England, 1818

Like a gateway between East and West, lies the Greek island chain of Kavros. Napoleon conquered it almost two decades ago. When he was defeated, Austrian, Russian and Turks, to name only three, cast covetous eyes upon it. At the moment, Kavros is a protectorate of the British.

The family that ruled Kavros for generations fled Napoleon and went into exile. The king was poisoned, his heir drowned, his second son stabbed. Princess Sophia, the only remaining member of the royal house, lives in England with her lady in waiting and her stout core of bodyguards. She turns twenty-one on the morrow and is ready to return to Kavros to take up her duties as queen. There's a slight problem there, however.

On the way to a secret meeting with lords of the British Foreign Office, Sophia's party is ambushed. Whether the purpose is to abduct or assassinate the princess is unclear, but her guards valiantly hold off her attackers until she can escape...with no small assistance from Sophia herself, who shoots one villain and stabs another. Sophia is not a soft, pampered royal. Leon, her chief of security, trained her well in survival. He gives her a previously agreed upon code signal, puts her on a horse, and sends her away. Sophia follows the coded instructions that will allow her to go into hiding where her guards will be able to locate her. She finds an abandoned barn, crawls up into the loft, changes into plain clothes out of her survival knapsack, and goes to sleep.

Major Gabriel Knight of India recently arrived in England after taking an arrow in the abdomen to save his younger brother. Gabriel almost died -- or maybe he did die for a moment. Either way, he had what we would call today a near-death experience, white light and all. It changed Gabriel from the "Iron Major" whose motto was No Mercy, into a troubled man who looks back on his heroic career as a cavalry officer with feelings of guilt; though that puts it too simply. He only wants peace until he can discover why he was sent back. There must be a reason he was spared. Meanwhile, he's leased an old farm with only a surly daily housekeeper as company.

The morning after the attack on Sophia, Gabriel climbs the ladder to the barn loft with fresh milk for the three kittens in residence there. But what does he find but a dark sleeping beauty. When Gabriel jumps to the conclusion that she was sent as a gift from his brother Derek, Sophia doesn't set him straight. She can't; secrecy is imperative when lives are at stake.

Fate must have brought these two together. In only a day and a night, they grow close, close enough that Sophia realizes that, with enemies still out there, to ask Gabriel for help would be to drag him back into a life he's foresworn. So when her men find her the next morning, she leaves without saying goodbye. Destiny, however, is not finished with these two.

Sophia is intelligent, educated, trained to keep a cool head, and, even though she was a young child when she left her country, she's devoted to it and constant in her duty to her family's heritage. Sophia understands that Gabriel, though physically mended, needs more time to heal his inner wounds. She's strong enough to give him up for his own sake. Gabriel is hurt when his Gypsy sneaks away. However, this time the hand of fate wears the guise of his diplomat brother-in-law, the Marquess of Griffith, who summons him for a mission.

On a balance scale with fairytale on one side and reality on the other, realism greatly outweighs fairytale in the matter of HER EVERY PLEASURE. The relative strengths of characters -- brought vibrantly alive through Ms. Foley's huge talent -- and plot -- rich in adventure and passion -- are pretty close to call. Both are excellent, but characterization has a slight edge from my point of view. Gabriel is deep, all that is noble, but questions the worth of his former life. But he's still a man, not a saint. If you have ever tired of weak or silly heroines who do the wrong thing and make matters worse, you will absolutely love Sophia. Gabriel and Sophia are both unselfish in nature and brave in the face of danger, but will they be able to overcome each of the several challenges they meet? The plot takes our band of heroes through dangers and betrayal, in England and beyond.

HER EVERY PLEASURE is the third novel in the Spice series that stars Gabriel, Derek and their sister Georgiana, children of Lord Arthur Knight, one of the British ruling class of India. The series is connected to Ms. Foley's popular seven-book series, the Knight Miscellany. All these books are highly enjoyable when read individually, but together are close to unbeatable.

RRT doesn't grade books, but we are allowed to award a Perfect 10 to an exceptional read. Here's one for HER EVERY PLEASURE.

Jane Bowers