GALLANT OFFICER, FORBIDDEN LADY - Diane Gaston
A Perfect 10
Harlequin Historical #972
ISBN: 978-0-373-29572-2
November 2009
Historical Series Romance

England, 1816 -1817

Jack Vernon is haunted by the horrible visions of murder, rape, and plunder by British troops after the battle of Badajoz. The images are burned into his memory, including that of the cowardly son of the man who ruined his mother by taking her as a mistress, General Tranville. Not even his haunted drawings of the scenes have expunged the terrible sudden episodes he relives. The most recent one happens while he stands in the Somerset House, home of the Royal Academy where two of his paintings are hanging. A sweet voice pulls him from the waking nightmare, a sweet lady who admires his portrait of his sister. They never get the chance to exchange names.

Ariana Blane is an up and coming actress, a profession she loves. She is the daughter of the famous actress Daphne Blane, but her father is unknown, one of her mother's many lovers. Now her mother has arranged for Ariana to work with the Drury Lane Theatre. She receives the leading role in Romeo and Juliet. One of the investors in the theatre, Lord Tranville, has arranged a portrait of Ariana, by artist Jack Vernon, in the role of Cleopatra for promotion of the upcoming production of Antony and Cleopatra. Her happiness cannot be greater than when she learns that Jack Vernon, the artist whose work she so admired, is the young man she met at the Royal Academy.

This well researched story is a delightful read, partially because it is from the perspective of average people, not the ton. Matter of fact, Lord Tranville and his son, as representatives of the upper class, give a very poor showing. Ariana, due to her birth, is not a protected, retiring miss, but a believable representation of a woman who, for the times, can make up her own mind about what she wants, including a lover if she wants one. Historical events, the Tranvilles, and the mothers of both Jack and Ariana, provide all the pitfalls, dilemmas and insolvable situations needed to keep happily ever after from taking place. Wonderful characterizations, both heroic and despicable, insure the reader will love this excellent and exciting historical romance, earning GALLANT OFFICER, FORBIDDEN LADY a Perfect 10.

Robin Lee