HIS CAPTIVE LADY - Anne Gracie
Devil Riders Series, Book 2
Berkley Sensation
ISBN: 978-0-425-22324-6
September 2008
Historical Romance

Firmin Court, Wiltshire; Bath and London, England - 1817

In spite of being the illegitimate son of an earl who does not acknowledge him, Harry Morant's dreams are about to come to fruition. Harry is his own man, tempered in the fires of eight years in the Peninsular War. He and his partner have the horses to start on their racehorse breeding program; now all Harry needs is a place and a wife. He has the means to buy an estate thanks to a legacy from his Great-Aunt Gert, and his Aunt Maud is even now searching out a suitable bride for him. These two women recognized him as family.

Lady Helen Freymore suffered a loss made worse by the sudden death of her father, who was the only one who knew what he did with the subject of her frantic search. Nell's father, earl of Denton, always meant well, always expected the next turn of the cards would solve everything. He died destitute at a crossroads on the way home from London. Tired and hungry from tracing her father's last steps, Nell heads home to Firmin Court, the estate that had been in her mother's family for generations. She's going to find a supercilious lawyer in charge of selling her home . . . her father had failed to put her name on the deed as promised. Now she has nothing and no one.

But before Nell reaches home, she and Harry have a brief, poignant encounter on the road. Their next meeting is at Firmin Court where the strange attraction between them intensifies, but it's all for naught. Nell feels compelled to return to London to continue her search.

Nell and Harry are wonderful characters, honorable and true in spite of the wounds to their hearts. While HIS CAPTIVE LADY evokes compassion, there is humor alongside the other emotions, not so much in witty banter as in the nature of the characters themselves and their interactions. Harry's thoughts about his feelings for Nell and what love is and is not will make you smile. And the camaraderie among Harry, his friend and partner, Ethan Delaney, and the other three Devil Riders is full of good will.

The four Devil Riders were friends as schoolboys and served king and country together in the Napoleonic Wars. This is Harry's story; THE STOLEN PRINCESS was his half-brother Gabe Renfrew's tale; we have two more books to look forward to that will feature Luke Ripton and Rafe Ramsey. These last named willingly come to Harry's aide in HIS CAPTIVE LADY. Other minor characters -- mostly very likable -- play important parts as well. Harry's complicated family provides a captivating storyline by itself.

Anne Gracie excels at creating meaningful first meetings for her protagonists and scenes that pull one right into their midst. It's little short of magic the way her books can capture our rapt attention. HIS CAPTIVE LADY is a delightful romance with a serious quest at its heart. So far in this new series, the heroines are not acclaimed beauties, but the two men who come to love them believe them to be most beautiful. I highly recommend both titles.

Jane Bowers