If the game of love for Honoria Wetherby and Devil Cynster is best described as an irresistible force meeting an immovable object, then the biggest question would have to be: Who is the immovable object and who is the irresistible force? Both characters are truly fascinating and completely well-matched.

Honoria’s and Devil’s clash of wills, otherwise known as their romance, begins when the finishing governess comes upon a man lying fatally wounded at the side of the road. Being Honoria, she immediately stops to help, never mind that there is a severe thunderstorm almost upon her and the road is lonely and isolated. Sylvester Cynster, Duke of St. Ives, otherwise known as Devil, finds her and lends his hand to the rescue operation. Because of the fierceness of the storm and the critical condition of their patient, who is Devil’s young cousin Tolly, they take shelter for the night in a nearby woodsman’s cottage. By the next morning, Tolly is dead, Honoria is thoroughly compromised and Devil is declaring to one and all that she is his future duchess. Because she has no intention of ever marrying, Honoria is not amused by his declaration, especially when she realizes he is completely serious. Apparently, all male Cynsters take their family motto, To Have & to Hold, quite seriously and Devil has decided Honoria is worth holding onto.

Poor Honoria, her fate is sealed, or so Devil keeps telling her. And, lest anyone think it’s as simple as that, Honoria is one of the most sensible and memorable historical heroines I’ve ever encountered. She knows exactly who she is – the social and aristocratic equal of the St. Ives family. She also knows exactly how to BE a duchess – she wasn’t a finishing governess because she needed the money; she was one because she is exactly what her charges aspire to be. If she has a weakness, it’s that she’s too good at being what Devil wants – the perfect Duchess. Unable to escape his web, Honoria decides to make the best of things, enjoy herself and, help Devil find his cousin’s murderer.

It is here that a comparison to the irresistible force meeting the immovable object came to mind as this pair begin trying to out-maneuver each other. Honestly, I’ve never seen this analogy so convincingly portrayed in a romantic hero and heroine, especially a historical pair. These are two people who know their own minds, know the society in which they live and aren’t afraid to go after what they want, but neither one has ever had to truly understand the opposite sex before.

Now, before I give the impression I loved this story without any reservations, I did have a few mixed reactions. One complaint I have is the lack of information about Honoria’s family and how they fit into things aristocratic. Also, I had a larger problem with the imbalance between the main love story and the secondary murder investigation. The couple’s love scenes are so sensually luscious and Honoria and Devil’s day-to-day interactions are also so incredibly intense as well, that, as they deal with each other the murder plot seems to fade completely into the background. Since the murder was the reason they initially came together and Honoria’s involvement in its investigation a primary area of contention between the couple, its weakness in the overall plot did bother me. It didn’t help at all that I suspected who the murderer was almost from the beginning and kept wondering why it was taking them so long to figure out the obvious.

I also had very mixed reactions to the hero, Devil Cynster. On the one hand, he’s easy to dislike, difficult to understand and appreciate, and yet those things add to his appeal rather than detract from it. I loved his nickname – it was simply Devil, and seemed so appropriate for him. Also, I’m a great fan of early commitment, particularly by heroes – and this hero commits to the relationship about as early as possible – but his immediate decision that Honoria was meant for him left me slightly confused even when it also seemed in character.

The true strength of this entertaining romance is that Devil doesn’t take Honoria’s reasons for avoiding marriage lightly once he comes to understand them, any more than she treats lightly his desire to possess and protect a wife and family. As they fall in love, they both show each other that they aren’t attempting to take something away, but give something back and it is a fascinating journey to share with them.