Trey Deverill is the third son and the black sheep of his family. When he was a lad his family disowned him because he joined the Merchant Marines and then went into the shipping trade and "heaven forbid" made money at it.

Antoina Maitland is the only daughter of ship builder Samuel Maitland. Mr. Maitland is a Commoner and worse yet-- he is in trade. But, his worst sin is that he is extremely wealthy. He is protective of his daughter and wants nothing more than to elevate her in society. Though theirs was a love match, he thinks he let her mother down -- marrying beneath her station. He feels that if Antoina could marry a British nobleman, she will no longer be on the fringes of society and it could make up for some of his regret.

The first time Antonia and Deverill meet, she is sixteen and just returning home from school. She walks in just as Deverill is stepping out of the tub in all his glory. That night Antonia asks Deverill if he would kiss her to show her what all the excitement is about. He does -- but when the chaste kiss is over she is very disappointed and asks if that is the best he can do. Deverill kisses her again, deeply this time and when the kiss is over Antonia can barely stand.

Four years later Antoina is still having erotic dreams about that kiss and seeing Deverill naked. Antoina's father has passed away and she is about to return to society and announce her engagement. A few days before her father's death Antoina and her father accepted Lord Heward's proposal. Antonia does not love Heward, but she still wants to fulfill her father's wish by marrying into society.

Mrs. Peeke, their housekeeper, believes that Lord Heward murdered Mr. Maitland in order to stop him from canceling the wedding. Mrs. Peeke contacted Deverill asking for his help. Deverill once saved her husband and now she wants him to save Antonia. She's afraid Heward will also murder Antonia once they are married.

Deverill has encountered Lord Heward on a few occasions at gentleman clubs and he instinctively dislikes him. There are also rumors that Lord Heward is transporting slaves and has a penchant for hurting women in the bedroom to get his pleasure.

Lord Heward lures Deverill to attend a brothel pretending friendship but then a Cyprian is murdered and Deverill is charged with murder. Deverill knows Lord Heward set him up but has no solid proof. He escapes from the bow street runner and sets in motion a drastic plan (kidnapping) to keep Antonia safe and clear his name.

When Antonia realizes that she has been kidnapped by Deverill she is fighting mad -- this is where the story really gets interesting. What she does to escape on the ship shows you just how intelligent she really is. I am a HUGE Nicole Jordan fan. I always pre-order her books because I don't think she has ever written a bad book. This book has it all, murder, kidnapping, lust, and love. The love scenes are very erotic and tender. You also have the opportunity to revisit some friends from her previous books. I especially like the way Antonia helps Deverill put his ghosts to rest.

I wish that Antonia and Deverill would have been more involved with gathering the information to solve the plot's mystery. With Antonia's headstrong streak, this could have made for some real adventure and good laughs. There are several wordy spots but being a Nicole Jordan fan it was worth the read. This is the third book in the Paradise Series -- The forth, FEVER DREAMS will be published in 2006.