His Dark and Dangerous Ways (Avon Romance) [Mass Market Paperback]

Edith Layton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2008 | Series: Avon Romance

Simon Atwood, Lord Granger, once gave all for his country—and paid the price. Now, his handsome face haunted by a secret sorrow, Simon has undertaken a mission far closer to home, but no less dangerous. And though he hesitates to risk her safety, he must seek the help of Jane Chatham, an enchanting dance teacher who could prove a worthy partner—in espionage and in love.

Forced to live by her wiles far from her well-bred country upbringing, Jane Chatham is suspicious of every man's intentions, even those of a gentleman like Simon Atwood. After all, she knows nothing of this enigmatic nobleman, and has no reason to believe his promises. Keeping him at a distance should prove simple for the resourceful, quick-witted beauty . . . until she finds herself mesmerized by Simon's dark and dangerous ways, consumed by a passion that puts her very life at stake.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edith Layton loved to write. She wrote articles and opinion pieces for the New York Times and Newsday, as well as for local papers, and freelanced writing publicity before she began writing novels.

Publisher’s Weekly called her “one of romance’s most gifted authors.” She received many awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romantic Times, and excellent reviews and commendations from Library Journal, Romance Readers Anonymous, and Romance Writers of America. She also wrote historical novels under the name Edith Felber.

Mother of three grown children, she lived on Long Island with her devoted dog, Miss Daisy; her half feral parakeet, Little Richard; and various nameless pond fish in the fishness protection program.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Avon (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061253634
• ISBN-13: 978-0061253638
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #605,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not particularly dark and dangerous, July 14, 2008

By 

Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: His Dark and Dangerous Ways (Avon Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

Jane Chatham is a gentlewoman down on her luck and without family upon whom she can rely. She realises she may be able to make enough money to live on by giving dancing lessons to the children of the nobility and has measured success at this - enough to keep her off the breadline. However when she comes to the notice of various gentlemen as she is giving dancing lessons at the home of Lady Harwood, she finds herself in the middle of some gentle espionage. Simon Atwood, Lord Granger, asks her to give him information on various people who are flocking around Lady Harwood.

It seems that espionage is catching, however, as in due course Lady Harwood and Viscount Delancey also ask Jane to spy for them. However Jane has loyalty to her original employer and keeps in touch with Simon. As they spend more time together it looks like Jane's reputation might be damaged beyond repair, but as Simon has apparently been damaged beyond repair following imprisonment and torture by the French, what chance does she have to smooth her life out? And who might be trying to kill Simon?

This was a gentle story with events floating along and few really exciting moments. The relationship between Simon and Jane felt a bit woolly with no obvious reason, apart from physical appearance, for the two to be attracted to each other. Jane's a strange mix of naivete and common sense and Simon's actions often seemed a bit strange. He went to great efforts to disguise himself and then kept putting Jane in dodgy situations. The spying plot didn't work very well to this reader with the unmasking of the villain no surprise at all. The plot device of Lady Harwood's salons also felt very contrived, as did Jane's various mishaps. All in all this was an inoffensive book but with little really to recommend it.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars don't waste your time, July 16, 2008

By 

sahara836 - See all my reviews

This review is from: His Dark and Dangerous Ways (Avon Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

I wasn't sure I'd make it through this one (and I never leave a book half-finished). For starters, she desperately needs a better editor. Aside from a handful of technical errors (like names that change spellings from one sentence to the next) were numerous inconsistencies - for example, when the hero and heroine first meet he introduces himself, and it's clear from her reaction that she is familiar with his notoriety - then several pages later, she found out his identify from the servants - then some time later, his past is explained to her by another character, and she appears entirely unfamiliar with it. At one point she mentions a brother, then later she has no family. He is 'Lord Granger', but nowhere in the book does it see fit to mention lord of what. Et cetera. On top of that, there is nothing remotely "dark or dangerous" about the hero as implied by the title - his character is not at all well developed. The villain is predictable, the villain's rationale is inane, and the series of events that take you there are improbable (and my standards of probability for a romance novel are pretty low). This is my first Edith Layton novel, and it will definitely be my last.

1.0 out of 5 stars Eye-roller of a book, December 6, 2011

By 

Emilie Raye - See all my reviews

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This review is from: His Dark and Dangerous Ways (Avon Romance) (Mass Market Paperback)

This books fails on many levels and I don't understand how anyone could have given it a 5-star review (but to each his or her own). The plot was so thinly conceived and poorly executed. The dialogue was stilted and abundant. There is more dialogue in this book than any thing else, which left the entire novel without any atmosphere, scenery and description. The author spent no effort to develop the story beyond the dialogue. And the accuracy, or lack of, issue in this book was rather shocking to me. Did no one do any editing? In one chapter the heroine meets Simon, the "mysterious" gentleman, and he tells her his name (even talks about his reputation) but then two chapters later our heroine has to go weasel out his name from the servants?? And he does not tell her who to spy on specifically, never mention a suitor or the name Richard, but she telepathically must have picked up on it because later suddenly she thinks "this is Richard, the suitor I'm suppose to spy on". How did she get that? I was so annoyed by these obvious mistakes that I nearly didn't keep reading. But I held on, hoping it would improve. It didn't. There is nothing dangerous or mysterious about the hero, Simon, who is rather a talker and tells our heroine an awful lot about his clandestine world. There is no chemistry between the two and the only love scene is disappointing and bland (it was an awful way to end the book). The writing was lacking, with bad transitions between scenes, choppy and lengthy dialogue and an over-all lack of creativity and depth. I was rolling my eyes constantly throughout this novel and have determined to never read another Edith Layton novel. The whole book just felt so pointless.