May 9, 2016
The third and final installment in the Lust in the Tudor Court series (following Rebel Bride) is less thrilling than previous entries. Moss’s characters fulfill their duties in rote fashion, with few obstacles to slow the pace of their passion. Margerie Croft serves in the royal wardrobe, a lowly position that’s still perhaps too high for a disgraced woman with a reputation for sexual availability. Vergil Elton, a royal physician, rescues her from the first of two attempted rapes at the hands of the king’s men. The themes of duty and honor are the surprising backbone to Vergil and Margerie’s slow-burn love story, with plenty of scandal and temptation to press the resolve of both. Moss makes sharp work of her task to highlight the constant threat of violence Margerie endures, and its relentless presence makes her journey a sympathetic one. The erotic scenes are scorching hot, as series readers will have come to expect. The familiarity of setting and consistency in style makes for easy, if predictable, reading.