Lie by Moonlight (ISBN 1596008474)

Watch falling in love play havoc with them all. Gorgeous!:
Yay, another Vanza master, this time in the Victorian era. Ooh, sends shivers down the spine just thinking about how quick, how intelligent, how agile, how inventive Ambrose Wells is, yum. Truth be told, his father was murdered when he was a young teen, and Ambrose turned to a life of crime to support himself - until he met his match whilst burglarizing a Vanza master! Now he's turned from the dark side and is one of the good guys. He's investigating a possible murder when he encounters determined schoolteacher Miss Concordia Glade, hastening four of her tender orphaned charges away from some suspicious goings-on at their `school', a heavily guarded castle. Concordia suspects the girls are being groomed for something very nasty and illegal, and smuggles them out with Ambrose's assistance and a couple of well-placed bombs! Hooray for Chemistry! Things turn into a very murky stew with further murders a-plenty, and the grim possibility the young girls are being hunted down ruthlessly. Naturally, Ambrose and Concordia get on the job to protect and defend. Concordia is a delight - unconventional, passionate, and such a champion of `her girls' your heart will be caught. Ambrose, on the other hand, is knocked for six by Concordia; something most unusual. He is, after all, a control freak - he is a Vanza master. Snort!

Story was merely ok. The ending was nice.:
It felt like an Agatha Christie mystery with a little romance thrown in. Ambrose used to be a thief but is now a private inquiry agent (private investigator). He sees Cordelia (a teacher) and her four female students running away from a fire and helps them. The girls had been kidnapped and the plan was to sell them. Some people are murdered in connection with the events. The story had no major flaws, but overall, I did not enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I wasn't surprised or delighted. Once or twice the story felt a little plodding and slow, especially at the beginning. Cordelia and the girls were escaping from the castle and the girls kept expressing their fears. Cordelia kept saying we've practiced this before, just keep to the plan. I like strong and smart heroines as much as anyone, but Cordelia was unpleasantly strong and smart. She was almost too bossy, too perfect and overly confidant that she could handle herself in any dangerous situation. She was too demanding that Ambrose include her or do certain things. Overall, the story was ok, but I wouldn't recommend buying it. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: two brief scenes. Setting: Victorian England, sometime around 1890. Genre: historical romantic suspense mystery. For a list of my reviews of other books by this author, see my 4 star review of "Sizzle and Burn" posted 2-09-08.

Not her best work by far:
I was a little disappointed in this book, truth be told. Perhaps I am once again becoming a little weary of the typical romance storyline and expect more. Perhaps it was the seeming cheesiness of the entire "Vanza" society (doesn't that just sound phony?). Perhaps I just didn't quite buy into the characters, though I really did like Ambrose. But Concordia was just a little too "modern," and the whole idea of the hippie commune at that time seemed a bit of a stretch. All that being said, as far as romance novels go, it wasn't that bad. There were a few lines that made me chuckle, and the story was interesting enough to keep me reading. I'd say it's worth your time if you enjoy romance novels, just don't go in expecting anything too deep and meaningful.

I can't recommend this book:
I listened to the audio book, and the reader was not very good. I'm not sure if I didn't enjoy the book because of the poor reader or the poor writing from the author, probably a combination of both. Either way I couldn't get through the whole book. It felt like a waste of my time.

Fun Victorian Romance:
This is an interesting romance set "late in the reign of Queen Victoria" and it throws you into the story from the get-go. You first meet Concordia Glade and her young students as they are running away from the burning castle they've been staying in. This is also the moment that Ambrose Wells enters the story. He's investigating the castle and is a little put out that it's burning down but he offers to help Concordia and her four charges. The whys of their residence at the castle is interesting and the two main characters are quite well suited but their attitudes to sex are quite modern. I loved the way Ambrose received "payment" for his services. He came across as quite an interesting character with lots of depth. The four girls really didn't come across as deep characters, but there is an opening for them to have further adventures. For it's type it's quite good, and I did enjoy the story and enjoyed the ride, it's only after I finished reading that I started having some reservations about some aspects of the story. I look forward to more of the Vanzarian stories.