To be honest, I'm not sure I liked this book. I love Madeline Hunter's books and I confess that this is the first one of which I was unsure. The story is good enough, the characters just as amenable, but I suppose that I expected more suspense in this one, similar to her other books. Fleur is not exactly a very likable character. She irritated me at times but predictably redeems herself in the end. Dante is as good a hero as any. He accommodates her to the best of his ability and even strains at his limits at times to abide with Fleur's wishes. I don't know. I suppose I could recommend that if you had another book that peaked your interest more than this one, then I'd say choose the other.

"I do not think I could have been loved by a better man, Dante. Nor could I love one better than I love you."

Dante took her face in his two hands. "I want you to know something. I was always glad that we married, Fleur. If you had never been able to give yourself to me, I would have still cherished you and the love I have for you. I would have never regretted becoming your husband."

I just love Hunter's dialogue. This is the first book of the series that I read and I really enjoyed it. I was thoroughly entertained from the beginning to end. Some aspects of story were predictable, but it didn't matter because I was too engrossed to really notice or care.

UPDATE: I just read 3 other books in this series (The Romantic, The Seducer, and The Saint). If you can, read them in order. I believe it goes The Seducer, The Saint, The Charmer, The Sinner and The Romantic. Normally I don't mind reading books out of sequence, but this time it ruined the other stories for me. I definitely enjoyed The Sinner the most... then The Romantic, The Saint and The Seducer.

At times the book was absorbing, but at others, it was dull. The lead couple was not particularly interesting; they weren't awful, but they weren't exceptional in any meaningful way. Too much was said, rather than shown. The mystery remained fairly interesting, although the cast of villains and suspected villains sometimes became confusing and some of them remained enigmas through the end.

I always get the feeling that there's something missing in Ms. Hunter's books...some emotional connection for the reader. There's a sense of distance, an invisible wall between the characters and the reader that is never quite breached. This one is no different.

The other books in this series were OK. I found this book too slow paced to stay interested for long. It was very easy to put the book aside in favor of other books. I think the reason Fleur Monley desired the 'white marriage' was a weak excuse considering the extent of her fear. When her reason was revealed I thought,"That's all?" As for Dante, I didn't care for him much. He seemed too juvenile to me. He was very irresponsible. While this book isn't awful, the others in the series are better. The only real reason I can see to read this book is that the reader would want to finish up the entire series, not leaving a book unread.