Alexander, Grand Duke of Nvengaria and its current ambassador to England, doesn’t understand what is happening. He has always taken pride in being in complete control. He had to in order to carry out revenge against the man who killed his father. His ruthless self- discipline has also ensured he protects his country from internal and external threats, such as the scheming of imperial Austria. In his mind, the magic can only be the work of his worst enemies. Still, Alexander is an honorable man. He may have his doubts about the love spell, but he proposes to Megan and makes the naïve country girl the envy of all the ton.

Marriage only brings new problems for Alexander and Megan. For one, their obsessive passion is as strong as ever. Worse, Alexander’s sense of self-control now encounters even harsher attacks. He has to head off another conspiracy against Nvengaria while facing up to another side of him that he didn’t even know existed. Alexander, it appears, is half-logosh, or a Nvengarian demonic shape shifter. Under the guise of not wanting to hurt Megan when his inner beast takes over, he keeps pushing her away. She, however, is not willing to let go.

Therein lies the main problem with the novel. Megan is too sweet, too kind, too gentle. Everybody loves her: Alexander’s former mistress; his Nvengarian bodyguards; even the stuffy English butler. Nothing ever stands in her way, and if it does, she just walks merrily past it. Though I’m not a big fan of tormented, angst-ridden heroines, Megan’s complex-free Pollyanna personality is a bit too much to handle. It certainly didn’t add any spice to what quickly began to look like a one-way relationship. Every time Alexander pushes her away, she happily bounces back and starts all over.

Alexander’s determination to maintain control was just as annoying. It mostly felt like a flagrant ploy to create conflict in a story which was quickly loosing momentum. I can’t say it worked. It didn’t do much convince to me that he was truly in love, either. How could it? The blissfully happy couple never talk about much more than their mutual passion.

Jennifer Ashley doesn’t do a bad job establishing a Regency historical setting: the diplomatic intrigue, for one, seem somewhat credible. Her paranormal world also has some potential, even if she blatantly borrows from a number of different sources. Nvengaria is an unusual blend of Hogsworth-like magic, old Hollywood films about the non-existent Ruritania and familiar folklore. From what I can make out, most of this information was already established in Penelope and Prince Charming, which features Megan’s stepsister and Alexander’s cousin Damien, so it’s not as if we’re treading true ground. Besides, however intriguing the setting, it doesn’t make up for a rather skimpy plot and poor characterization. Unless you’re someone who prefers the background to the story, I’d give this one a miss.

--Mary Benn