Genre: Regency Romance

This reminds me a lot of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series – it feels like the same kind of light hearted romp with a sweet romance, and nicely steamy scenes. I’m not sure how After the Kiss actually manages this, since the hero, Sullivan Waring is not a solid member of the ton – instead as an Earl’s bastard and a horse breeder of some renown he’s decidedly on the periphery. The heroine, Lady Isabel Chalsey, is the legitimate daughter of an Earl, and a “diamond of the first water”. They meet while Sullivan is breaking into her house in order to steal a painting his mother made, which was illegally (or at least immorally) given to the Chalsey family by Isabel’s suitor (and Sullivan’s half-brother). Sullivan stops her scream with a kiss, and when they meet the very next day Isabel chooses to blackmail him rather then turn him over to the authorities. The rest of the book is a contest of wills between Sullivan and Isabel as they try to understand (and get the better of) each other. I liked the portrayal of Isabel realizing that there was much more going on in the ton that she had previously realized – we see her grow from self-centeredness to an awareness of others that I appreciate. I also like the contrast between Sullivan and his half-brother vis-à-vis how treat Isabel, even if Sullivan’s a bit over-the-top with his protectiveness much of the time.