A Kiss in the Dark

She thought that he had come to arrest her! After so many years, Deidre is shocked to see the face of the boy, now a man, whose mother she had helped to kill. Cutthroat criminal, Barnaby Flynt had used Deidre to lure the fine lady into a dark alley. Although an unwilling accomplice, Deidre knows that she is just as guilty as Flynt.

Tristan Knight, the Earl of Ellington, has no idea of the true nature of Lady Rotherby’s shady past. His headstrong young sister, Emily has run away. Parts of her luggage were found at Tothill Fields. This is a notorious district; it’s where his mother was murdered whilst trying to help poor unfortunates. He had only been a boy when she died in his arms; he was unable to fight off the men. Tristan has heard that Lady Rotherby has some disreputable connections and is hoping that she can help him to bring his sister home.

Initially Deidre refuses. She believes that if she gets close to Lord Ellington the truth will come out. He arouses strange, overwhelming, lustful thoughts and his presence is quite disturbing. Yet her guilt wins out. She knows that she owes Tristan, and that if anyone could find Emily in Tothill Fields, she could.

Tristan is uneasy returning to the scene of such painful memories. He will do anything to get Emily home safely, even if it means that he must battle to control his masculine instinct to take Deidre into his arms and make her his own.

Emily has witnessed a murder. Now she has a truly evil villain and his gang of young thugs searching for her. She is fortunate to stumble across a den of pickpockets who agree to help her hide. It is only a matter of time…

Kimberly Logan’s debut historical romance, A Kiss in the Dark, is certainly not traditional regency in which the couple are high ranking members of the ton, interested primarily in social functions. The main part of this novel takes place in a seedy district where survival is an everyday struggle. The cast of secondary characters include a prostitute, an ex- boxer and a den of small boys and youths who live as pickpockets. This is Emily’s background, and readers will quickly make the connection between Emily and Tristan’s deceased mother; both will teach Tristan an important lesson through their kindness and sacrifices of love. Tristan must tamper down his arrogant aristocratic nature if he is to gain the assistance of the commoners. He will see a different side of poverty through Emily’s eyes.

The plot is somewhat predictable, but the excellent portrayal of the characters and situations will keep readers interested. The romance grows steadily, leading into some quite steamy bedroom scenes. At one point, I became annoyed with one of the heroine’s actions as it seemed incredibly stupid. It was not long before she more than redeemed herself, leading into the action-packed conclusion. A new romance is hinted at as a sub-plot, and I will certainly be looking out for Kimberly Logan’s next release, A Kiss before Dawn, to be released in December, 2005.

Reviewed by: Naomi