Genre:

Lily St. Claire will do anything for the family that saved her from the streets.  With their support, the young widow has become the hostess of The Devil's Fancy, London's most exclusive gaming den.  She's determined to restore the St. Claire family fortune, lost a century before to the despised Huntington clan.  But a ghost from her past may be her ultimate undoing...

 The son a a duke, Lord Aidan Huntington is handsome and wealthy, with a taste for adventure and a reputation for wickedness.  A gambler and a rake, Aidan can't resist a seductive woman with secrets--but one naughty night with Lily leaves him wanting more.  As Lily is drawn into London's dark underworld by an old enemy, Aidan will risk everything to save the woman who has awakened his deepest desires...

Series: The Scandalous St. Claires (Book 1)

Review

Deep within Victorian London lives the St. Claire’s and the Huntington’s – two families at odds, due to a long ago feud.  For Lily St. Claire, family is the most important aspect of her life, partially due to the fact that she is not a St. Claire by blood.  In fact, Lily owes her life to the St. Claire’s, who rescued her, a child, enabling her to escape from a life of horror.  When Lily meets Aidan, its love at first sight. Their instant passion is one that cannot be forgotten. Years after their first meeting, Lily, who is now a widow, crosses paths with Aidan again, though this time she is aware of his family heritage and a St. Claire cannot be with a Huntington. However, the title of this romance is One Naughty Night, and we all know that is never enough to satisfy, even for Lily and Aidan.

I could not put this book down.  From the moment I began reading about Lily and Aidan, I was hooked.  Laurel McKee creates an intense passion between the two that is evident through their body language, their conversation and – of course- any physical contact that takes place between the two.  Woven into the romance that develops between Lily and Aiden is a family story from long ago that keeps Lily from making her relationship with Aiden known.  In addition to that, both Lily and Aiden have secrets of their own; secrets that will be shared between the two in trust and in effort to save Lily’s life. From the moment you begin the novel sweeps you off your feet and into Victorian London, with all its glamour and harsh realities. This one will keep you on your toes, the story is never boring.

In addition to a great storyline and a fun setting, I enjoyed the many characters that are introduced into this novel.  Each of them is well developed and has their own unique personality.  The St. Claire family is entirely believable due to their interactions and care for each other.  I felt as though I was reading about a family who existed during this time instead of one that was created for fictional purposes.  Within the family storyline, many things take place – for both the St. Claire and Huntington families- that help create a realistic and believable set of characters.  They are completely loveable and it’s hard to find yourself disliking any of them, even the vilest sub-characters are able to be understood and completely essential to the story.

By the time I ended this novel, which I read on the Kindle, I found myself wishing I had a signed hard copy and entirely frustrated that I had to wait for the next installment in the series.  It’s always a wonderful sign when you find yourself wanting to know more about the characters and what happens to them beyond the ending pages of a novel.  I have no choice but to highly suggest this one.  It has romance, action, mystery, suspense and surprises around every corner.  It is quite entertaining and definitely sexy.  I will read more by Laurel McKee.

Reviewed by Tiffany

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