The Stratfield Ghost is haunting the countryside around the village of Chistlebury and he is definitely not your typical ghost. This handsome, virile ghost is seducing women as he roams the countryside looking for his murderer. So the story goes as it becomes larger and more fantastic with each retelling. This is the supposed ghost of the rakish young Dominic Breckland, Viscount Stratfield. But the ghost is really no ghost at all because the viscount was not actually murdered. However, his death was definitely the attacker’s intent. That blood at the scene was his and it certainly was his body in the coffin – but he still lives. Now his one purpose in life is to avenge his presumed murder and in doing so identify the killer of his younger brother as well.

After yet another bout of improper behavior – kissing a man in the park – the mischievous Lady Chloe Boscastle is sent from London by her brothers to rusticate in the country with her aunt and uncle. She finds little to interest her other than one unplanned and slightly scandalous encounter with the Viscount Stratfield, several weeks before his “death.” Though she didn’t reakly know him, Chloe certainly wished she had, and it seems many women secretly desired to know him well, what with all the ridiculous stories circulating about his ghost slipping into their bedrooms. Now it appears Chloe has been chosen for one of those visits herself. Upon returning to her room one night, she is astonished to find the “dead” viscount in her lingerie closet. Was it the viscount’s ghost or a live, yet very wounded, man she was seeing?

One night while Dominic prowls the countryside, he is chased, and his wounds force him to hide from his pursuer. He disappears into one of the bedroom windows of a nearby estate, landing in a trunk filled with lingerie, a fitting irony for a man with such appreciation of women. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he wonders what woman would have the curves to fit these undergarments. Soon enough his question is answered – the same lovely lady he’d encountered (and stolen a kiss from) in the woods several weeks prior to his supposed death has discovered his hiding spot. Now, as he peers up at her from the masses of lingerie, Dominic knows they will be spending quite a bit of time together. He hopes she will cooperate with him, hiding him until he recovers further from his wounds, but he will do anything – including bullying or blackmailing her – to prevent her from revealing he is still alive. Dominic remembers that she had not been unaffected by their meeting in the woods all those weeks ago. He reasons that since Chloe had been attracted to him, she might not resent their forced time together.

Chloe is both appalled and enthralled by the arrogant Viscount Stratfield’s appearance. This demanding, handsome devil has no sense of propriety and is bent on intimidating her and playing with her in a very ungentlemanly manner, and all in her bedroom. How dare he take refuge in her bedroom in the middle of her – uh, undergarments, when she already has too many scandals to live down! As she tries to calm herself, she remembers her brothers speaking of Viscount Stratfield with admiration. Is there more to this story than she sees? Perhaps she should give him a chance…not that he was giving her a choice.

Though Dominic’s character was written as an all-time rake with no regard for society, I didn’t see him as such, nor did I perceive the hardness that was supposed to be such a large part of his disposition. Instead I found him a likable hero with a heart. Dominic did not welcome his strong attraction to Chloe when he needed to concentrate fully on finding his supposed murderer, and his musings warned him that she didn’t need someone like him in her life. But even wounded, he strongly desired Chloe and constantly played with the idea of having her although he didn’t seriously consider compromising her – initially. The Love Affair of an English Lord is a sensual book with a number of hot scenes to offset both Dominic and Chloe’s thoughts on this ever present subject.

Chloe’s four brothers are all hero material. Her oldest brother, Grayson Boscastle, the Marquess of Sedgecroft, was the hero in the first book of this series, The Seduction of an English Scoundrel (this book is the second but stands well on its own). I’m not sure who will be the hero of the third title because there are so many strong options. Each of the brothers are hunks whom I could easily envision carrying a story, as could Dominic’s closest friend Adrian. That said, these secondary characters don’t really add much to this book – it seeemed as though their primary purpose was to impress the reader with their future potential.

The story features many delightful interactions between the leads – those varied scenes from and around Chloe’s closet window were especially charming and funny. But too much time was devoted to their thoughts, and Chloe’s deliberations, in particular, echoed repeatedly. Dominic’s obsessive thoughts about Chloe were repetitive territory as well.

The book’s plotting was uneven and at times imprecise. Although there was a satisfying suspense climax, much of the mystery remained unsolved for the next book. I’ve read more amusing and better books by Hunter, but The Love Affair of an English Lord retains her signature sense of humor, and it’s possible that the far-fetched notion of so many women sincerely concerned (or hopeful) of a possible visit from the ghost, was a less successful farcical device than those she’s employed in earlier books. On the other hand, Chloe and Dominic are likable characters who communicate well with each other. Their time together truly does sparkle. Readers looking for an author who can create magic between her leads could do worse.