Review: Love’s Strategy by Samantha Kane

Title: Love’s Strategy
Author: Samantha Kane
Genre: erotic historical romance
Grade: B+
Reason for Reading: I love Samantha Kane. I even love her enough to read a shortish ebook, which is generally not my preference.

Synopsis:

Valentine Westridge and Kurt Schillig are lovers, and have been since the Peninsular War when lonely young officer Valentine let himself be seduced by the equally lonely Kurt. Now they’re back from the war and intent on beginning the future they dreamed of together, one that includes a quiet country estate, horses, dogs, children, and each other. Their plan, however, also requires a wife. At the suggestion of a mutual friend, Valentine and Kurt believe the financial security they can offer to impoverished widow Leah Marleston will help her accept the unusual sexual relationship they are suggesting.

Leah is at her wit’s end, creditors having taken everything she owns to pay off her late husband’s gambling debts. She must find a way to support herself and her two children, or be forced to marry her abusive and obsessive brother-in-law. In Valentine’s and Kurt’s arms, Leah discovers a passion she never knew existed. Brought together by necessity, bonded by desire, these three lonely people find themselves fighting against all odds for a love that was never part of their plans.

My Thoughts: I fee like I’m going to repeat myself here so this is going to be a shortish review. I really do love Samantha Kane’s books. I’m not bothered by the fact that they’re set in an alternate Regency England that never would have existed in real life. The characters and their connections and insecurities can make me ignore quite a lot.

Leah is one of Kane’s trademark sensible yet tortured heroines. But she doesn’t really struggle with her decision to marry Valentine and Kurt. She sees it as the only option she’s got at the moment, and I thought she was practical.

As ever, I could distinguish between Kurt and Valentine with no problems, although I thought that neither were quite as fully developed, again because of the length constraints, as some of her other couples.

The villain was a bit one-demensional as well, but I liked that I understood his motives even though I thoroughly detested the character. Villains who do bad things for all the right reasons are my favorite, and this one thankfully didn’t twirl his moustache.

All in all, I liked this a lot, and I’m sad that I’ve only got one more Samantha Kane book to be read.