THREE SOLDIERS BOOK #2: CHIVALROUS CAPTAIN, REBEL MISTRESS
Diane Gaston
ISBN: 978-0373296095
September 2010
Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd./Harlequin Historical #1009
Historical Romance/Regency
Mass Market Paperback

During the chaos of the battle of Waterloo, Captain Allan Landon stumbles into a young boy, only to discover later that the long golden hair which tumbled down the lad’s back belonged to the most beautiful young woman he’d ever seen.  He vowed then and there that he would protect Miss Marian Pallant with his life if need be.  Their escape off the battlefield to find their way back to Brussels was fraught with danger and newly awakened passion, only at the end of their journey they would be faced with treachery and betrayal as they found themselves on opposing sides of a different sort of battle.

***  Ms. Gaston (aka Ms. Perkins) seems to always find the recipe in her Regency Historical books to fully enchant and ensnare me each and every time when reading her lovely books.  Other than the fact that her heroines are almost always, the most clever, the bravest, and the most resourceful in overcoming any and all obstacles laid before them they also end up being the most memorable!

Providing a horrific backdrop at the battle of Waterloo, Gaston vividly paints the horrors of the blood, gore and stench of one of the worst battles in history, as well as the reality of the those who took advantage of robbing bodies of their valuables whether dead or breathing; behavior which could only match the senselessness of war for the sake of a power hungry madman.

In creating the character of Captain Allan Landon, one could say after his years of fighting battles and experiencing firsthand the atrocities that generally sane men committed during conflicts against their fellow human beings Allan would be a great candidate for PTS.  Allan simply couldn’t believe that such a beautiful woman was running around a battlefield and still unharmed after he discovered Marian’s disguise.  Allan knew he must protect her at all costs from the madness surrounding them as well as manage to whisk her away to to her guardians before she was completely ruined.  This also meant getting her to safety before he lost control and ruined her himself.

With all things considered, Gaston took a relatively overdone plot line with a female disguised as a male and brought it around to a satisfying if somewhat routine end while throwing in a few curveballs, that kept the foregone conclusion at bay a bit longer with a couple of unexpected developments.   As always, Gaston develops rich characters including a wonderful supporting cast while keeping the action flowing and romances simmering.  I didn’t read the first book in this series and found no trouble at all in following the plot line so CHIVALROUS CAPTAIN, REBEL MISTRESS definitely stands alone and is a recommended read.

Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

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I started reviewing books many years ago - but my love of reading began as soon as I could read and that’s a long time! From my very first library card, I would spend my summers at the local library rather than outside playing. My tastes ran from every horse book I could find, to dog books, then gothic romances, and now historical romances with the Regency period having a very close spot in my heart. [Many of my friends, who really know me, say I was born in the wrong era - they’re probably right.] Now that I am retired, and busier than ever, I read almost all genres with the exception of hard core erotica, horror and anything involving more than one sex partner! I am loyal to my tried and true favorite auto-buy authors but love discovering the newer authors as well. I was once a very impatient person, but now retired, and with a book, an audio, or my Kindle by my side - I am the epitome of infinite patience to sit and wait for whatever comes next be it for the light to change, a doctor’s appointment, or a commercial break on the television!

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