Agnes's Reviews > Dangerous to Love

Dangerous. Wild. Reckless. Those were the words that crossed Serena Ward’s mind when she met Julian Raynor. But she never thought they would also describe her relationship, and marriage, to him. Our star-crossed lovers met when Serena was disguised as an aspiring actress while stowing Jacobites to safety, and needed to steer clear of the militia when they surprised a check on the tavern she was gambling at. She thought to make use of Julian, only they both ended up in bed but parted on acrimonious terms.

Julian, who is really a Renney, has vowed to avenge his parents’ death on her father, so when he learnt of her true identity, he manipulated her, with the help of her footman and some friends, into a hasty wedding. His excuse was to get at her father through her, at first, but he’s also wildly attracted to her, having tasted her passion on that unfortunate night. They couldn’t foresee the dangers and treachery headed their way which could either destroy the love/hate relationship utterly, or really strengthen their feelings for each other.

What I like about this story is the tumultuous turns of events that draw out the romantic tension, making me eager to chase the plot and character development. Elizabeth Thornton is a master at that, and reading this again brought back a lot of fond memories about this book and her other great works. Tara challenged us to pick up an old favourite and read it again to see if we still like it.

Well, this is one of the more memorable ones of Thornton’s I’ve read in the past, and I’m glad to report that I still like it. Although compared to some of [her] other books I’ve read, this isn’t my favourite. Still, I quite enjoyed the story and the characters. I think Thornton is one of the few romantic authors who improve with time.

Read and reviewed this book in 2006.