When the sounds of the old Irish ballad,"Eileen Aroon",
sweetly sung with the tiniest lilt by the stunningly
beautiful Rose O'Keefe reaches the jaded ears of Jameson
Flynn, he is stunned both by her beauty and the heartfelt
link to his ancestral home in Ireland. Oh, how he would
love to take her in his arms and enjoy her innocent, but
sensuous lips. But no, he can't go there.
He was in Vauxhall Gardens on the warm July night in 1817
with his employer, Tanner, the Marquess of Tannerton. As
Tanner's secretary, the two men were on very good terms and
he often when out with him. But, tonight, he quickly finds
out that they weren't in Vauxhall just to enjoy the music.
Tanner wanted him to procure Rose to be his latest mistress!
With little choice over this assignment, Flynn approaches
Rose's father with a proposition. But, Mr. O'Keefe and
especially, his lady friend, Mrs. Dawes, are not as
innocent as Rose, and they try to make the most financial
gain by playing off other deals with Tanner's rival, the
Earl of Greythorne, a dangerous rake and known not to be as
kind to the ladies as Tanner.
As Flynn spends more time with Rose and meets her worldly
friend, Katy, he has ambivalent feelings about Rose's
innocence, but he can't help but respond to her and her
dreams as a singer. Rose has no doubts about him and
stalls out negotiations as long as possible, so she can
enjoy his company. But, can they avoid the final reality of
their economic situation and the underhanded deal made by
her father?
With her excellent research and detailed descriptions,
Diane Gaston instantly transports you to the sights, sounds
and moods of regency London and, especially the famous
Vauxhall Gardens. A masterful storyteller, you can't help
but identify with Rose and Flynn and the moral dilemmas
they face as well. When Flynn arranges for Rose to see a
performance of Don Giovanni at the King's Theatre where
Rose's mother had once sung, your heart will ache with as
much joy as Rose's for being there and as much pain that
she can't sit with Flynn. The dialogue between the
characters continually sparkles with wit and your will be
compelled to read on to find out what happens. You
definitely won't want to willingly put this story down. A
truly solid gold read! Thank goodness Diane Gaston is doing
a follow-up book about Tanner as he, too, is a real gem!
Jameson Flynn is a man with a mission. Nothing will knock
him off course. Until one summer's evening in Vauxhall
Gardens, when a woman's song reminds him of the world he
left behind.
Rose O'Keefe's beautiful voice and graceful, earthy
sensuality have made her a sensation among the pleasure-
seekers of the night. In such dissolute company, how long
can it be before her virtue is compromised?
The man who can make or break Flynn's career desires Rose
as his mistress. Soon Flynn will have to choose what
matters to him most—success or love….
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