A Kiss of Spice by Andrea DaRif
Jun. 11th, 2009 10:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreMax Bingham is a veteran of the Napoleonic wars and a reclusive sometime-spy. (aren't they all?) While aiding a friend a year ago (apparently the plot of a previous book, which the author assumes you’ve read) he met Olivia Marquand, the rich and savvy owner of a trading company who lives in India. When his younger sister, Cara, summons him home due to the disappearance of both his brother and a family heirloom, he learns that Olivia has returned to England, and asks her to use her connections to help him find his missing brother.
DaRif seems to be something of a fan of Old Skool romances, with nicknames like “Irish Wolfhound” and “Black Cat” and I believe “Jade Tiger,” and kisses that are “hard” and “demanding.” Though thankfully not “punishing” or “savage.” Most of these, however, are brought up in a way that is both fond and nodding towards the absurdity of them. There’s also a lot of “I hate you you annoy me I don’t want to like you why do I keep thinking about your hair?,” but entertainingly so. The suspense plotline, which soon evolves into slave trade and missing young women, is pretty well done, and the characters very entertaining. As much as I like the shrewd and practically Olivia, I admit to being most fond of the adventure-craving Cara. Unfortunately, while DaRif seems to still be writing as Andrea Pickens, she seems to have only written the two books as DaRif, so I doubt Cara’s book was written.
DaRif seems to be something of a fan of Old Skool romances, with nicknames like “Irish Wolfhound” and “Black Cat” and I believe “Jade Tiger,” and kisses that are “hard” and “demanding.” Though thankfully not “punishing” or “savage.” Most of these, however, are brought up in a way that is both fond and nodding towards the absurdity of them. There’s also a lot of “I hate you you annoy me I don’t want to like you why do I keep thinking about your hair?,” but entertainingly so. The suspense plotline, which soon evolves into slave trade and missing young women, is pretty well done, and the characters very entertaining. As much as I like the shrewd and practically Olivia, I admit to being most fond of the adventure-craving Cara. Unfortunately, while DaRif seems to still be writing as Andrea Pickens, she seems to have only written the two books as DaRif, so I doubt Cara’s book was written.