His Wicked Kissby Gaelen Foleyreviewed by Cybil SolynMay 2006, 434 pages, Publisher: Ballantine, ISBN: 0345480104 Back Cover Blurb: An English rose blooming in the untamed jungles of South America, Eden Farraday lives a life of independence – unheard of for a lady – with her doctor-turned-scientist father. But Eden misses England desperately. When the dangerous and darkly charming Lord Jack Knight sails into her life, she seizes her chance to return to civilization, stowing away aboard his London-bound ship.
Roguish and charismatic, a self-made shipping tycoon with a shadowy past and a well-guarded heart, Jack is sailing on a vital secret mission. When the redheaded temptress is discovered aboard his vessel, he reacts with fury – and undeniable lust. Forced to protect her from his rough crew, the devilish Lord Jack demands a scandalous price in exchange for Eden's safe passage across the sea. As his wicked kiss ignites an unforgettable blaze of passion between them, Jack and Eden confront a soul-searing love that cannot be denied.
In the seventh and supposedly "final" installment of The Knight Miscellany series, we meet Eden Farraday, a lady who, because of her fathers grief over her mothers death, has grown up in the Venezuelan jungle and desperately wants to find true love in London. We also FINALLY learn about the black sheep of the Knight family: Lord John Farraday, aka Captain "Black Jack," a rich privateer with no heart, soul, or compassion…at least that's what he wants everyone to think.
I was blown away by this novel. Not only will Jack, the soul wounded pirate, always have a special place in my heart, but the setting and adventure of the novel were thrilling. Foley takes us from the heart of the jungle and a South America rebel upraising to a high sea adventure to the ballrooms of Regency London. Each picture she paints is more stunning than the last and left me yearning to marry a pirate too!
Eden and Jack are perfect for one another. Who else could manage a man who set himself up to be the villain of his family and fostered that mystique even though it's nothing like his true self, than a woman who had to create a life for herself in a jungle with no female companionship and a father who thinks of nothing but himself and his work? I loved how Eden was a tough, no nonsense girl, but still soft and dreamy enough to want love. She can stowaway on a ship and not get caught for two months, handle a gun and a machete as if she was born with one in each hand. But all she really wants is a husband and children to love, whereas Jack is a man who has shunned love because he thinks he doesn't deserve it. He is just as tough, and no-nonsense as Eden, but his true self is all soft and gushy on the inside.
Best of all though, Foley introduces a new spin off series, The Spice series, so that we don't have to leave the Knight family behind. This made my heart light. When I first picked up this novel it was with the same bittersweet feeling of anticipation and dread that I had with Beverley's last Malloren novel. No one likes to say goodbye to a series like this one, but now we can all look forward to new adventures, new friends, and a visit or two from old ones.
Bottom Line: Whether you are a Foley fan or not don't miss this book.
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Cybil Solyn, csolyn@rakehell.com
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