Kasey Michaels, Shall We Dance?

Shall We Dance?

Kasey Michaels

Harlequin HQN, March 2005, $6.99

ISBN: 0373770383

In 1820, the King is dead and George IV inherits the throne. However, George wants to rid himself of his estranged wife Princess Caroline before his coronation, insisting she does not deserve to be queen. Caroline has returned to England after several years on the continent in exile planning to sit on the throne whether her spouse wants her or not.

The retired Minister of the Admiralty Sir Willard Humphrey orders his worthless nephew Perry Shepherd to use the undercover skills he learned during the Napoleonic wars to find dirt to discredit Caroline. To gain entry, Willard suggests Perry use loyal princess, follower Amelia Fredericks, one of Caroline's orphans. If Perry fails to perform his duty for his king, Willard says he will enlist the odious Jarrett Rolin who will do anything to regain his lost status amidst the Ton. Reluctantly, feeling like it is the less of two evils, Perry leaves his hedonistic pastime behind to uncover regal scandal. Instead he falls in love with his ticket but worries how his beloved will react to his treachery of using her to get at her cherished Princess.

This entertaining, Regency romance in many ways is more a political historical tale than a love story. Readers obtain a taste of the Whig-Tory rivalry accentuated by who they support, the king or the wannabe queen. The enticing romance enhances the competition for power as Kasey Michaels provides a refreshing look at the machinations and skirmishes between the Regent and his wife as well as the two political parties prior to the coronation.

Harriet Klausner