Darling Jasmine

Jasmine had been forced into marriage twice. Rebelling at King James' decree that she wed Jemmie Leslie, fifth earl of Glenkirk, she fled to France with her children. But her youngest, the illegitimate offspring of Jasmine's hot-blooded lover, Prince Henry Stuart, is the king's only grandson. Now time is running out on Jasmine's idyll of freedom; coming for her and her little boy is the man she both fears and desires.

Fans of Bertrice Small's long-lived heroine Skye O'Malley will enjoy being reunited with her extensive family in this 17th-century tale about her granddaughter, Jasmine de Marisco, and the man King James has decreed she marry: Jemmie Leslie, earl of Glenkirk. Two years ago, demanding the freedom to choose her next husand herself, Jasmine jilted Jemmie and escaped to France. Now Jemmie, following Skye as she seeks out her granddaughter to share some sad news, is cleverly reunited with Jasmine, whom he's determined to make his bride. Even as the two put aside their anger to rediscover their lusty passion and agree to wed, vile Piers St. Denis, the king's confidant, decides he wants Jasmine for himself. When she rejects his suit, he vows vengeance. It takes all of Jasmine's courage and Skye's still formidable talents to vanquish this threat to happiness. Court intrigue and domestic bliss, explicit sex (be prepared for some four-letter words) and a sadistic villain keep lively this last book featuring Bertrice Small's most famous heroine. --Ellen Edwards