This is the first "romantic suspense" novel I have ever read. It was also a very different thing for me from Anne Stuart's period romances which I have enjoyed alot. I did enjoy this book but it left me a little unsatisfied as well. I think I have different standards for suspense novels than I do for romances and I am not really sure how those genres fit together. To me, a good suspense novel can have a little romance in it, and a good romance novel should always have some suspense, but I'm not sure one can carry off being of both genres. At least, I'm not sure this one does.

I have not read alot of suspense novels, honestly, but the one that left an indelible impression of excellence on me was The Bourne Identity. It was convoluted, mysterious, insanely tense, there was weird psyschological romance, the style of it was more implication than action at points (why the movie failed, to me, to convey the same excellence). So, I couldn't help comparing this book to that one. And, it left me wanting.

The romance aspect of the book was good, for me. I did enjoy the interactions of Chloe and Bastien. I did enjoy watching Bastien thaw from his cold killer persona as he fell in love with Chloe. But the whole arms dealers / secret agents / action aspect of the book was just not well enough put together. And so I couldn't help feeling the plot was wanting. If it was supposed to be suspense as a backdrop for romance, I guess it would be OK. But it felt like it was intended to be nail-biting and tense... and that aspect of the plot was ho-hum, seriously telegraphed from the beginning.

All in all I'd say my verdict is I am going to try to stick to Stuart's historical romances when I read her again. Although I liked this, and it was familiar as Stuart (ie, a roguish rake as a hero, taking advantage of the heroine and then falling for her), I didn't like it quite as much as the first two Rohan books.