New Review: Betina Krahn’s CAUGHT IN THE ACT - Wonderful Elizabethan Love Story!

Krahn knows how to write superb romance and this one is no exception. It's intriguing, fast paced and has great depth. She accurately presents the Elizabethan age and uses language (including quotes from the classics) and detailed descriptions to capture the feeling of 16th century England. (You might want to read the Author's Note first!) And she does it all very well--including her own poetry that is a very clever touch. I have come to love her novels and unequivocally recommend this one.

The story tells of young, innocent Merrie Straffen, an orphan and only recently aware she is the granddaughter of an earl, who is now dead. She was raised by a kindly couple who taught her the classics and to read in Latin and Greek. The old earl's estate is run by a family of scheming servants and a solicitor who wants to remain in charge of her fortune. So they plot to wed her to a man they can be sure will remain in London and leave Merrie to them to control. They pick a known rake, Gentleman Jack Huntington, and offer him 500 pounds a year to wed her, consummate the marriage and then hie off to London. Before Merrie even meets the man she's been betrothed to, she inadvertently observes him in the act of making love to a married countess. In her attempt to avoid a marriage to an adulterer, Merrie, who is a very talented and beautiful young woman, makes herself out to be a complete dolt. But Jack is soon on to her and is determined to have her.

From the start to the finish this is a well-told tale that will keep you turning pages. It could have been called "When a Rake Woos a Reluctant Lady" for that is the story. He's a handsome rake who loves women and is undone by a young innocent's brilliance and goodness. And she is growing up and becoming an amazing woman at a turbulent time in England's history. Get this one!

The sequel is BEHIND CLOSED DOORS...the story of their daughter.