Official Review: Masked Desire by Elaine Angelus Kehler

Amber9731 · Post by **Amber9731** » 08 Oct 2015, 20:15

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Masked Desire" by Elaine Angelus Kehler.]

3 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Masked Desire is a slightly steamy romance novel by Elaine Angeluskehler. In the beginning, Amelia Beckwith, the daughter of a merchant, is curious about the man who is her betrothed. In an attempt to get to know him anonymously, Amelia attends a masked ball, thrown by her parents, in a magnificent costume that completely hides her identity. Her attempts work, but she gets more than what she bargains for when passion overtakes them in the garden. After that incident, Amelia wants nothing to do with him, assuming that it is his normal nature to sleep with random women he meets.

Lord Raine Wescott feels that it is his duty as a future Baron to marry Amelia because of the arrangement that their grandfathers put in place. He is not excited about the arrangement, assuming that she is just a country girl from a good family. Before he meets her, he believes Amelia is boring and plain and that the mysterious girl he met at the ball may be better suited for him. Lord Raine sets out to find this masked girl as he gets to know his betrothed, Amelia. When the two finally meet, sparks and bullets fly as they find that there is more to each other than expected and that not everyone is happy with the arranged union.

I very much enjoyed this book. It is a romance that is set in the time of carriage rides and arranged marriages. The author did a good job describing what it might be like to be involved in an arranged marriage through the thoughts and feelings of the main characters. The characters had depth to them. Their traits and actions were well thought out and depicted well. I enjoyed the fact that the characters were not who you expected them to be. It would be a very boring story if Amelia was just a plain country girl and Lord Raine was just a spoiled Heir. The storyline of the book was really good as well. It flowed nicely, never seeming to drag or skip important events. It also had a bit of mystery, keeping the reader guessing about the person making attempts on Lord Raine's life. Above all, the development of their love story is engaging.

Unfortunately, the author failed to mention an exact time period that the book took place and the reader could only guess about when it might be with the help of minor details. I assumed it took place quite a while ago because in the book, carriages were the dominant way to travel on land, steam engines were still a radical thought and electricity is unheard of. Also, the reader could not be sure of exactly where the book took place. A quarter of the way through the book, the town of London was mentioned which gave the reader somewhat of an idea of where it took place, but no exact details were provided. I feel that the lack of time and place took away from the book. I found myself distracted trying to figure those details out.

Overall, I give Masked Desire 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the mystery and the dynamic between the two main characters. The book was entertaining and well developed. There were only a few errors in grammar and spelling and they did not take away from the book at all. I gave the book 3 stars rather than 4 due to the lack of details about time and setting. I loved this book and feel that it is best geared towards those who like their romance novels with a bit of mystery thrown in. It was short, but not too short and I believe it could be a good summer read. I look forward to reading other books by Elaine Angeluskehler.

******
Masked Desire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords

Like Amber9731's review? Post a comment saying so!

Crossroad Readers · Post by **Crossroad Readers** » 28 Oct 2015, 09:47

You did a great job with this review!

Amber9731 · Post by **Amber9731** » 28 Oct 2015, 16:51

Thank you!

Tanaya · Post by **Tanaya** » 01 Nov 2015, 13:25

Sounds like a book I would be interested in reading. And the cover is awesome. Great review!

Amber9731 · Post by **Amber9731** » 01 Nov 2015, 13:49

Thank you! I really enjoyed the book and she wrote another one!

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 17 Nov 2015, 05:56

This is my kind of romance. However, I agree with you about 'lack of details about time and setting', though it's OK for me to assume, I still would like to know

the when and where.