Sweet Enemy

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For full review including excerpt and dialogue highlight, please visit Reader's Edyn: http://bit.ly/ysLhap Review: As you all may have noticed, I have been on a historical romance kick lately. I love HR! Started with HR, will always go back to HR. It is my favorite of all genres. But what I have noticed most about the recent HR reads I have been rabidly reading through is that I have very much enjoyed them all. I mean, seriously. When reading multiple books, you would expect to find something that you don’t exactly swoon over. Most especially because many of the authors I have read lately are new-to-me. But I have absolutely loved them. And what is more? Many of these authors are showcasing their debut novels. Yup. You read that right. DEBUT! Well, I am here to say, the fabulous debut author Heather Snow has got what it takes! Geoffrey is in a pickle. A returned war hero, he has witnessed the harsh realities of life after war. The soldiers frequently return to nothing and consequently end up begging on the street just to survive after putting their lives on the line for the country that has failed to acknowledge their bravery. Sure, people call them heroes, but hero status does not put food on the table of the underprivileged. Geoffrey aims to change that and with his position in Parliament, he is fast approaching the clout to push his dreams into reality. Except his mother has other plans and has every intention of seeing him settle down and get down to fulfilling his responsibility of providing an heir. Now he is trapped at his own house party he did NOT plan with a bunch of scheming potential wives and their meddling mothers. What is worse, he is completely exasperated by the fair Liliana, which quickly blossoms into a healthy dose of lust. And Geoffrey is trying desperately not to succumb to his baser instincts. Liliana has ulterior motives - quite a few of them actually �" for finagling her aunt into securing her acceptance to the Earl’s house party. The primary reason, to discover the possible individual guilty of murdering her father. She knows someone within the Earl’s home is responsible and she has to start with the Earl himself. But Liliana is playing a dangerous game. First, she has lied to her Aunt, acting as if she would like to try and snag the Earl for her own when all she really wants to do is continue her life’s work as a scientist. Then there is the matter of Geoffrey. Liliana is in no way seeking a husband. After all, they tend to dictate to their wives, and don’t generally support those who opt to participate in professions that refuse to accept women. She is not going to give up her passion for the sake of something undesirable like marriage and family. Except the Earl is fast becoming more and more desirable. And Liliana is finding it near impossible to ignore the longing he evokes within her. As their relationship grows, Liliana becomes the one in the pickle. Does she give up the search for her father’s killer and attempt a future with Geoffrey, or does she confess all and pray he does not cast her aside? I. Loved. This. Book. Ms. Snow shoots outside of the box in creating her characters and achieves magical results. Geoffrey is not what one expects of the higher class. He is determined to help those less fortunate, especially his fellow soldiers, and will use whatever influence he can to see his dream fulfilled. Liliana is no less unconventional. In her bid to become a recognized member within the scientific realm �" a dominion that staunchly refuses to allow women a place within, despite her brilliance, she becomes more of an outcast than anything. She is obviously all wrong for an Earl with political ties, but that, oftentimes, makes her absolutely perfect as his match. And of course, both are opposed to being forced into conforming like the rest of their peers, so both have to overcome the protective walls resurrected before a chance at happiness is given the slightest flicker of a possibility. I love that Liliana is strong and capable, while obviously unaware of an obvious need for love an acceptance she tried hard to oppress. Adding to the splendor of this story is intelligence and wit mixed with just the right amount of sarcasm. And the intellect demonstrated by both Liliana and Geoffrey is not overdone. The scientific facts, for example are kept to a level that allows enhancement of the story while maintaining the readers attention. The wit and sarcasm is utterly charming. One of my favorite paragraphs is Geoffrey speaking to his horse while thinking other thoughts to himself about Liliana, who is devastating his senses in every way possible by this time. He found a spot to rest the horses away from the crab apple trees. Grin nudged him in protest. “Much too much temptation over there,” Geoffrey mumbled, as much to himself as to the horse. “You, my friend, have an appalling lack of self-control.” As does your master. “And I have no desire” �" to find myself married to a woman completely wrong for me �" “to nurse a sick horse all the way home,” he said, patting Grin on the rump. Throw in the bits of mystery and danger and you have the formula for this fresh, delightful novel. And … did I mention that the cover of this book has a quote from Julie Garwood? Julie. Garwood. People. I mean seriously. What more of an endorsement do you need? I can say for sure that I will be keeping an eye on Ms. Snow as I am confident she is an author to watch. Sweet Enemy is also part of a series: Veiled Seduction. Happily, I have discovered that an intriguing secondary character from the book, Aveline, will get his story in book 2, Sweet Deception, due out in August of this year. The reader is offered a glimpse into Aveline, but not near enough. My curiosity strings have been well and truly plucked. You can bet I will be reading that book for sure. Historical romance lovers are sure to enjoy Ms. Snow and her charming debut. (ARC Paperback received from author for review.)