Unwrapping: Review of UNDONE by Lila DiPasqua

I recently entered a contest held by Lila DiPasqua for a copy of UNDONE that had a cover featuring an orange dress on the heroine instead of this gorgeous red one. I hadn't read this Fiery Tale yet and wanted to very much. Plus to have a signed copy with a slightly wrong cover would be a thrill. Sadly, I didn't win it but ... the lovely Lila asked me if I'd like to read and review UNDONE for her anyway. Of course, I jumped at it - I'm a huge fan!

*** Digital copy supplied by author in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

Blurb for UNDONE:

Inspired by the tale of Rapunzel, Lila DiPasqua offers a new steamy, emotionally charged historical romance in the acclaimed Fiery Tales Series . . . Rescuing this beauty from the ‘tower’ is only the beginning . . .

Maintaining her ruse as a commoner, and trusting no one has kept Angelica safe. But a chance encounter with a handsome stranger lands her right where danger lies. Now, this sinfully handsome man with arresting blue eyes and a polished manner thinks he’s saved her life, when in fact he’s placed her in great peril. She’s intent on keeping him and everyone else at arm’s length. Yet, the smoldering attraction between them is difficult to deny. And impossible to ignore . . .

As commander of a number of privateer ships, Simon Boulenger dresses and speaks like an aristocrat, and has obtained wealth. But he is still not a noble. Or an officer in the King’s Navy. His lifelong dream to elevate himself from his station of birth and attain a respectable place in society is dead. Worse, he’s ensnared in a deadly scheme, and must get out. But how is he to stay focused on his dangerous mission when the mysterious beauty has him utterly intrigued? He can’t afford the distraction any more than he can resist the carnal hunger she stirs. Simon soon discovers that she’s not only a passionate soul mate, but a woman born into privilege. A woman he can never have. But they’re in too deep. Their hearts are at risk . . . as well as their lives.

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Angelica was born into aristocracy but, at the age of fourteen, she left it all behind to hide herself away in a convent in the Republic of Genoa. Her reasons - fear of her stepfather and to escape the memory of what the man did to her. Keeping her identity and her secrets to herself, she intends to spend the rest of her life in the safety of the stone walls. That is, until one fateful night when she's saved without her consent, from this self-imposed prison, by a stranger.

Simon Boulenger was born a commoner but strives to be a nobleman. He has wealth and a profession of which he is so skilled that he's called the Black Demon upon the seas. But he's lacking that which will fulfill his life - nobleman's papers and a title. He has dedicated his skills at attaining riches from Spanish ships and winning battles in the name of the King of France. That is until he discovers that a certain man has been benefiting greatly from his success and the people of France suffering for it.

Having discovered that he's unwittingly been a co-conspirator to offenses against King Louis, Simon decides to try to right the wrongs. His path is set, his goal strong in his mind until one night on a country road, he's bowled over by a moonlight angel. When she falls beneath the stick of an abuser, Simon knows he cannot bear to see one more commoner beaten down and rescues her from her fate. What Simon doesn't know is that this beautiful angel will set him on a path that may be his greatest undoing.

UNDONE by Lila DiPasqua takes me back to earlier romance novels with its old world historical setting, ocean voyages, and a heroine in breeches. Romantic and very steamy sexy, UNDONE transports the reader to a time when men could be brutal or revering to women. If you've read any of the Fiery Tales, you'll know most of the characters including Simon, who we first met in A MIDNIGHT DANCE, but I couldn't help falling in love with all of the characters, some for the second or third time, all of them - except Fouquet, of course. Speaking of the characters - there's a point in the story where I felt Lila had painted herself into a corner and I wondered how she was going to get out. I won't give away how she did it but I was sorely disappointed at how she went about it.

UNDONE by Lila DiPasqua is a Fiery Tale filled with emotional conflict, steamy scenes of teasing sex that finally culminate in a passionate understanding between two desperate people who find solace only in each others arms. Surrounded by a cast of supporting characters who endear themselves as easily as the hero and heroine, I wanted more. I wanted the story to continue for many more happily-ever-afters.

I recommend highly, UNDONE by Lila DiPasqua, if you love traditionally set historical romance with a swashbuckling feel, sword fights, waterfall getaways, and characters that come to life in the pages of a beautiful tale about a man whose passion for what's right is only second to his passion for his moonlight angel. If you haven't ventured into the Fiery Tales series yet, I advise you do - each does well as a stand alone - but be forewarned, these are not the Fairy Tales of your youth.

Happy Reading Everyone!

UNDONE by Lila DiPasqua, Amazon Digital Services, available now in print and ebook format.