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Elusive Passion [Mass Market Paperback]

Kathryn Smith (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)


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Book Description

April 3, 2001

Who is the mysterious Varya? On the surface she's a woman who tempts men beyond reason, but no one has touched the heart of the elusive creature...that is, until now

Miles Christian, the Marquess of Wynter, never expected to be abducted at gunpoint and accused of murder - and certainly not by a woman! When he discovers his would-be kidnapper is the elusive Varya, a beauty courted - and desired - by most of the men in London society, he is doubly shocked ... and enthralled. Obsessed with this seductress, Miles is determined to keep her by his side as they hunt for the true culprit, even if it means putting them both in danger.

For Varya the danger lies in Miles's very touch, and though she's far from ready to trust the dashing rogue, she cannot deny the attraction that flares between them. But when they are caught in a compromising position, Varya reluctantly agrees to pose as Miles's mistress, even as she resists his potent efforts to woo her into his bed. For none could guess that her bloodlines are as pure as any English aristocrat's or that behind her public mask lies a woman determined not to relinquish her hard-won independence to a man's desire - unless she ensnares his heart as well.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Elusive Passion is a brilliant debut by the brightest new star in romance... writes with passion and spectacular flair." -- Lisa Kleypas, author

From the Publisher

From a dramatic new voice on the romance scene comes this unforgettably rich love story -- one of passion, independence, and desire. Kathryn Smith leads us through the glittering ballrooms of the haute monde to the dark alleyways of Covent Garden where a man and woman find a love they didn't believe existed.

This adventuresome debut from Kathryn Smith will leave you breathless for more!


Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (April 3, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380816105
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380816101
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #623,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in rural Nova Scotia -- a beautiful piece of the earth, but there wasn't much going on. My mother used to tell me stories and encouraged me to write my own when I was very young.

My first book was 372 hand-written pages about a rock band that sounded (and looked) suspiciously like Duran Duran. I know, I'm dating myself! At that point I was already stealing my sister's romance novels and had fallen in love with the historical genre. Anyway, it was many years later, during a return to university, that I would attempt to write a romance novel. My boyfriend (who I later had the good sense to marry) urged me to return to school and 'write that book', so I did. That book, Elusive Passion, sold to Avon Romance in the summer of 1999. It was published in 2001, and I'm proud to say that since then I've written more than 20 books, many of which have made national best seller lists (including the USA Today list) and have been translated into more than half a dozen languages. My goal is to write until I'm dead. Preferably leaving this world draped over a keyboard. :-)

 

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
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1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, passionate and loads of fun, April 5, 2001
This review is from: Elusive Passion (Mass Market Paperback)
Check out this wonderfully written novel if you're in the mood for something new and refreshing. Anyone who reads it is bound to put Kathryn Smith on the auto-buy list! The characters of Miles and Varya are well developed, the love scenes are scorching, and the action is non-stop!
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great debut. This Regency historical mystery is teriffic, April 3, 2001
This review is from: Elusive Passion (Mass Market Paperback)
In 1814, in a nasty part of London, Marquess Miles Christian, working undercover for the Home Office, pretends intoxication to catch some vicious thieves. His ploy fails to net the thugs, but as he begins to leave, a masked woman holds a pistol on Miles. Varya Ulyanova accuses Miles of murdering her best friend Isabella Mancini, his former mistress. Christian has an iron clad alibi on the date that someone strangled Isabella, but Varya does not believe him and leaves him unconscious.

Miles begins his own inquiries into the identity of his female assailant and into Bella's killer. His investigation leads him to Bella's friend Varya. As they fall in love while working together, seeking a killer, the murderer turns his/her attention towards Varya.

ELUSIVE PASSION is an action packed Regency romantic mystery that centers on a who-done-it. The lead couple is a delightful duet who intermingle love and an investigation into a strong relationship that readers will adore even as they enjoy the clever story line. Fans of Regency romances and historical mysteries (in spite of a cover targeting readers of the former genre) will enjoy Katherine Smith's debut novel.

Harriet Klausner

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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Big disappointment, January 11, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Elusive Passion (Mass Market Paperback)
After slogging through ELUSIVE PASSION by Kathryn Smith, I concluded that logic lost out to Avon Books' notion of romance novel basics. This debut really suffers for it. The lead characters lack spark, sizzle, or chemistry, and their conficts appear contrived and forced.

This author demonstrates a limited descriptive vocabulary (our hero's lips "curved" in a smile in passage after passage.). Our heroine, a professional pianist, rarely goes near a piano--exept on the concert stage--because she's so busy investigating the murder of a loose-living courtesan friend. The Marquess hero wants her for his mistress for no clear reason except, as far as I could tell, accessibility.

In place of Regency period detail, there are anachronisms. The hero often considers having "sex" with the mysterious Varya. She experiences "stress". He fails to "use protection." What century are we dealing with here?

Elusive Passion offers various...romance plot cliches all cooked together in one, undigestable lump.

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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Come on, you bastards. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lord Pennington, Lord Wynter, Marquess of Wynter, Miss Varya, Lord Dennyson, Carlton House, Miles Christian, Czar Alexander, Lord Rochester, Good Lord, Lady Dennyson, Lady Rochester, Lord Carnover, Lady Fenton, Earl of Carnover, Lady Jersey, Bow Street, Elusive Varya, Miss Ulyanova, Wynter Lane, Covent Garden, Isabella Mancini, Lady Beckwith-Breyer, Thank God, Lady Blythe
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