Rating: 
Summary: Great Debut
Review: Varya, gifted pianist and so very elusive and mysterious--- not a bit of scandal touches her which is why - although she `works' for a living and lives extremely well she is accepted and sought after by members of the ton. Miles Christian, the Marquess of Wynter, working undercover is abducted at gunpoint, accused of murder, then knocked out silly -- by a woman who he soon discovers is the elusive Varya. Although he feels furious towards her she is still the most magnificent creature he has ever seen and she arouses in him feelings he had long since buried after the death of his wife. For Varya, she cannot believe the attraction for the man she believed killed her very best friend. His very presence is enough for her to throw caution to the wind but more than feelings of betrayal to her dead friend, the fear of discovery of her true identity keeps both of them playing a very dangerous game of cat and mouse as they agree to team up to uncover the murderer. Caught in a compromising position, Varya reluctantly agrees to `pose' as Miles's mistress in order to continue their investigations even though the ton's fickle delight over her changed dramatically. Later she would be determined not to relinquish her hard-won independence to a man's desire -- unless she can capture his hardened heart.
This novel took off from page one and kept the suspense and excitement right through to the end. --- The main characters were very well fleshed out and interesting and I loved the scene where Varya got Miles `plastered' during a card game on vodka. Funny, sensual and with a nice little mystery --- excellent debut novel for an up and coming author.
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