After reading and enthusing over [b:Miss Foster's Folly|8409232|Miss Foster's Folly|Alice Gaines|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275900586s/8409232.jpg|13270368], I had a hard time choosing a second book from Ms Gaines' extensive backlist. Many of the titles, covers and blurbs hinted at genres I avoid, so I settled for a volume with a setting close to [b:Miss Foster's Folly|8409232|Miss Foster's Folly|Alice Gaines|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1275900586s/8409232.jpg|13270368].

The first few pages were a disappointment. The contrived masquerade, the facile kidnapping of a peer of the realm, and the prospect of yet another story about revenge for sexual abuse and humiliation, not to mention a plot that seemed to be heading toward mainstream BDSM -- these were not what I was hoping for.

My reaction to the book began to change the further I read. Plot holes continued to dot the narrative landscape and the number of long, elaborate sex scenes were reminiscent of write-by-numbers erotica, but each physical encounter led to a deeper understanding of the psychology of the main protagonists and the emotional tightrope they were walking to approach each other.

The attract-repel theme is a favourite tension-building device with romance authors, but few provide enough character development to justify either attraction or repulsion.

Ms Gaines is an exception. I didn't count the number of sex scenes in the book, or repetitions of sex plays. There were too many to number. Despite the repetition, however, each encounter was justified in the insights it provided. Each step in the growth of the main characters was perfectly timed and absolutely convincing.

My five-star rating expresses my satisfaction with the book but doesn't reflect the quality of the writing and the wide gap between this book and other books to which I've awarded the same rating. ( )