Jennifer Blake Dawn Encounter

Dawn Encounter

Jennifer Blake

Mira, Jan 2006, $5.99, 416 pp.

ISBN: 0778322130

In 1840 New Orleans, maitre d'Armes Caid O'Neill enjoyed killing odious Eugene Moisant in a duel though it has cost him some business at his fencing school. On his way home he finds unconscious Moisant's widow Lisette lying on her late husband's grave, an apparent suicide attempt. He takes her to a friend's home where Lisette insists her father-in-law Henri is trying to poison her to gain control of her fortune. She tries to hire Caid to protect her, but he initially refuses until Henri arrives to softly demand she comes home. She refuses; Caid recognizing evil agrees to protect her.

Irate, Henri vows to kill Caid and rape and kill Lisette. Caid tries to remain proper though he finds he desires the widow. She also frustrates him as she refuses to become a bird in a gilded cage, which exposes her to danger. Caid decides to find her the right husband, but he falls in love with his ward; she reciprocates as she realizes he is not a killer, but instead a sensitive person who detests using violence though he is not afraid to do so. Henri sets in motion his plan of vengeance and wealth gathering that starts and ends with two homicides.

The latest Maitre D'Armes Tale (see CHALLENGE TO HONOR) is an exciting historical romantic suspense thriller that stars two courageous individuals struggling against a powerful enemy whose hatred seems insurmountable. Though Henri is a villainous caricature, the action-packed story line vividly brings pre Civil War New Orleans to life even while the triangle of love and death between Henri, Caid and Lisette is the focus of the plot. Fans will appreciate this sword and romance thriller.

Harriet Klausner