When the unbridled Istabelle O'Bannon, Captain of The Adventuress and the female equivalent of Robin Hood, finds herself in a bind, she enlists the aid of her estranged cousin, an experienced warrior. However, in the ensuing turn of events, Ruark Haagan finds himself traveling to assist Istabelle in her cousin's stead. As Istabelle has not seen her cousin since she was five years old, she believes that Ruark is her cousin and, as circumstances dictate, he allows her to believe the ruse.

As their attraction grows, Istabelle and Ruark find themselves in turmoil, Ruark with the deceit of his true identity, and Istabelle with the feelings she is feeling toward the man she believes to be her cousin. We follow Ruark and Istabelle as they plan their attack against Captain Horik, Istabelle's arch-nemesis, the man who has stolen her most prized possession.

The story was action-packed with sword fights, captivity, revenge, and a sizzling relationship. It contained a fast-moving plot, with the right amount of downtime mixed in to allow for the development of the characters and a breather for the reader. For as much as I typically like stories such as this one, there was some element that was missing from the story that I can't put my finger on. While it was an entertaining story, I just wasn't captivated, not enthralled to the point that I couldn't put the book down.

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Publisher: Signet (February 7, 2006)
ISBN: 0451217853
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