Book Review - Caprice by Laura Parker

Caprice: The Masquerade Series - Book One
Laura Parker
File Size: 2259 KB
Print Length: 342 pages
Publisher: Diversion Books (November 26, 2013)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English
ASIN: B00GWZ2LN6

This delightful historical romance set in the Regency Era was first published in paperback, as were the other four books in the series, and now they are all available as e-books. This first one is free, and the others are reasonably priced:

1. Book 1: Caprice: The Masqueraders Series - Book One
2. Book 2: Mischief: The Masqueraders Series - Book Two
3. Book 3: Beguiled: The Masqueraders Series - Book Three
4. Book 4: Emerald and Sapphire: The Masqueraders Series - Book Four
5. Book 5: The Gamble: The Masqueraders Series - Book Five

Even though I am not a huge fan of romance novels, I read all the books in the series when they first came out in paper, and I enjoyed them all. I have always appreciated Parker's books more than some other romances because the heroines are always such strong women and strong characters. They are not bested by the hero; they often stand toe-to-toe with him and don't back down from any challenge. Parker also shies away from any hint of sadism, rape, or other distasteful sexual practices, and her love scenes are truly love scenes, not just sex scenes.

In Caprice, the hero is Hadrian Blackburne, who has just returned to London from the war. His death at Waterloo had been reported months prior, so his return is a surprise to family and the London social set. What they don't know is that he had been in Persia, acting as a spy for the Crown, where he had become a master of intrigue. Once confronted with family problems, primarily his brother's gambling debts, and the expectations of his standing as Lord, he wishes he were back in the thick of things of more substance and importance.

The heroine, Clarissa Willoughby, has no experience in intrigue, but when her Aunt Heloise suggests a ruse, Clarrisa is hard pressed to say no. Even though her year of mourning following the death of her husband is not over, Clarissa does want to help her aunt get back into the Regency Social scene. They create a "character" for Clarissa to play, so she becomes Princess Sultana el Djemal.

The charade begins as great fun, but soon creates layers of complications. Hadrian is enchanted with this woman some refer to as The Mysterious Veil, and he makes it his mission to find out who she is. Once he begins his pursuit of “Sultana,” Clarissa realizes how much she cares for him and must now figure out how to end the masquerade. Will he care for her as Clarissa, or is his passion just for the exotic princess?

In addition to this series, Parker has written a number of other historical and contemporary romance novels, and they are all part of the year-end sale at Kobo. All books there are 50% off until midnight December 31. To take advantage of the sale you need to use the code 50DEC at checkout. Here is the link to Laura's Books at Kobo.  If you buy from Kobo, you can get versions for all electronic reading devices.

There are a lot of other books on sale on the Kobo site in all genres, so this is a good time to load up those devices. I am pleased to have several of my titles available there, too: One Small Victory and Play it Again, Sam,  and the short stories: Making it Home, SAHM, I Am, The Visitor, and The Last Dollar. With the discount the short stories are under a dollar, and the two novels are well below $5