Swept Away by a Kiss by Katharine Ashe
Historical Romance
August 3, 2010
Paperback, 362 Pages
Avon

Reviewed by Mandi

Valerie has lived the pass two years in exile from the ton, residing in the colonies, rebuilding her reputation. Her sullen image, and sordid clandestine meetings caught up with her in England, and she has taken refuge with her cousins. Now ready to come home, and reunite with her brother, she boards a merchant ship that is soon overcome by pirates. Being a beautiful female among the rough men, her virtue is soon in question. But there is one man that catches her eye.

Lord Ashford, or Steven is on the ship disguised as a French priest. For months he has been tracking a slave trader through the Atlantic, and he will stop anyone in his way to find him. One glance at Valerie, and his disguise as a priest makes it very difficult to keep his lust under control.

Six months later, finding herself back in England, all Valerie can think about is the man she met so briefly on the ship. But to her great shock, he appears, in proper English society, as Lord Ashford. She soon realizes he is closer than ever to his goal and she finds herself in the middle of a mystery and with feelings for a very mysterious man.

Swept Away by a Kiss is Katharine Ashe’s debut book. There were two parts of this book that really stood out for me. First in the beginning, we are taken on an adventure at sea. With pirates, secret identities, and a pretend priest that can’t keep his lust in check. Steven is a very intense, mysterious hero who always has his eye on his goal, except for when Valerie is around. This leads me to my second favorite thing about this book – the romance. The scenes are so intimate and passionate. Katharine Ashe does a great job with building up the anticipation and delivering the goods.

For as much as I enjoyed the adventure and romance, there were many times this book became slow. After Valerie returns to England, although it is fun to see her rediscover Steven, the story takes on such a slow pace and really lacks the spark the first part of the book had. I also had a hard time warming to Valerie. I wanted more from her character. She never made me laugh and she didn’t do anything to particularly annoy me, but I wanted something from her – some kind of high emotion that would leave an impact with me. She also declares her love for Steven when she barely knows him, and I would have liked to see their relationship progress before she makes this commitment. The secondary characters also had great potential to add to the story, but they fell short of the mark. Besides Steven, everyone just comes across as bland.

I like the concept of this book and there is definitely potential for something really fun.  I wish the pace had been a little faster and there had been a more memorable heroine. Maybe in her second book, all the pieces will fit together.

Rating: 2.5/5

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