While waiting for news of her military brother, missing in
action, Emily Grantwich finds she has a certain flair for
managing her invalid father's estate. His mood is unpleasant
and fractious particularly now, during the Melton Mowbray
hunting season. This attitude is unsurprising given his
injuries have made it impossible for him ever to ride to
hounds again. Far from being grateful
for her work, he frets that no young woman could possibly be
able to keep the estate running, and he fears it will fall
into disrepair and debt. All Emily's efforts will be in vain
should her brother not return. The estate will go to her
foppish and spendthrift cousin Felix, unless she can prove
to her father she has the backbone and brains to do what is
needed.
Her life becomes even more challenging when the neighboring
estate is taken over by a Rake of the first order, Piers
Verderan, known among his cronies as the Dark Angel. The
land necessary for the new livestock she has invested in has
been in contention for many years, and now this infuriating
man plans to turn it into a covert for foxes making it
fairly useless for her purposes.
From the moment she and Piers meet her carefully ordered
life takes a turn for the absurd. His overwhelming physical
presence makes it exceedingly difficult to retain the
clarity of mind necessary to secure her family's future.
Jo Beverley's gentle yet wicked humor reads as well today as
it did when EMILY AND THE DARK ANGEL was first published
almost 20 years ago. I found myself laughing uproariously at
the initial "pudding" scene, and again whenever its double
entendre fell afoul of Emily's innocent mind. If you have
become a fan of Beverley's book but have missed this one, I
promise you will enjoy yourself from first page to last. If
you have not yet read her historical romances, this may be a
good place to begin, and you may find yourself with a new
favorite author.
New York Timesbestselling author Jo Beverley "brings the
Regency Period to life." (Joan Hammond) Emily Grantwich
lives quietly with her crippled father and eccentric aunt,
managing the family's land, until the fateful day she
walks down the main street of Melton Mowbray and is
showered with Poudre de Violettes, thrown by a lady of
loose morals at the handsomest man Emily has ever seen. He
is Piers Verderan, known by many as the Dark Angel. His
friends lay the blame for his scandalous ways on his
troubled past. No decent woman should be seen in his
company, but Emily must dutifully manage her father's
estate-which Verderan's land adjoins. Soon Emily learns
that the Dark Angel is very dangerous, especially to her
sanity and her heart...
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