Romulus White has tried for years to hire illustrator Stella West for his renowned scientific magazine. She is the missing piece he needs to propel his magazine to the forefront of the industry.
But Stella abruptly quit the art world and moved to Boston with a single purpose: to solve the mysterious death of her beloved sister. Romulus, a man with connections to high society and every important power circle in the city, could be her most valuable ally.
Sparks fly the instant Stella and Romulus join forces, and Romulus soon realizes the strong-willed and charismatic Stella could disrupt his hard-won independence. Can they continue to help each other when their efforts draw the wrong kind of attention from the powers-that-be and put all they’ve worked for at risk?
Review
I always look forward to anything Elizabeth Camden writes. Here’s why:
What I liked:
Stella. Camden writes smart, intelligent women who are usually a bit older, but know exactly what they want without coming across as being from another time period. Ms. Camden does her research and puts together some sharp heroines. Stella is no different.
Romulus. In fact, I think I usually love Elizabeth Camden’s heroes more than her heroines. That would be the case here. I understood Romulus more…most of the time. I loved that he was flamboyant and out there and yet managed to be so utterly masculine. I love heroes that are not cookie-cutters.
The history. I always manage to learn so much about some small aspect of history without feeling like the author is beating me over the head with facts. And by small, I mean some event or invention that I didn’t realize happened then.
The suspense. I thought they mystery of who killed Stella’s sisters was good. Even though I guessed the bad guy kind of quickly, parts of the story still managed to catch me off guard.
What I didn’t like:
The romance. I know. If I don’t like the romance, than I’m not usually a fan of the book. I will admit that this book wasn’t my favorite especially. So…the problem was that Stella came across as super self-absorbed. She wanted Romulus’ help and she wanted it now. It didn’t matter what was going on in his life. She fully expected this man to drop everything and be there for her….even though they had no past history of friendship. It just made me look at Stella in a negative way, which made me question why Romulus would want to be with her, etc., etc., etc. I do understand that her boldness is what made her her. But she could have been more kind (I know, I know, as always I’m so harsh on heroines).
Romantic scale: 7.8
Overall, not my favorite of Elizabeth Camden, but still a very enjoyable novel.
**I received a copy from Netgalley. My opinion was not affected in anyway.**
remaininhislove 