Kinsale has a reputation for writing dark books, but this one is surprisingly charming, funny, sensitive and oh-so romantic! The characterizations are really good as is the atmosphere.
The resulting romance between Merlin and Ransom feels very natural and it's a joy to read it. That's one of the interesting points of this book, how almost every character has a duality or hidden side of their nature, just like in real life.
He, on the other hand, gets to show the readers his hidden side, at once boyish, scared and tender, in between bouts of extremely arrogant behavior, that is. But as the story progresses, so does Merlin and she soon becomes someone more than able to stand up to Ransom. Merlin - with her forgetfulness ( she keeps calling Ransom "Mr.Duke", a confusion this lofty personality has never before encountered), her hedgehog ( the finger-piercing scene had me in splits), her inventions ( she's inventing a flying machine and a telegraph - what an indomitable woman!) and an innocence that's at odds with her intellect - at first appears to be overshadowed by the larger than life personality of the Duke. It's interesting to see a woman inventor as the female lead. This is book is, simply put, one of the most enjoyable historicals I've read! I'm not going to beat around the bush here.
She quickly comes to realize the attractive and arrogant Duke is used to ruling everybody and will ban her flying machine for life if she succumbs to temptation and marries him.Īs passion soars and intrigue deepens, both Merlin and Ransom will have to face some deadly peril while simultaneously battling innner demons. Scatterbrained and innocent she may be, but Merlin is no fool. Intrigued with her intelligence, beauty, utter innocence and stumped by her stubbornness, His Grace resorts to kidnapping Merlin together with an in-the-making flying machine, assorted servants and paraphernalia to his estate where he proposes to her again and again. Ransom Falconer, the Duke of Damerell, is sent by the British government to retrieve whatever it is before the French get to it. There's a war going on and Merlin Lambourne, a zany and absentminded inventor has something the French want badly.
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