As I read this book, I kept thinking that I should be enjoying it more. The interaction between the main characters was strong, the secondary characters were interesting, and the plot had a slightly different twist. Still, it only ended up as an average read for me.

Lady Jonet Mercer has the ugly cloud of murder hanging over her head. Although she has not been charged or convicted, in the minds of the ton, she is a murdering adulteress who killed her husband, Lord Mercer. Lord Mercer has split the guardianship of his two young children between Jonet and his brother, James. Jonet believes that James is out to harm her children, and there is no love lost between them.

Enter Captain Cole Amherst, related by marriage to James. James took Cole in when he was orphaned and educated him, and uses that to manipulate Cole every chance he gets. Cole has become his own man and made a life in the army. He is home on leave due to an injury, and James attempts to enlist him as a spy in Jonet’s household. Cole very reluctantly agrees to apply as a tutor for Jonet’s sons, but refuses to be a spy for James.

Sparks of dislike and attraction fly at Jonet and Cole’s first meeting. Jonet appears cold, calculating and seductive, traits that fit into what Society believes her to be. Cole is concerned for the children, and the two of them create an uneasy truce so he may tutor them.

Perhaps it was the alternating messages between hate and desire that marred my enjoyment of this story. Cole and Jonet find themselves in love with each other before I felt that they actually liked each other. It almost felt as if they were victims of their hormonal urges, and therefore were forced to come to love each other eventually. Cole also believes that Jonet is having an affair with another man throughout much of the story, even when their relationship is developing. It does not help matters that Jonet keeps a secret until almost the end of the story. It bothered me that both of these characters professed to love each other, but did not trust the other person.

Jonet is a very strong woman and has good cause to be concerned for her children. The threat to her children is real, but rather transparent. Because Jonet kept many motivations for her actions secret, she was unlikable for most of the book, and it was hard for me to feel connected to her character. Cole is strong hero, and has his own emotional baggage to deal with. He stays with Jonet when a lesser man would have left.

The author did an excellent job with the children, Robert and Stuart. I am not normally a fan of children in romance, but their behavior and ideas were accurately portrayed without overwhelming the story.

This is a book that I know other readers will enjoy more than I did. Even though there were many good elements contained in the pages, it just did not leave a lasting impression in my mind.