Adamara "Mara" St. Bride has gotten herself into a spot of trouble and she finds herself on the doorstep of Darius "Dare" Debenham, her brother's life long friend. Mara always gets what she wants and her sights are now turned on the troubled Dare.

After being injured at Waterloo, Dare was found and held captive by Thérése Bellaire, long-time adversary of The Rogues. However, his imprisonment didn't end with his escape from Thérése. While holding Dare in captivity, she had dosed him with opium and Dare is now fighting against the drug that is holding him in its clutches.

Mara and Dare must now battle against all odds as London society is speculative about Dare's addiction and his character is being questioned. They rely on the bonds of family and friendship as they turn to The Rogues for the support they will need to fend off the demons that are looking to destroy Dare and the progress he has made in trying to break his addiction.

This book brings a different aspect to the regency romance genre. While many historical novels will allude to laudanum and other forms of opiates, they often skirt around the fact that many people found themselves fighting addiction through overuse of the readily available drug. While I congratulate the author on a seldom-used storyline, I found the book lacking in suspense and character depth. Reading of Dare's final break from his addiction was a bit intense, but the subplots just had to sizzle to them. Also, the internal dialogue was minimal to non-existent, which left me in the dark as to the true colors of the characters. I didn't get that glimpse of their inner souls which allows the reader to really understand, feel, and connect with the characters and their struggles.

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Publisher: Signet; 1st edition (September 5, 2006)
ISBN: 0451220110
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