Juliana Applegate is used to working side-by-side with her
family's remaining servants. When a handsome stranger
arrives and speaks with her father, Juliana and her older
sister, Madeline, discover they have a half-brother, Lord
Gabriel Sinclair, and a sister, Gemma. Juliana is the one
chosen to accompany their brother to London. However, no
one must find out that they're siblings, so they claim to
be distant cousins. Due to an outbreak of measles, Juliana
is unable to stay with her brother. She becomes the guest
of a family friend, Lady Sealey.
Sir Oliver Ramsey's interest is in zoology. Even though
he's comfortable with his animals, he's clumsy when he's
around beautiful women, even more so when he's attracted to
them. When Mia, the little monkey he's studying, escapes
her cage, Juliana is more than willing to help Oliver find
the primate before she destroys Lady Sealey's home. But the
little monkey does more than give them a merry chase; she
brings them closer together and makes them realize their
attraction for each other.
The dilemma of having to soon move to her brother's home is
resolved for Juliana when Lady Sealey reveals the
threatening letters she's been receiving. Juliana refuses
to leave her after she's shown her such kindness. When Lady
Sealey, Oliver and Juliana retire to Lady Sealey's country
home, Oliver and Juliana become even closer. When Oliver
offers marriage, Juliana refuses. Even though she loves
him, she feels he should marry someone from his own
station. Knowing that she loves him is all Oliver needs to
hear, for he feels the same about her. However, since a
killer can't leave any witnesses, Juliana and Oliver may
not make it to the altar.
I found this story to be quite enjoyable, and the
characters are fun. The incidences with Oliver's animals
were amusing, while the seriousness of the threatening
letters kept me a little on edge. I would have liked to
have seen more of a relationship develop between Juliana
and her brother, though. I think this is a great story and
I recommend it.
The romantic adventures of the Sinclairs continue - and the
family secret is finally revealed - as a young woman is
swept off to London for the season, and finds a love she
has always desired.