Perfect Hero, A (Kindle Edition)

by Samantha, James (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In the fast-moving conclusion to James's Regency trilogy about the Sterling family (A Perfect Groom; A Perfect Bride), Lady Julianna Sterling, abandoned at the altar and determined never to marry, becomes ensnared in a tangle of intrigue and falls in love with an apparent rogue. Years after her disappointment, Julianna is en route to Bath when her coach crashes, leaving her unconscious. Viscount Dane Granville—a government agent posing as a robber to solve a series of crimes—carries Julianna to his cottage to recuperate. In the ensuing days, the pair fight each other and their mutual attraction, succumbing almost to the point of consummation. But Julianna, still in the dark about Dane's true situation, returns at last to London believing she'll never see him again—until she encounters him in the midst of London's elite. A large coincidence puts Dane on the trail of the villain he seeks and, at the same time, alerts Julianna to the startling truth about an old family scandal. Though the occasional clichés and overheated prose may put off some readers, James's newest provides the explosive sex scenes her fans have come to expect.
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Review
"James's newest provides the explosive sex scenes her fans have come to expect."
-- Publishers Weekly (Publisher's Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 284 KB
• Print Length: 384 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Up to 5 simultaneous devices, per publisher limits
• Publisher: HarperCollins e-books (June 28, 2005)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FCK97M
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,093 in Kindle Store (See Bestsellers in Kindle Store)

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• This is item 3 in The Sterling Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Highwayman takes a Bride!!!, June 28, 2005

By	Nicole Wagner (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Perfect Hero (Mass Market Paperback)

Lady Juliana Sterling is scorned by love. A beautiful woman who is firmly on the shelf. She resolves to live her life alone, to never feel a child in her arms, and to spend the remainder of her days shielding her heart from that devestating emotion.

Viscount Dane Granville is posing as a highwayman called the Magpie while conducting an investigation for the Home Office. Robbing Lady Juliana's carriage was just part of the role. He didn't mean for Lady Juliana to get injured. Guilt and duty required that he take Lady Juliana to his hideout in the woods.

While ensconced in that quite hideaway a delicate struggle between captor and captive begin. Their attraction to each other is fierce. They both fight emotions they know are inappropriate...will they ever work it out?

I do recommend this novel for it's quick delivery and good writing style. The characters are easily likeable and the drama is good. Also it practically smoulders off the page. A great way to spend an afternoon.

Why not 5 stars...well it's preference really. I didn't need the highwayman to be a Viscount. He really didn't need to have higher purposes. He could have remained a criminal and somehow that would have made him more sexy. Also the type is so big it's about 5-8 words per line. It really could be a 100 page novella. Another great book to buy would be Samantha Saxon's The Lady Lies.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The further you read the better it got!, August 14, 2005

By	J. Brennan (Pittsburgh) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Perfect Hero (Mass Market Paperback)

I'll admit the first third of this book did not totally engage me - I was annoyed at first the way Dane called her kitten - it just seemed out of character for either a highwayman or a lord. And Julianna just seemed not quite right for him at all - and when she shot him well that really seemed unexpected and unnecessary. However, as the book continued and they started to actually reveal some of themselves to each other the book started to come together quite well and by the time they actually take their lust beyond a few kisses I was very rapped up in this love story and then could not put it down. I loved how Dane totally took charge of the situation when they meet again in London and he is Lord Granville. Too many times you see similar situations drawn out because the man feels the need to keep secrets when he actually can trust the lady. Dane knew he could trust Julianna and the carriage scene was so hot and so intense - wow then the book really was really coming together! The plot of why Dane was posing as the Magpie and spying for the Crown was a little difficult to comprehend and actually not that important im my opinion. How it all came together in the end and how Dane truly showed his love for Julianna with Daphne was a touching addition. It was also great to see Sebastian and Justin again and all of them happy in their loving families. As the book concludes you feel the trilogy was indeed tied up in a happy every after knot and all three Sterling children are in love and happy in their futures.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Failed to Stand and Deliver the Ultimate Punch., July 28, 2005

By	MaryGrace Meloche (Ontario, Canada.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Perfect Hero (Mass Market Paperback)

The Sterling family is now complete! Samantha James offers the final chapter in her Sterling Trilogy and although A PERFECT HERO is a pleasant enough read, somehow it doesn't satisfy! Sadly, Lady Julianna's tale slips away.

Julianna Sterling is getting on with her life. Four years earlier, on her wedding day, Lady Julianna was abandoned by her fiancé. Humiliated and embarrassed, Julianna promised herself she would never again allow a man to enter her heart. Unfortunately, such a defiant direction means Julianna Sterling will never know a man's touch or have a child of her own.

Dane, Viscount Granville, works undercover for the Crown. He is the notorious highwayman 'The Magpie' and he is very good at his job. He is always cool and collected - always - well until he is forced to take Julianna Sterling captive, forced to take her to his cottage in the woods. Then suddenly Viscount Granville is simply a man.

OK such a plot does sound promising! Such a plot lays the necessary groundwork for a great romantic adventure, so what caused the story to slip away? The primary evil was the heroine's demeanor. It shouts childlike! Although, Julianna Sterling's age is twenty-seven, she radiates ten, she behaves ten, and the reader thinks ten. Whereupon, identifying romance, with a lead female character assigned to childish behavior, is extraordinary hard. The second crime is the blatant lack of the stringent social rules of the Regency period. Whenever did it become acceptable for a strange man to carry a disheveled lady into her own house, past her servants, to her bedroom, undress her, spend the night, and have NOT one person raise an eyebrow? And when did it become socially A-OK for a virtual stranger to announce to a lady's brothers (one a Marquess) that he is going to marry their sister. Not ask, just state! The consequences? The lady's brothers swap a humorous glance! Unquestionably, a historical romance must follow the rules of the era; the story CANNOT be altered to garnish the author's perception.

Yes, this is the third and final book of the Sterling family trilogy and although it does have some major problems the story remains pleasant and the fairytale epilogue did bring a smile. And it is not necessary to read A PERFECT BRIDE featuring Sebastian Sterling, the Marquess of Thurston, or A PERFECT GROOM, the Justin Sterling story, to understand and follow the Sterling family history! That feature is always an added bonus.
Grade: B-

MaryGrace Meloche.