Morgan Beckett is off to London for the season, but her exotic looks and unladylike ways make her like no other debutante the ton has ever seen before. She is a woman who speaks with stark honesty, though taking care to conceal her and her family's past. She uses her looks to her own advantage, is used to getting her own way and – gasp – rides astride. On this, her first visit to London, she is to be introduced to society, chaffing at the constraints of 'polite society' all the way. It is expected that she will find a husband, someone with a strong will who will manage to live with this strong beauty, someone who can tame her wild ways. Nobody expected her to meet her match on her way into London, nor could they have foreseen that she would capture the interest of Ethan Tanner, Earl of Aylesford. Morgan returns the Earl's interest, with an attraction the likes of which she has never felt, nor even imagined before. She at once recognizes Ethan as her dangerous man, as the voodoo priestess Odette told her she would. In Ethan, she sees a man who is a match to herself, no matter that he is considered something of an unstable oddity by the rest of society. The draw between them is strong; they are always in danger of ruining themselves before all of society. Though they have known each other for so little time, each recognizes that they will have each other, even if Morgan's family disapproves of him. Less than a week into Morgan's season, Morgan is heading home – accompanied by Ethan, whose intent is to ask her father for her hand in marriage. But something does not seem right to Morgan, and her trust in Ethan is faltering, as is her own view of herself. Morgan senses all is not as it appears, and with the family history she has learnt to trust her instincts. What are the secrets they are each keeping from each other? Can they recognize their deepening feelings for what they are: love? What faces them as they ride on to Morgan's home?

Ethan Tanner, Earl of Aylesford, is proud of the reputation he has cultivated: outrageous, incorrigible, worthless, but good in a fight and a sure shot with a pistol. Proud, that is, until it appears that his reputation could interfere in his courtship of the most fascinating woman he has ever met. Never before has he been so attracted, so drawn, so in awe of a woman that he has considered marriage, that he has been unable to control his baser instincts. But with Morgan, all his previous experience has flown out the window. He admires everything about her, from her beauty to her outspokenness to her disregard for convention and even her wild ways. He has no desire to tame her, knowing that to do so would be to destroy all that he loves about her. Yet, at the same time he recognises that they are in increasing danger of their attraction being discovered by the ton, which would be ruinous to Morgan's reputation. He is not the only one to see where their attraction is heading. Her brother, Chance, is quick to recognise that their attraction is flaring out of control, and is well aware that to forbid the union would only make Morgan more determined to have Ethan. His only hope is to get Morgan to go home. Whilst aware Ethan will accompany her, ruining her in private is preferable to her being ruined before all of society in the midst of London. Besides, home at Romney Marsh they will find it hard to engage in any compromising activities, with Morgan's other brothers and father there to chaperone them. But it turns out that Ethan is not as useless as he portrays himself to be, and travelling to Romney Marsh will provide him with a cover for his other activity. What are the secrets Morgan and Ethan are keeping from each other? Does Ethan really want to marry Morgan, or is he playing a convenient charade to hide his real intentions?

The Dangerous Debutante is a fabulous story about a willful, lively young woman and a dashing, secretive rogue. The attraction between the pair is palpable, and at times near explosive. I love the characters; they are all really well penned and developed. Not only Morgan and Ethan, but all the other characters, especially Chance and Julia, Morgan's brother and sister-in-law are fabulous. They are very much in love, and very intuitive regarding Morgan. Ethan's mother is another great character. Very eccentric, and likeable, though society frowns upon her. Though this is the first I have read of the Romney Marsh saga – indeed, the first I have read of Kasey Michaels - I look forward to reading the others in the saga, as well as her other stories. There are intimate encounters, though the language used is not graphic, and the characters do go further than a few kisses – much further. There is an underlying story about the Beckett family that runs through all of the books, so my advice is this: buy them all, and read them in order. If you are not a Michaels fan yet, you will be. I certainly am.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth