Scandal in the Night

The Reckless Brides #3

by Elizabeth Essex

When the Reckless Brides set their sights on England’s eligible bachelors, nothing can stop them. But when they are strangers in a strange land, anything can happen…

The Spy Who Loved Her

Assuming a false identity as a prim and proper governess, the bold and beautiful Cat Rowan thinks she has finally escaped the wild misadventures of her past—and the wickedly handsome spy who seduced her in India. Imagine her surprise when her employer introduces his brother: the very same cad who destroyed her heart!

The One Who Got Away

The Honorable Thomas Jellicoe cannot believe his eyes when he sees his beloved Cat—the Scottish beauty who nearly jeopardized his mission in India. Disguised as a horse trader from the bazaars of the Punjab, the British spy risked his life for one night of passion in her arms. But here and now—breaking all rules of decorum—one heated kiss ignites a flurry of gunfire. For their enemies have followed them home. And love is the greatest danger of all…

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Fiction, India, Espionage

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

When not re-reading Jane Austen, sipping tea or mucking about her garden, Elizabeth Essex can be found at her computer, making up wonderful stories about people who live far more interesting lives than she.
Elizabeth Essex

It wasn’t always so. Elizabeth graduated from Hollins College with a BA in Classical Studies and Art History, and then earned her MA from Texas A&M University in Nautical Archaeology, also known as the archaeology of shipwrecks. While Elizabeth loved the life of a working archaeologist, after writing and reading all those dry, dusty reports on ship construction, she would daydream about how lovely it would have been if only someone had fallen in love on just one of those ships. And so now she writes stories about just that.

Elizabeth lives in Texas with her family, in a house filled to the brim with books.

Reviews

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This is the first book by Elizabeth Essex I’ve read, and on the strength of it, will certainly be searching out more of her work. Scandal in the Night is part of a series, but works incredibly well as a standalone; and in it, Ms Essex has combined a sweeping and poignant romance with a thriller and peppered it with lots of interesting historical detail and – in the parts set in India - evocative descriptions of local colour and customs.

The opening chapter sees the Honourable Thomas Jellicoe, third son of the Earl of Sanderson, returning to England after a fifteen year absence. As a younger man, he was sent to India to work for the East India Company and was quickly identified as having the special talents needed to gather intelligence; so for the majority of his time there, he worked as a spy. As he says later in the book, to be most effective, a good spy should not attract attention and be able to hide in plain sight, which is exactly what Thomas does. He creates a new identity – that of successful horse breeder and trader Tanvir Singh, and immerses himself completely in his adopted customs and lifestyle.

His true identity is known to only two or three people, and for over a decade, Thomas performs his roles extremely successfully and is content. But that contentment is suddenly shattered when he sees a young, pale-skinned, red-haired woman in the Rani Bazzar one morning, and is instantly smitten. But it’s more than physical attraction. Knowing the woman must be British, Thomas finds himself thinking about home and family for the first time in a dozen years, and finds for the first time a feeling of being “apart”, the weight of his double life suddenly making its presence felt in a way it never has before. And he discovers, deep down, a feeling that perhaps the time is coming when he will want to leave India and return to England.

The young woman is Catriona Rowan, niece to the new resident commissioner of Saharanpur, Lord Summers, and governess to his young children. Thomas is enchanted by her striking looks and her delight in her surroundings and her curiosity, and is further delighted when he discovers the steely backbone that lurks beneath her outer softness. His mistake is in being so infatuated that he doesn’t pause to wonder how and why she acquired it.

When Thomas arrives, unannounced, at his brother’s estate, ready to be welcomed back into the bosom of his family, he is absolutely stunned to discover that the woman he has been searching for for the past two years has been employed as governess to his brother’s children. Catriona – now calling herself Anne Cates – is there, right in front of him, as completely dumbfounded to see Thomas as he is to see her. She had known him only as Tanvir Singh and, we later learn, thought he had abandoned her in India. Their reunion is anything but tender, and after a brief and very strained exchange under the curious eyes of Thomas’ brother and sister-in-law, Catriona runs, knowing it will not be long before her employers discover the truth: She is wanted for murder.

But as she runs, shots are fired, upping the stakes considerably and re-inforcing Catriona’s decision to leave. If, as Thomas suspects, the bullets were meant for her, then she cannot afford to stay and put at risk the lives of Thomas’ family.

This part of the story is thus about finding the would-be murderer and thwarting them. Events unfold over a mere day and a half, with the bulk of the book being taken up with Thomas and Cat’s remembrances of their time in India and how they fell in love. I like the use of flashback as a literary device, and it is handled very well here. The interludes are well placed and I never felt as though the flow of the story was interrupted.

In India, Thomas and Cat are inexorably drawn towards each other – Thomas knowing all the while that he is risking exposure because of course, a Sikh horse-trader could have nothing to do with a British memsahib. But her pull is so strong that even a seasoned spy like Thomas can’t stop himself from showing her more attention than he should, even as he tries to disguise his interest in her. I really enjoyed the way their romance was developed. It was clear from the outset that there was much more to it than physical attraction or insta-lust, and that here were two lonely people who were somehow two halves of the same whole. Thomas’ false identity prevents him from wooing Cat as he would were he “himself”, and Ms Essex has skilfully written a slow-burning and tender courtship with an underlying intensity which stems from Tanvir/Thomas’ very proper behaviour towards her. The author’s use of formal language is both appropriate and rather beautiful; Thomas’ disguise as Tanvir gives her the opportunity to embellish his speech in a way that feels simultaneously formal yet very sensuous.

Thomas is a man who knows what he wants, which is one of the things that I loved about him. He falls hard for Cat and doesn’t try to fight it, even though he knows that the only way to be with her is to turn his life upside down and leave India. Unlike many heroes in historical romance, Thomas isn’t a commitment-phobe, and he’s ready to make such a huge change and settle down, which adds greatly to his overall appeal.

Cat is a woman surrounded by secrets. Even at the age of twenty (when Thomas meets her for the first time) she is carrying a burden of guilt which led her to flee her homeland under a cloud and her return to England seems to have taken place under similar conditions. The British community in Saharanpur believes her to be responsible for a fire at the Summers’ residence which killed her aunt and uncle on the night before she left, and she knows that whoever is out to kill her is seeking to secure her silence about what really happened there.

The way the story plays out is well planned and very well executed. The two protagonists are strongly characterised – Thomas especially – and I particularly liked the way Ms Essex commented upon the political situation of the time, and the corrupt nature of the power enjoyed by the East India Company and its employees. Her depiction of the ex-patriot community as a bunch of discontented backstabbers felt completely right as the matrons disdained Catriona’s desire to soak up as much as she could of the local culture.

I found Scandal in the Night to be a very entertaining and well-written novel . I loved the setting and was impressed by the attention given by the author to the historical and political detail. The romance was tender and heartfelt and the thriller element worked well. I will admit that I wasn’t too enthusiastic about the dénouement, but by that point, I was so caught up in the story and with rooting for Cat and Thomas to finally get their HEA, that I was happy to watch things play out and turned the final page with that feeling of satisfaction that comes with reaching the end of a thoroughly enjoyable book.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in shifting perspectives from the past and the present, Scandal in the Night was part spy thriller, part second chance romance that ended up being a pleasant surprise. I say 'surprise' because second chance stories have a tendency of driving me nuts. But I think what helped me get on board this time around was the fact that the circumstances surrounding Catriona and Thomas's separation weren't the usual flimsy reasons. And with a plot that contained copious amounts of intrigue and heated passion, it was a huge improvement from A Breath of Scandal. The murder(s) mystery and India setting also helped in making this book a real standout.

Catriona and Thomas were such beautifully layered and complex characters, so much more than what they appeared to be on the surface, a fact that they instantly recognized in each other. They had flaws. They built their lives around lies. But by finding each other, they in turn found someone they could trust their truest selves with, perhaps for the first time ever. Their connection ran deep and I felt it with every fiber of my being.

""We're neither of us saints, Catriona."
This was the thing. This was that indescribable feeling, the connection, that had called to him from the very first moment he saw her---his soul had recognized its other half."

Cue dreamy swooning. I found myself doing that a lot while reading Cat and Thomas's story. Elizabeth Essex's ability to create this type of enhanced emotional intensity between her couples from their first interaction onward continues to impress me.

[Mischa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5*
Okay, so, this was really disappointing. After the amazing thing that was the second book in the series and the interesting summary of this one, I was really hoping I might enjoy it.
But, the problem was, that about 80 % of the book took place in the past. Now, I have nothing against a little looking back (it was one of the problems I had with the first book - that the author did not profoundly explain how did the main heroes become attracted to each other), but for such a big part of the book to take place in the past? Especially since there was a gunman in the present? It just seemed like too much and that felt like I actually got nothing from reading this. I'd love for it to take place in the present a little more, maybe just with a reveal of what actually happened in the past at the end. But to devote the entirety of the book to this?
Or maybe if the author first got the past out of the way, and then did a "two years later" part. But put together like this... It was (I'm not even exaggerating): 10 lines of dialogue in the present, then one of the characters starts recalling the past for like 20 pages, which resulted in nothing actually happening in the present and a recounting of the past which I felt like it could have been shrunk a considerable amount (maybe if I didn't feel like this, I'd also enjoy it a little bit more).
I'm not saying that the book didn't have its moments, but all in all, it was a big disappointment and I didn't exactly feel connected to the main characters, either. With the constant jumps to the past, I felt as if I barely knew them.

[Blackjack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scandal in the Night, Elizabeth Essex - This is the second Essex book that I've read and as with the other, The Danger of Desire, I really like her writing and find her a very promising romance author. In Scandal in the Night, Essex does a nice job balancing a number of plots and themes without ever diminishing the romance. In fact, the romance is so strong here and part of that is because the hero, Thomas Jellicoe, truly adores Catriona and will risk his career as a spy and his pride even when there is a misunderstanding. Thankfully, the misunderstanding, though a big one, is cleared up very quickly with one memorable, intense and heartfelt conversation that is one of the most romantic moments I've read in recent memory. I loved the setting of India for most of the novel and surprisingly I even really enjoyed the flashback as much as the present day events in the story. There is a believable villain and a few frightening scenes, and a rich and compelling backstory to the romance itself. I wished there had been more background on Thomas's role as a spy but for the most part, this was a really good read!

[Emi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. The premise is bad enough - a white English aristocrat masquerades as a Sikh, and meets the white Scottish heroine during his work spying for the British government in India. Aside from the fact that South Asian people don't look like white people with a tan, racial and religious identities aren't costumes to be used for plot devices or ~exotic flavor~, which is what this feels like. I also have a lot of problems with a hero who's so cheerfully complicit in violent imperialism, as well as a heroine who unquestioningly accepts the same. The last straw for me personally, however, was the long passages detailing why the heroine is so much more beautiful and desirable than any of the nonwhite women around her *explicitly because of her whiteness.* There's plenty else to dislike about this book, including some scenes that felt icky to me for consent reasons, but the overt racism was...appalling.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sad to DNF this because the first two books in the series were excellent, but the hero here has spent the last fifteen years impersonating a Punjabi Sikh in the Hindu Kush to spy for the British Empire. That's right, a white, English, third son of an earl is masquerading as a Punjabi, well enough to fool everyone. Because whitey mcwhiterson can obviously pick up all the language and culture of an entirely foreign culture well enough to fool everyone in that culture and his own.

Listen, beyond just the mental suspension of disbelief that this requires, which, btw, is way beyond what I am capable of sustaining, a person of color is not a white person with a tan. I'm not giving any more of my time or energy to a book that is so racially problematic.

[Elis Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Jellicoe returns from a spy mission in India and a fruitless search for Cat Rowan, the woman he loved and lost. He's looked everywhere--except his own family home which is where she is coincidentally hiding (she didn't know his real name). Just when the pair is reunited, the shooting starts. What follows is a very good story, but it loses a half star because all the jumping back and forth in time was a bit jarring and frustrating to me, and because sometimes the pacing got bogged down a bit in the descriptive passages. The writing here is excellent, but sometimes it draws attention from the story.

[Katie(babs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome, not your run of the mill historical romance. Most of the story is told in flashback, but done well. Also the setting is exotic and really kept me interested. The hero's love for the heroine is all consuming. Fans of Connie Brockway or Loretta Chase will love this one.

[Dija · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

[Desiree M ~*~*~ LiveReadCollect · Rating 3 out of 5]

2..5 stars.

The first 40-50 pages I was completely loving this.

We start off in the present (1830) and Thomas Jellicoe is coming back home after being away for 15 years spying. Well in his brother's home he sees Cat Rowan, the woman he knew while he was spying in India. He's shocked but happy. Then someone tries to shoot Cat but they have no idea who.

It had the kind of beginning that hooks me in immediately.

However this book draaagggggeeeddd.

It took me a while to get through. Part of that was because most of the time I was reading it, it was on breaks at work but the other part was because this reading experience was frustrating.

As I was reading, I liked the present scenes, I liked the past scenes but how this book was structured just wasn't appealing and I was getting so mad every time a past scene would start and stop the momentum of the present. Thomas, in the present, went to follow/find Cat after someone tried to sneakily shoot her in the yard. He gets to her bedroom doorway and he remains there for at least 80 pages, because there was only a few lines in the present before we're whisked back the past for 20+ pages. Most of the present scenes took place on the same day in the same hour, while the past went through at least a few weeks. It was so frustrating that I'd put the book down for days and not want to pick it back up until the frustration and annoyance died down.

Also the summary on the back mostly focuses on the present, so going into this I expected at least the majority of the stuff going on would be in the present. It's not though. Most of this book takes place in the previous 2 years when Cat and Thomas met and first knew each other.

And again, while I liked both sections, at the same time not much happened in them.

I wanted to love this but it didn't hit the mark.

[Cece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Essex's incredible "Reckless Brides" series continues with the 3rd book, SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT. Like the 1st installment, Almost a Scandal, which took place on a Naval frigate during the Napoleonic Wars, this novel has an interesting historical setting -- a British-controlled Indian territory in the late 1820's. And like both of the previous entries in the series, the heroine is a resourceful, open-minded, and self-reliant young woman who I couldn't help but root for. Elizabeth Essex also continues to write romances that manage to completely side step cliché and overused tropes to create a deeper, more dynamic story. Yes, men and women fall in love, but they do so as equals in curiosity, desire and true companionship and there aren't any of the "short cuts" that you'd find in a subpar romance. In SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT, Essex's writing is lush, elemental, and during the flashback scenes, take on an intoxicating dream-like quality. I loved it! But, I'm me so of course, I have some squabbles...

SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT reminded me of Meredith Duran's excellent debut, The Duke of Shadows, and as that novel is one of my favorite romances of all time, I couldn't help comparing the two books endlessly in my own head and that was to the detriment of SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT. Both stories feature young women who travel to India after experiencing extreme grief, who end up simultaneously falling in love with their new surroundings and men who are seen by the expatriate community as non-white outsiders. Then, each couple is separated by acts of chaotic violence and the machinations of villains/romantic rivals who, for their own selfish reasons, seek to disconnect the heroine from the hero. And, in both books, the couple is suddenly reunited in England through coincidence.

None of this is to say that SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT and The Duke of Shadows are the same book! They're not and there are many, many differences between the two stories, but as someone who had a passionate reaction to The Duke of Shadows and has enthusiastically reread it since, the overlap was hard to get out of my head.

I also wish that SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT made a little more of it's setting. The shifting politics of the East India Company from practical assimilation to avaricious hegemony was discussed in a historically accurate way that didn't detract from the narrative. But, for a book that takes place in India, I would've liked to read about more Indian people. Although the heroine does befriend the Muslim wife and daughter of the hero's mentor, I would've preferred their characters to be slightly more prominent or multi-dimensional.

Overall, I think Elizabeth Essex knocked it out of the park with SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT. I was especially impressed by the way that the action transitioned between the present day, when the couple is reunited in the English countryside, and the flashbacks to their previous - and altogether different! - encounter in India two years before. It seemed perfectly natural that a character would be lost in memories or pause in their recollection to rejoin a conversation happening in the present.

Additionally, the hero, Thomas Jellicoe (the younger brother of the hero, Will Jellicoe, from book #2, A Breath of Scandal), acted as an undercover agent for the Company in India and the ways in which he concealed his identity through voice and presentation were well done. Thomas Jellicoe is also a refreshing change from the previous two heroes in that once he meets his lady love, he isn't at all tortured by the idea of changing his life to accommodate her presence in it.

Catriona Rowan is also a nice departure from the previous heroines, cross-dressing Sally Kent and hoyden Antigone Preston. While she's open to new experiences and possesses a solid backbone, she's also rather conventionally "feminine" in that she's happy in her work as a governess and takes great pleasure in looking after small children.

Final grade: A-.

[Rebekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

When you think critically about it, these ding dongs only knew each other for about a collective week, so DEFINITELY that's worth traveling the world over (ALLEGEDLY) to find your lost love, who may or may not have died in a fire, but probably didn't, is probably the governess for your brother under an assumed name.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite Essex book. The pacing was strange, the villain was cartoonishly evil, and the whole thing of being in "exotic India" and the British spy posing as a multi-lingual Indian horse trader made me distinctly uncomfortable.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

This dragged a lot in the middle.

[Loren · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

[May Mostly Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

เราคงต้องบอกตั้งแต่เริ่มต้นเลยค่ะว่า เล่มนี้ถูกนำไปเปรียบเทียบกับหนังสือเล่มแรกในชุด (Almost a Scandal) ซึ่งเป็นหนังสือที่เราชอบมาก ๆ ทำให้การอ่านเรื่องนี้เป็นเหมือนการวางกับดักตัวเองเอาไว้แต่แรก เพราะเราอดไม่ได้ค่ะที่จะเอาไปเปรียบเทียบ ซึ่งความจริงแล้วก็ยากนะคะที่จะทำเช่นนั้น เพราะว่าแนวเรื่องทั้งสองเล่มแทบจะไม่มีอะไรเหมือนกันเลย

สำหรับคนที่อ่านเล่มสองในชุด (Breath of Scandal) เล่มนี้เป็นเรื่องของโธมัสน้องชายคนเล็กของวิล พระเอกในเล่มนั้น แต่เวลาในเรื่องนี้ผ่านไปหลายปี โธมัสจากเด็กชายตัวน้อย กลายเป็นหนุ่ม แถมยังผ่านประสบการณ์เลวร้าย หลังจากที่ถูกบิดาส่งไปเผชิญโชคในอินเดีย

โธมัสเดินทางกลับมาอังกฤษ หลังจากใช้ชีวิตสิบกว่าปีในอินเดีย สิ่งที่คนในครอบครัวของเขาไม่รู้ก็คือ โธมัสทำงานเป็นสายลับให้กับรัฐบาลอังกฤษ เกือบตลอดเวลาเขาใช้ชีวิตในอีกตัวตนนึง นักค้าม้าชาวซิกห์ แฝงตัวเป็นชาวพื้นเมืองอินเดีย ชนิดที่คนอังกฤษด้วยกันก็ยังไม่รู้เลยว่า แท้จริงแล้วเขาคือใคร และที่นั่นเองโธมัสก็ได้พบกับคาทริโอนา สาวชาวอังกฤษที่เดินทางมาอินเดียเพื่อพึ่งใบบุญของญาติ หลังจากที่บิดาของเธอเสียชีวิต ความรักของทั้งสองดูเป็นเรื่องต้องห้าม สาวชาวอังกฤษกับหนุ่มอินเเดีย (เพราะไม่มีใครรู้ว่า โธมัสเป็นใคร) แต่ก็ไม่อาจขวางกั้นทั้งคู่ได้

แต่เรื่องเลวร้ายเกิดขึ้น เพียงแค่ชั่วคืนเดียว คาทริโอนาตกเป็นผู้ต้องการคดีฆาตกรรม ส่วนโธมัสหายตัวไป เมื่อเขากลับมาหญิงสาวหายตัวไปแล้ว แม้เขาจะเคลียร์คดีและชื่อเสียงให้กับเธอ แต่เขาก็ไม่อาจหาตัวเธอได้เจอ เขาใช้เวลาหลายเดือนออกตามหาเธอไปทั่วอินเดีย แต่ก็ไม่พบ

สิ่งสุดท้ายที่เขาคาดคิดก็���ือ จะได้เจอกับเธอในบ้านของพี่ชายของเขาเอง ในอังกฤษ และแน่นอนว่า คนสุดท้ายที่คาทริโอนาคาดว่าจะได้เจอในบ้านของเจ้านายชาวอังกฤษ ก็คือคนรักชาวอินเดียนของเธอ

เรื่องนี้เล่าเรื่องตัดสลับระหว่างเหตุการณ์ในปัจจุบันในอังกฤษเมื่อโธมัสและคาทริโอนาได้กลับมาพบกันอีกครั้ง กับความสัมพันธ์ของทั้งคู่ที่เกิดขึ้นในอินเดีย เราพบว่าตัวเองสนใจตัวตนของโธมัสระหว่างที่เขาเล่นละครเป็นคนอินเดียอย่างมาก แต่เนื้อเรื่องในส่วนนั้นไม่ได้ลงรายละเอียดมากนัก เราหวังให้คนแต่งใช้เวลาของเรื่องในส่วนนี้ให้มากหน่อย เราอยากรู้ว่า อะไรทำให้คนอังกฤษเต็มตัวอย่างโธมัส กลายสภาพเป็นอีกตัวตนนึงได้

เหตุการณ์ในปัจจุบันของเรืองมีความน่าสนใจน้อยกว่า เราคิดว่า อารมณ์ของเรื่องดูด้อยลงไปเล็กน้อยด้วย เราคิดว่า มันน่าจะรุนแรง โหยหามากกว่านี้ โดยเฉพาะเมื่อคิดถึงความสัมพันธ์ในครั้งอดีตของทั้งคู่

เรื่องนี้ถือว่าสนุกในระดับนึงค่ะ ไม่มีอะไรเสียหาย เพียงแต่เรานึกอยากให้คนแต่งใช้เวลาลงลึกไปในระดับของตัวละครมากกว่านี้ เราอยากรู้จักตัวตนของในด้านลึกกว่าที่เป็น แต่อย่างที่บอกไปตอนแรกค่ะ เราอาจจะยังหลงใหลไปกับเรื่อง Almost a Scandal มากอยู่ก็ได้ค่ะ เลยรู้สึกว่า เรื่องนี้ด้อยลงไปบ้าง

คะแนที่ 70

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 4 out of 5]

SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT by Elizabeth Essex is an exciting Regency Historical Romance set in 1830 England. #3 in "A Reckless Brides" novel, but can be read as a stand alone. Follow the Honorable Thomas Jellicoe and Catriona Rowan,who has more than one secret to tell, as they navigate passion, secrets, a spy or two, danger, and love. Cat, nearly destroyed a mission devilishly,handsome, British spy Thomas,was on in India. One night of passion with Cat and Thomas was forever changed. Now years later, the greatest danger to both of them could very well be their hearts as well as their lives. Their enemies have followed them back to England. Cat is disguised as governess who employer just happens to be none other than Thomas Jellicoe. The game is on.....

Passion ignites again, after only one steamy kiss. As well as gunfire. It seems their enemies have found them and is out to collect a debt that they fell is long over due. A deliciously sexy story with suspense, mystery, with a blend of historical details as well as romance. A blend of intrigue and sexual desire. A not to miss story. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. With its charming, engaging characters and its blend of passion and intrigue,it all comes together smoothly and is an exciting read from the first page to the last page. A must read! Well done! I can hardly wait to see what Ms. Essex has in store for her readers next! Received for an honest review from the publisher.

RATING: 4.5

HEAT RATING: HOT

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More

[Mudpie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think of the three books I like the first story of Col & Sally best. This bk is full of suspense tho. ..unfortunately I was unable to read continuously so I tend to be lost. In real time the book took place over a couple of days...the whole story unfolds by flashbacks to two years ago in India and finally even further back to Scotland. It's a fresh way of writing but I had to get used to the time travel since I had to read on the go. I remember I did not quite like Cassandra in William and Antigone's story...I can't say I like her much more here in spite of her protectiveness of Cat. It seems a more selfish kind of caring cos she needs such a good governess as Cat for her children. ..just like how she did not do much to help Antigone as she wss concerned with her own securing a good and rich husband. I wish I could like Elizabeth Essex more but now that I've completed the trilogy I'm ready to stop reading her books.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, solid read. The hero, Thomas, is actually two people. He is the Honorable Thomas Jellicoe brother to a viscount and son of an earl, in England. And he is Tanvir Singh a Sikh horse trader and spy for the East India Company, in India. The story begins with his return home after 15 years spent in India. It is complicated by the coincidental presence of the governess who is Miss Anne Cates but also known as Catriona Rowan in India who is/was his lost love and for whom he has been searching.

The story goes back and forth between the present and the past weaving a story of love trying to succeed against the wishes of English society in India.

There are many players and many children, and a mare affectionately named Puithar (sister), which embellish the story pleasurably. I liked how the relationship between the two evolved naturally but yet was palpable. They were not wrenched apart by petty misunderstandings but by realistic circumstances.

Very good.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 An interesting book, narrative-wise, split between a brief current-day (1830) meeting between former lovers and flashbacks to the lovers' developing relationship years before in India. The twist: the male half of the romantic duo, Tanvir Singh, a Sikh horse trader, was in fact Thomas Jellicoe, younger son of an earl and spy for the British crown. Thomas never told Catriona Rowan his true identity, and when Cat disappears after being accused of arson and murder, Thomas cannot find her. Only when he returns to England after years of searching does he see her again--hiding under an assumed name, right in the midst of his own family. A few too many contrivances to feel completely compelling, and Cat's last secret seems a bit tacked-on, but still, Essex's strong writing and passionate characters make this well worth the read.

[Tracy Emro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a fan of "flashbacks", but it works for this story.

Thomas stole my heart, he has become one of my all time favorite heroes (only Varian from Love, Remember Me is ahead of him!). His love and unwavering devotion to Cat was awesome to behold.

I loved Cat too, she was so loving and giving. My heart broke for all her loss and pain. If ever a heroine deserved the love and adoration of a truly wonderful hero (and in my opinion - most don't ) she did!

I have loved every book I have read by Ms. Essex and would recommend her books to anyone. She is a gifted writer and storyteller.

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reckless Brides Book Three.

The Honorable Thomas Jellicoe finds love in the last place he would suspect - undercover in India. However, tragedy separates him from the lovely Catriona Rowan. He arrives home only to discover she has been living as Miss Anne Cates, his brother's governess. Now they must come to grips with all that happened in the two years since the fire that separated them, because an old enemy has remerged.

If you are looking for a mixture of exotic Indian lifestyles and the more refined British upkeep, this tale is for you.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book-and have to admit the previous two did not interest me enough to even purchase them. I think it is the setting-India-and the long-lost loves. Thomas was a spy for the Company, posing as a native horse trader for years. Cat comes to join her aunt after her family dies. Their story, told alternatly between India and present day is wonderful. It is clear from the beginning what they mean to each other but the question remains to the end-will they be able to find a way to stay with each other.

[Sheilam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I've read by Elizabeth Essex, I'll be lookinf for more. Cat Rowan was in India living with relatives when she met an Indian horse trader Tanvir Singh and spent a night with him. A fire and her family's deaths the same night drove her back to England. She changed her name and became a meek governess. At a picnic she was introduced to her employer's brother, the horse trader who was really Thomas Jellicoe. Why did she change her name. Spies, murders and attempted murder fill the book.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only 4 stars since it is not as good as books 1, 2, & 5 in this series. (I still need to read book 4.) That said, the second half of the book is much better than the first half, in my opinion. I am glad I stayed with it for that reason. Tanvir/Thomas is a great character. I still wonder how easily the identity of Tanvir was assumed. Cat/Ann is a less interesting character but her care for children in her care is outstanding.

I much prefer the main characters in book 1 (Sally & Col) and book 5 (Jane & Charles) much better than in this book.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing on this one just wasn't as good as the first two. I loved the first book, and the second was enjoyable. This one just didn't hold my attention -- probably because it kept bouncing back and forth from past to present. It also didn't really have any well-developed secondary characters to keep things interesting. There was no appearance of the past series characters except for James and Cassandra, who were more there to move the plot along than as characters.

[Eave Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

A man comes home to England from India to find the woman he fell in love is working, under an assumed identity, for his brother as a governess. The bits where Cat Rowan and Thomas Jellicoe are in their Scottish and English personas are not that engaging. But the bits when they are in India and he is an English masquerading as a Sikh horse trader are fine. Just fine! There's a bit of a mystery and bit of, Oh, no. I couldn't (Cat), and Yes, yes, you can (Thomas). Then they all live HEA.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly confusing having most of the action take place in (very, very) extended flashbacks, but I LOVED the descriptions of India. Sights, sounds, smells - Essex made it very easy to imagine yourself there. I appreciated the bits of info we got on the different cultures in the area as well. I would have liked a little more narrative in the present tense to reassure myself that Thomas and Cat will indeed live HEA, rather than the semi-abrupt end to the action that we get.

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so close to giving this book 5 stars, but I just didn't love the ending so I have to demote it to 4.5 stars. Still a great read though. I will say there were a few parts of the book towards the end where some of the transitions were hard to follow and I wasn't quite sure who was talking or missed a major detail that had been hidden in one sentence, but other than that, a great read!

[Asya · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story of flame-haired Catriona and Thomas Jellicoe is nice intertwining of past and present as we see the couple meet and fall in love in India and their reunion in the present. I enjoyed the book but not as much as the others in this series, I think this one is not as unique. It is still evocatively written and I enjoyed the descriptions of life in India and it had an excellent villain.