Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Muses’ Salon #5
Publication Date: 8/25/20
Number of Pages: 352

This fifth book in The Muses Salon series brings us another Home Office agent, Adam Montclair, in search of the arch-villain known as Charters. They are getting closer to identifying him – they even think he might be an aristocrat, but they still don’t know who he really is. Only one person, Lady Emmeline Hartley, has the talent to recognize him from his voice. She has an odd talent for being able to recognize any voice she’s ever heard, and she heard the villain speak at a reform meeting. Adam and Em have a history and he certainly doesn’t want to involve her in this dangerous pursuit – except the Home Office gives him no choice.

Adam met and fell in love with Em a year ago on another mission, but he was convinced there could be no future for them because of the differences in their stations. She didn’t feel that the differences mattered – but he did – and so he left her. After she waited, she finally accepted a proposal from her childhood friend. Neither of them was in love with the other, they actually each loved someone else, but …

Adam arrives at Em’s estate just in time to help her flee her wedding. Em realizes that she cannot marry her betrothed because he now has a chance to marry the woman he really loves, but won’t break his betrothal to Em. Adam and Em take off on a journey where they must remain hidden in order to assure that Em’s betrothed doesn’t find her because he’ll surely come looking for her. The Home Office knows Adam is with Em – and his mission is supposed to be to convince her to help them identify Charters. Em believes Adam is a scoundrel of the first order and doesn’t trust him as far as she can see him. Convincing her to trust him again will be an impossible task.

Their journey takes them across England, to a lovely island that seems like a faery’s home, then to London where they run into the real danger. Can Adam keep his heart safe and protect Em at the same time. Will Adam ever realize that he and Em can have a future together or will he wait until it is too late.

I thoroughly enjoyed the read and visiting with the recurring characters. There is plenty of danger and intrigue within a lovely, moving, and sensual story. However, to me, there was a big hole in the plot. Maybe I missed something. Em identified Charters to Adam – but – then we never heard any more about it. Nobody at the Home Office went to work on the information. It was like the whole plot of the story was based on getting Em to identify Charter and when she did – Pfffffft – nothing more. Maybe some of that will be explained in the next book, but it sure left a hole in this one for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.