In one word: Cheeky
I don’t read a lot of romance, but this rogue meets aristocrat was recommended by many in the Cannonball Read community, so I put it on my list for something fun and light for the new year. I had the lucky opportunity to escape the frigid midwest for the beach in mid-January and this book was an absolutely perfect beach read, fun and cheeky with equal parts swashbuckling mystery and eyebrow waggling sexy times.
Kit is a coffee shop owner and former thief, trying to live on the straight and narrow after a life of crime gone awry. A serious injury and the death of his best friend and co-conspirator has sidelined him from the hustle, and nowadays the only hustling he does is on his bad leg, around his coffee shop. Percy is Lord Holland and has a pampered life many would envy, but a dark family secret is threatening his way of life and those he holds dear, and thus drastic measures must be taken.
This book splits time between the present, where Kit broods and Percy flounces, as their paths bring them closer to each other. We also get bits of the past of each character, with enough back story to create intrigue, but not so much that it bogs down the present action, a delicate balance to maintain. Not only are the two main characters a delight to follow, but this book has a full cast of interesting characters and a number of great female supporting characters, which is a big plus for me.
Sebastian puts a bow on this installment while leaving enough left unsolved to make you want to pick up the next book and find out the answers to all the secrets. What happened to Marian? And the mysterious blackmailer? The next book tackles these questions and when I’m looking for a warm escape from the (still frigid) Midwestern winter, I know where I’m going to turn!