Mia Castellano, a minor character in Stranger’s Kiss, is the star of the latest novel in the Pennistan Family series. And oh, what a star she is – flighty and silly and ever-changing and beautiful. At least, that’s how David Pennistan sees her, although he’s not willing to admit it to himself. Unfortunately for David, Mia sees him as a stick in the mud, so focused on his business ventures that he doesn’t respond to her flirtation.

Mia recently broke off an engagement to a man she cares about as a friend rather than a lover. As a result, David Pennistan is charged with escorting Mia to his family’s home, where her guardian, his sister-in-law Elena, lives. But nothing involving Mia Castellano is ever simple, and the pair and their entourage encounter a variety of difficulties en route to their destination. Their greatest obstacle: a potentially-contagious illness that forces their party into quarantine, putting Mia and David together (and almost alone) in close quarters. After several days of avoiding one another, the two begin to face their attraction.

Spending a lengthy period of time together unchaperoned all but ruins Mia in the eyes of the ton, and David is ready to marry Mia to preserve her reputation (and because he’s fallen quite hard for her). But Mia isn’t sure that marriage is right for her. She’s worried about losing her freedom, so she wonders if the life of a courtesan is right for her. Her idea of what a courtesan does is a little inaccurate – she sees the good parts, like having a salon where she can flirt with men and support the arts, but not the bad. Although she’s attracted to David, she’s concerned that he may be too domineering, and she’s worried that he doesn’t share her interests in the arts.

Most of the book centers around the stalemate between these two stubborn individuals—both of them recognize that they’re interested in each other, but neither wants to budge. In less capable hands, the main characters would be irritating and immature, but Blayney’s gift for dialogue and setting elevates them beyond that. Instead, they’re flawed, and they’re having a difficult time moving beyond their preconceived notions of what love and marriage mean.

The use of the quarantine to throw this odd couple together and force them to live in close quarters (and with little supervision by chaperones) is very effective. Mia and David spend the early parts of the book avoiding each other, and the quarantine throws them together in an original, uncontrived way and lets them see what it is like to spend time with one another outside of the watchful eyes of society and their chaperones. The threat of a potentially deadly illness also forces them both to open up to each other and reveal their feelings.

A standout secondary relationship in Stranger’s Kiss is the friendship between Mia and her maid/half-sister, Janina. Janina was born from a relationship between Mia’s father and his mistress, and the two girls were raised together. Though Janina acts as Mia’s maid, their relationship is more sisterly than mistress and servant, and Janina is her confidante. When the two are separated during the quarantine, and Mia is unsure of Janina’s condition, we realize how deeply Mia cares about her beloved half-sister. I would love to see Janina find her happy ending in a future book in the series.

Though the canvas in this installment of the Pennistan series is narrow, there’s enough going on to keep the story interesting. Mia is a charming and engaging heroine, and watching David warm up to Mia was enjoyable. Their flirtation was delightful, as was Mia’s obvious zest for life. I also appreciated the author’s avoidance of subplot and secondary character overload, which can sometimes take over novels that are part of a series. Courtesan’s Kiss is a highly enjoyable love story, full of warmth and wit, and is well worth a read if you’re a fan of Regencies.