"From the moment Anastasia and Damen meet, blazing passion flares between them. But in the face of overwhelming peril--and threats on Anastasia's life--thoughts of love cannot be indulged. Not unless the mystery that entraps them is solved will they at last be able to pursue the future their feelings command them to share. But is the danger stalking them really gone?"
Andrea Kane is a new author on my list. I've had a few of her books sitting amongst my collection for quite a few years, but this is the first that I've picked up. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know if I initially realized that there was more to this story than a romance novel, but it quickly became apparent that there was far more to this book than I'd believed.
We are first introduced to young Stacie (Anastasia) and Breanna as they make their first decision to trade places in an effort to save Breanna from getting into trouble with her father. Being that their fathers are twins and their mothers, sisters, the cousins' auburn hair and jade-green eyes are so similar that there is no one who can tell them apart -- not even their own parents. This sparks a pact between them which will much later become an integral part of their survival. That evening, they are pulled aside by their grandfather and given some very special, very secret gifts: For Stacie, a gold coin; silver for Breanna. He tells them that they must keep them safe and never under any circumstances present them to anyone. Though they are young, the girls take his words to heart. Little do they know what an impact those coins will make upon their lives.
Years pass and Stacie returns to England after having moved to Pennsylvania with her parents soon after that night when she and Breanna had first switched identities. Both of her parents have died and she returns to the beloved home shortly after her grandfather's own death. Her uncle, Breanna's father, is now Viscount Medford. It is clear that he has taken to running his family's company and lording power over his daughter. With their grandfather gone, Breanna's world had shrunk to the size of Medford Manor. Both girls are overjoyed at being reunited, but there is a sinister undercurrent at Medford Manor which unnerves Stacie and causes her concern for her beloved cousin.
Her fears grow when she witnesses just how sheltered and locked away Breanna has been all these years. Part of the reason appears to be that Medford has his eye on Damen Lockwood, Marquess of Sheldrake, as a future son-in-law. Not only is Damen incredibly brilliant and wealthy, his family is renowned for its credibility and standing in the financial world. No doubt this has played into Uncle George's desire to bring Damen into his family. His greed and lust for power was never a secret; in fact, it was one of the things which drove a wedge between the Colby men for many decades. Though between them lies an even darker secret which Stacie's father carried to his grave, Breanna knows not of, and George has allowed to fester in the dark hole in which his heart should have existed.
It is clear that the new Viscount Medford is furious at being kept away from Stacie and Breanna's inheritances, and that Stacie is now owner of her father's share of the family shipping company. He hadn't anticipated having a woman as a business associate, let alone one as outspoken and meddlesome as his niece. He can only hope that Damen, the man wisely named as custodian of Stacie's inheritance, will keep her from making any foolish financial decisions and squandering away the money before Medford can find a way to get his hands on it.
Little do Medford and Damen know that Stacie is far more than she first appears. Having inherited her sense of business and learned financial savviness from her father, Stacie is thrilled to finally be able to have a part in the family business. What she hadn't counted on, however, was having to answer to a man such as Damen when it came to spending those funds -- at least until her twenty-first birthday. At first, she finds Damen to be cold and far too observant. He thwarts her attempts to invest in what she believes to be a brilliant financial opportunity and she does everything she can in order to realize her dreams. Her determination is what eventually draws Damen to her.
Damen is far too busy to play custodian to this Americanized young woman, Lady Anastasia Colby. He has many more pressing matters to attend to, a bank to run, and investments to manage...still, he finds himself spending more and more time with her under the guise of discussing her inheritance. He doesn't expect her to brazenly approach other potential investors at her coming out party after he turns her down. He's drawn to her fiery personality, her rapier wit, and her enthralling beauty. It would seem that she is the only woman in the world who could entice him to mix business with pleasure.
As Damen and Stacie become closer, Medford starts to see the threads of his careful plot begin to unravel. No one realizes the depth of his debt and the strength of his determination to not lose everything. He will stop at nothing to win everything back. Even if it means sacrificing what little family he has left. Greed has blinded him and driven him to the edge of sanity. It becomes apparent that Medford is involved in something very dangerous, very dark, and very illegal. His desperation could very well put Stacie and Breanna's lives in jeopardy if he isn't stopped in time...
I found the undercurrent of romance between Damen and Stacie to be quite enjoyable. It wasn't as overt as a "true" romance novel, but there was just enough to put this solidly in the romance genre. I liked the progression of it, which flowed rather well with the complex plot. However, I will say that I felt like I needed more from Damen's point of view. A vast majority of this book was from Stacie's perspective (or Medford's, but I'll get into that later) and I wanted to know more about how Damen fell so hard and so fast for Stacie. He was such a logical, methodical character that there had to be something rather extraordinary going on in his mind to make this happen. We got very few chapters from Damen's point of view, and I would have very much liked to have seen at least several more. I'm much more used to a more equitable division of perspective. What was different from the more traditional romance genre was that the characters declared love rather quickly and rather easily. Once it hit them, they didn't resist or hide it; they accepted it and moved on with plans to make a future as best as they could. This felt a little bit off to me, but it could have been simply because I'm so used to characters having to work through more issues in their relationship. Of course, Damen and Stacie had many other obstacles they needed to overcome...
I mentioned that a portion of this book is told from Medford's perspective. I found this to be an excellent tactic. It was a great way to create tension and also expose the readers to his descent into desperation and madness. It was dark and disturbing at times, but it definitely created a great villain for the mystery/suspense portion of this story. Medford was a selfish, greedy, hateful man -- and we never would have known the depths of his depravity were we readers not privy to his inner thoughts.
I read this book rather quickly despite its length, which I find to be a good testament to its readability. I liked the strong characters and captivating plot. Stacie was intelligent and outspoken while Breanna was an excellent foil to her more brazen cousin. I did enjoy seeing Breanna come into her own as the story moved along and I looked forward to seeing more of her in her own book. I found Damen to be witty and charming, impressively intelligent and wise beyond his years. He was an excellent male lead; I just wanted a bit more insight into the workings of his very interesting mind.
I definitely recommend this book to those seeking to branch out a bit from straight "romance." This can add a bit of variety into your reading without too much culture shock. The sense of danger fairly dripped from every page and kept me wanting to read more...so much so that I've actually already finished the second book in this pair!
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