New York Times Bestseller Lisa Kleypas : Someone to Watch Over Me

Someone to Watch Over Me

She couldn't remember who she was...
A temptingly beautiful woman awakens in a stranger's bed, rescued from the icy waters of the Thames, her memory gone. Told that she is Vivien Rose Duvall, one of London's most scandalous beauties, she finds herself under the protection of enigmatic, charming Grant Morgan. Her life is in his hands. Deep in her heart, she knows he has mistaken her for someone else...

He was the only man she could trust.

As one of London's most eligible and unattainable catches, Grant Morgan is a man who has known every kind of woman. And the one in his arms now seems so innocent, so vulnerable, that he can't help but be enchanted. And as his love for this mysterious beauty grows, he's determined to unravel the secrets of her past and discover the truth -- no matter what.

From Publishers Weekly

Untypically, this Regency features lower-class protagonists: a rough-around-the-edges Bow Street runner and a notorious, unlikable courtesan. Grant Morgan, once a poor orphan, has become rich in the service that was the precursor to London's modern-day police force. (Runners worked both for the Bow Street magistrates and as independent detectives.) When he rebuffs the advances of flame-haired beauty Vivien Duvall, she retaliates by spreading vicious, demeaning rumors. He then finds her half drowned, almost strangled to death and suffering from traumatic amnesiaAand he takes revenge by convincing her they're lovers. This way, he can bed her easily while searching for her assailant. But is she really who he thinks she is? The questions of exactly who it is that he has slept with and who hates Vivien Duvall enough to try to kill her are quite intriguing. Kleypas (Then Came You) writes a spirited tale, clearly enjoying her characters, but she may unsettle fans of the genre with her willingness to stray from its conventions. Not only does she present a d?class? world, but Regency misses don't normally say "Ick!"
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Lisa's comments:

I had a complete blast writing this novel, as it features a Bow Street Runner as a hero. Grant Morgan is a Regency-era detective, and so he is very much a physical character as well as an intelligent one. I put a lot of action in this book, and I used a great deal of material from antique and rare books detailing what the Bow Street Runners were like. Although they are used often as secondary characters in novels, few people really know what they were like and how they worked. And I don't think anyone has made a Runner a hero before, which is puzzling, considering how sexy detectives are. I even had a slightly negative comment from Publishers Weekly which said that readers might be disconcerted by the fact that neither Grant Morgan nor the woman he falls in love with are aristocratic. Evidently the reviewer didn't realize that readers are always willing to try something new -- we don't necessarily want the same story over and over again!

Review :

This is another Bow Street Runner novel from Lisa Kleypas. Like the wonderful "Lady Sophia's Lover," and the unbeatable "Worth Any Price," this story features realistic characters from mid-1800's England's burgeoning middle class, and not the usual nobility of the "haute ton." Number 4 Bow Street is the headquarters for the relatively new force of organized police/dectectives, who keep law and order in London.

Grant Morgan, one of the Bow Street leaders, has made his fortune and fame recovering stolen property for banks, serving as personal guard to the monarchy, and locating abducted heiresses. He is one of London's most eligible and unattainable men. One night he is called to a ferry dock along the Thames to investigate a drowning. The victim turns out to be quite beautiful and alive. Mr. Morgan recognizes and identifies her as Vivian Duvall, a famous courtesan who defamed him some months before. He brings her to his home to recover. Noticing bruises on her neck, Morgan realizes that someone had attempted to murder Vivian. She, however, has amnesia and can remember nothing of her past, neither her own name nor her profession. Morgan is hot on the case of the murderer's identity and motive - and he's hot on Ms. Duvall's case also.

But Vivian does not live up to her tarnished reputation on the one hand, and proves to be much lovlier than expected on the other. Slowly, the secrets of her past emerge, as does the mutual attraction between Vivian and Grant. The mystery is not difficult to figure out, and the plot is undemanding, to say the least. However Ms. Kleypas weaves a story like no on else and her characters, with their sizzling chemistry, keep your eyes riveted to the page.

Lisa Kleypas novels are as addictive as good chocolate - but not as fattening. They are super rich, delicious, and you won't put on a pound. Try one! You're in for a treat.