I love a good Regency Romance. Historical is my favorite romance genre, and so when I had the opportunity to review this one by Laura James, I looked forward to adding another title to my "read" list. If my list were categorized, however, Secret Illusions would be noted as a terribly dull read.

Gabrielle Cartwright narrowly escaped an unwanted marriage by running away, but she found herself in another strange situation when she arrived at Helena's, a brothel of fantasies that caters to the very wealthiest of the ton. Young and innocent Gabrielle chooses to stay in the confines of Helena's castles because it is safe. She needs to bide her time so that she may go in search of her guardian and also her father who she's been told is dead. Gabrielle manages to fit into the castle doing odd jobs, and makes a plethora of friends including her best friend, Kathleen.

James Armstrong, Marques of York, is visiting Helena's on a mission when he spies Gabrielle. He is immediately intrigued because he can't seem to get her out of his thoughts. He dismisses his desire for her and tries to stay focused on his task of accompanying his friend Kevin's intended to Scotland for their wedding. But the raven-haired beauty is never far from his thoughts, and when they are thrown together for a whirlwind adventure to find her guardian, James learns he must protect his heart.

While Ms. James' premise is intriguing, the novel rarely lives up to its potential for several reasons. First, the prose drags on. The hero of the novel isn't even introduced until chapter five. There is description upon more description of things that seem inconsequential to the plot development and therefore irrelevant to the reader. Second, the heroine is never true to her character. At times, Gabrielle seems her age of seventeen, and in the next instant she's behaving as though she were twelve or she is absolutely innocent of things of a sexual nature, but she sure can turn on the heat when she sees a male she wants. Next, the plot gets bogged down in too many subplots and the action is sidetracked. In one instant the heroine is going to find her guardian, next she's kidnapped by a sexual predator as she runs away from her guardian, and then she decides to go back to her guardian. It is easy to get stuck in the mire of the plot line as it progresses. I consider myself a fast reader, but I had to force myself to take this one page by page.

Ms. James seems to have the workings of a novel that could be good. It has an interesting premise of the house of sexual illusions, something that is unique and intriguing, but Secret Illusions felt more like reading a first draft that needs a lot of revision in content than a completed novel.

Reviewed By Maci Walker
© March 2005