Eleanor Sinclair has always been the 'good girl' to her wild and reckless siblings, but during her Season in London she feels she must rebel in some way. In the whirlwind of her social obligations, Eleanor is given no time at all to indulge in her love of the theater. So she secretly disguises herself to attend a play - unchaperoned.

And it is at the theater that she meets James Bentley, a handsome young charmer who also seeks escape from closed-minded society. The two of them play cat-and-mouse, each hiding their own identity, and each of them struggling not to give in to the passion between them, and not to fall in love.

The first half of the book sparkled. The main characters' banter and the silly situations they find themselves in are wonderfully funny. I read the book while I was walking (attempting not to run into things) because I didn't want to leave their lovely company. Did I mention I was grinning like a (very happy) fool? The interaction with all of the disguises was great fun.

But when everyone's true identity is revealed, there are a lot of hurt feelings and a shift towards coldness and misunderstanding. Elliott never reached my 'unforgivable' level (sex as punishment), but she tiptoed along the line. After the warmth and tenderness of the first half, this shook me - perhaps more than it should have.

(SPOILERS)
It was nice to see a hero with real issues that made him close up and uncomfortable in society, but I felt that Elliott gave him too many to wrap up in the fairly short confines of a Harlequin novel. Especially the abuse, which should have involved a long and difficult healing process to allow him to trust, seemed to be swept aside rather than resolved (or even real progress being made). That really disappointed me because I would happily have read about his gradual opening up.

Overall verdict: I liked it, but with some caveats. I really think this is an author to keep an eye on - the first half of the book is utterly delightful, and this is still an early foray. I think Elliott has potential to write some amazing romances in the future once she susses out exactly how much she can fit into a single novel. ( )