have a way of generating a world instead of just a snippet; it really makes everything come to life, in my opinion.
As far as criticism goes, my only "complaint" was that the villain didn't feel as strong or as sinister as I thought he should have been. To be sure, the makings were all there and he had the backstory for it, it just somehow didn't quite come to fruition. It felt like the bigger enemy was the English overtaking Scottish lands -- more nebulous than an individual villain.
Overall, I very much enjoyed this book and I'm already halfway through the second in the series! Medeiros crafts excellent characters, enthralling stories, and wonderful romance. She has such a sense of humor about her that I find it impossible not to enjoy myself.
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