Cornwall, England – The Regency Period

Georgiana Wilde’s marriage to her childhood friend Anthony Fortesque, the Marquis of Ellesmere, ended the first night when he died in her arms from an overdose of opium and alcohol. Her other childhood friend and Anthony's cousin, Quinn Fortesque, had left Penrose after a horrible accident that left Georgiana with a limp and her legs horribly scarred. Now she has lost them both, for Quinn never visited Penrose again, or corresponded with her in any manner.

Because Georgiana is the daughter of the steward of Penrose, one of the Fortesque estates, her mother-in-law refuses to recognize the marriage. Rumor has spread that it was not a true marriage, and Georgiana was not the Marchioness of Ellesmere. In fact, when Quinn finally arrives in England a year after Anthony's death, to meet with his aunt, the dowager marchioness, she demands that he must, as the new Marquis of Ellesmere, throw Georgiana off the estate as an imposter. His aunt knows the marriage was illegal. Her Anthony would never have married a peasant.

Quinn is a widower and an accomplished diplomat. With his elevation, he knows he will be hunted on the peerage marriage market. Years as a negotiator and years of betrayal by his nearest and dearest have made him a self-contained man, able to control his emotions to the nth degree. He believes he doesn’t even feel anything any longer. Only his devotion to his nine-year-old daughter gives him any solace. The Fortesques took him in as a penniless orphan, but they never gave him a home. Only Georgiana made him feel wanted and loved. When his aunt speaks of her desires for Georgiana, Quinn is determined to find out all the particulars of the scandal surrounding Georgiana and Anthony’s wedding, and protect his once dear friend from any of the horrible consequences his aunt demands. The vast Fortesque wealth will help him in this endeavor.

Besides the wounded but beguiling hero and heroine of THE KISS, author Sophia Nash includes some wonderful side characters, both good and bad. Some of the most interesting are the members of the widows' club. Georgiana asks them to visit Penrose when she learns of Quinn’s impending visit. She hopes her friends will deflect Quinn from asking some of the questions she knows he wants answered. Ata, the dowager Duchess of Helston; Grace, the Countess of Sheffield; and Rosamunde, a former widow recently married to the Duke of Helston, all members of the club with Georgiana, add emotional depth and several entertaining side stories to an already multi-layered plot. Indeed, Rosamund’s story was told in a previous volume, A DANGEROUS BEAUTY (released from Avon May 2007). Hopefully there will be more stories about the members of the widow’s club. While THE KISS is an evocative romance, the story includes both comedic and dramatic situations that create a very satisfying read.

Robin Lee