Hero Jarvis and Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, married in haste. They are in love but neither trusts the other; Sebastian knows Hero's father, Lord Jarvis, wants to kill him and Hero fears Devlin doesn't really love her. It is a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive, as the old saying goes. Lord Jarvis wants to know who is behind the current rumors spreading through London supporting the rising of King Arthur in place of the Prince Regent but Hero and Sebastian want to know who murdered Hero's friend, Gabrielle Tennyson. Gabrielle was excavating a site known as Camlot's Moat, a corruption of the word, Camelot. What did she find that was worth killing her for? The suspects multiply as Sebastian and Hero dig deeper into Gabrielle's family and past. Hero and Sebastian are two of my favorite heroes and I really want their relationship to succeed, but will they be able to overcome their mutual distrust? Recommended for anyone who enjoys the Regency period and British crime fiction.

I really enjoyed the slowly developing romance between Sebastian and Hero. Am looking forward to finding out how the rivalry between Sebastian and Jarvis plays out. I like that duplicitous Kate plays a smaller, more peripheral role. Everything else was as delightful and entertaining as usual.

Loved loved loved this one.

When the murder of an Arthurian scholar friend of Hero’s happens, Sebastian is pulled into to investigate. To make mattes worse her two young nephews are also missing. Turns out Hero’s father knows something about Gabrielle before her death and Hero knows it as well but doesn’t share it with her new husband. This is a solid mystery, but it also shows the foundation of Hero and Sebastian’s marriage being built. Another enjoyable read and trying so hard not to binge on the entire series when my TBR is so large.

Another solid entry in this fabulous series!

The mystery, as always, was thought provoking and kept me guessing until the guilty party was revealed. That's one thing I like about these books: I never figure out who did it until it's revealed.

As great as the mysteries are, it's the characters themselves that keep me coming back to this series. The characters are all so three dimensional and nuanced, so much so that I can even find a little something to like about my absolute least favorite characters.

This book opens several days into Sebastian and Hero's young marriage. The two are still trying to feel each other out and adjust to their new situations when a friend of Hero's is found murdered. Each begin to investigate on their own, and sometimes working at cross purposes. It was a delight watching the two slowly learn to work together as well as slowly realize that each one's feelings for the other are growing stronger. The book ends on a fairly positive note, and I cannot wait to dig into the next one.

The wonderful supporting cast of characters all make their appearances (Paul Gibson, YAY!), though I sometimes wish Kat would go somewhere far, far away.

To sum up: Great characters + engrossing mystery = highly recommended book!

It was pretty good, probably the best of the series but I don't think I'll read any more of the series. I've always found Sebastian to be somewhat of a cold fish and this book really drove it home. I love Hero but it's just not enough anymore.

I liked that Hero did her own thing separate from Sebastian but it made the book feel like it was bouncing between two stories with tons of repeated visits to the same people over and over again, with only slightly different info each time. Felt like a real investigation but also made the pacing very slow.

Also, I feel a bit cheated. I was rather hoping to see a deliciously awkward scene of Sebastian asking for Hero's hand in marriage from Jarvis. It could have been full of verbal fencing and veiled threats. Oh well.

Glad to see that the marriage between Hero and Sebastian is proceeding at a realistic pace, considering all their circumstances. They worked well in parallel, so hopefully in future installments they'll work together.

C.S. Harris keeps the action moving and the tension high in her Sebastian St. Cyr stories. I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling it for new readers, but the characters in these novels are gripping and the love stories are intense. Each book brings new revelations and keep the suspense high. I can hardly wait until the next one.

3.5 stars rounded down.