A Kiss of Spice
Andrea DaRif
Pocket, Nov 2004, $6.99, 384 pp.
ISBN: 0743463498

After spending time in India working for Grenville & Company Import Tea, Olivia Marquand returns to England. Her hostess Catherine enjoys her company as Olivia proves quite competitive with men in so called manly occupations like riding and shooting arrows. Catherine demands her older brother, recluse Max Bingham, come see her because their brother Kipling has vanished along with his long-time female childhood companion and the Ruby Lion heirloom. Other thefts nearby have occurred with the evidence pointing towards Kipling.

Olivia and Max know each other from when he thought she, as the Lady in Red, was involved in nefarious activity. Although they cleared the air in which she was proven innocent and they were halfway in love with one another, his visage was disfigured so he became a recluse. As Max investigates in an increasingly dangerous situation in an effort to prove his brother's innocence and to find him, Olivia assists him. This second time they fall fully in love, but will love change Max from a hermit to a nurturing lover?

This engaging historical romance stars two delightful protagonists who see life as opposites. Since his injuries, Max is the poster boy for introverted pessimism while Olivia is an I-can-do-anything optimist. Together they make a formidable team although the adversaries seem tougher. Will love prove enough to keep them together?. Fans will want more kiss and tell sequels by Andrea DaRif whose latest is fun to read.

Harriet Klausner