Sometimes a book you liked can confuse you terribly. What about this book kept it from earning keeper status from me? There was nothing really wrong and nothing truly not right, but I feel like The Forbidden Lord left me standing at a deserted bus stop, having just missed the late night express to a night of romance.

Jordan Willis, the Earl of Blackmore, tussles with the local vicar’s daughter during a country masquerade. After returning to London with fond memories of his prim Emily, he meets the fast Lady Emma Campbell, who strongly resembles Emily. Are they the same girl? Why would the moral Emily entangle herself in a web of lies and deceit, and react so arduously to his advances?

Emily has been blackmailed into impersonating the non-existing Lady Emma in order to investigate a friend’s failed elopement. Not only does she keep running across Jordan in London, she unearths unexpected fires in herself. Miring herself further in lies and desire, Emily is at a loss for whom to turn to, whom to trust. Events are moving at an increasing pace and control slips from her hands.

For once, I liked both hero and heroine. So, some of the choices Emily made were truly stupid, particularly toward the end. (Why do heroine IQ levels drop to the number of remaining pages? Very strange.) So, Jordan allowed his lust to rule his decisions for a large part of the book – Ms. Jeffries made this seem right and acceptable, which I feel deserves praise.

Lady Dundee, the fake Lady Emma’s mother, rates special notice. It is rare that the descriptions of a secondary character evolve. Emily’s (and the reader’s) view of her changes as we come to know her better. And this review would be incomplete if I neglected to mention the love scenes. While emotions are still important, there are instances (the British Museum scene springs immediately to mind) where more creative practices are offered.

The plot wouldn’t be out of place in a series Regency. It is expertly carried out, but it still strikes me as somewhat thin, especially when the book is close to 400 pages. In part, my problem with the whole plot is based on a Big Misunderstanding, or lack of communication, as the underlying factor. If Emily and her father had talked to each other before hand, there would have been no grounds for blackmail, thus no plot and no romance for Emily and Jordan. This is a bit unfair of me, since I generally clamor for thicker books, but lack of intimacy between characters, who are described as being close, is one major pet peeve. I simply could not shake off this nagging insight.

Regardless of my reservations about the plot, I still recommend The Forbidden Lord. It is a fast and amusing read, with a hero and heroine who have the hots for one another. While I’m not about to track down the other titles in the series, this is one book I do not regret having read.