Counterfeit Kisses

COUNTERFEIT KISSES

BY SANDRA HEATH

PUBLISHED BY ROBERT HALE LONDON.

ISBN 978-07090-8996-4.





When Susannah’s brother Stephen Holland loses the Famous Holland Tiara, together with their fortune, she is devastated. Stephen was very drunk when he was playing cards with the Duke of Exton and the Duke took advantage of his state to cheat him out of his fortune. Watching, merely as a bystander Sir Gareth Carew tried to reason with Stephen to stop and go home, but he would not listen. This dreadful event took place on New Year’s Eve, the last day of 1803.

Sir Gareth took Stephen Holland home after the card game and Susannah mistakenly thought that he was to blame for her brother’s losses and she was very rude to him.

It was to be in 1808 before she would encounter Sir Garth Carew again.

Susannah now widowed, was relieved and happy to be back in England. During her very unhappy marriage she had lived in Bengal. Now that she was back home again she was determined to retrieve the Holland Tiara which she declared had been stolen from her brother in a card game. To this end she had had a replica made of the Tiara from memory, while she was living in Bengal and she intended to find and replace the real Tiara with her copy. Just how she was to achieve this, was something of a mystery to her, but it was something she knew she must do, and she was determined to find a way.

When Susannah met Jane the young wife of The Duke of Exton they immediately became friends and Susannah was invited to join Jane and her Husband on a visit to their country estate. Susannah accepts the invitation gladly, but later that day when she attends the theatre with her new friend she discovers, to her horror, that Sir Gareth Carew has been invited too. When Sir Gareth is also invited to join them for the weekend at Exton Park, Susannah is annoyed that he has been included, but as he does not seem to recognize her she hopes that she will still be able to locate and exchange the Tiara sometime during the weekend, without his remembering who she is and when he last saw her.

Susannah suspects that Jane has a hidden motive for these invitations and wonders what it can be, but is delighted that it will give her the opportunity to carry out her plans.

However nothing goes to plan over the weekend and there are some startling events which become very dangerous and life threatening to both her and Sir Gareth. Will he remember who she is and on what occasion they last met and forestall her plans ?

Read this Historical Romance which has many twists and turns, I am sure you will enjoy it; it is something a little different. I award this book 4.5 Red Roses.AS