Good book. I especially enjoyed a setting outside the usual balls and house parties. Clara runs a home for reformed pickpockets in one of the seedier parts of London. She works hard to show them a better way of life and find them proper employment. She is dismayed and angry when a man who deals in stolen goods moves in so close to her property. She doesn't need him tempting her children, let alone herself! Morgan is there for one reason only - working undercover to catch the leader of a crime ring. The last thing he needs is the distraction posed by the beautiful and passionate Clara. The sooner he can fulfill his mission and get away from her temptation the happier he will be.

I really liked both Clara and Morgan. Clara is determined, spirited, and passionate about her work with the children. She refuses to let the Morgan's arrival undo her hard work and has no trouble charging in to save one of her boys from his evil influence. She is quite stubborn, and when things don't add up she takes matters into her own hands. Morgan is a man who is haunted by his past. Though eventually rescued from a bad childhood, the things he did have influenced the man he is now. Though he gives the impression of being a ruthless criminal, he is actually an honorable man doing what he can to serve his country.

Clara and Morgan struck sparks off each other from the moment they met. I loved watching Clara stand up to his threats. Morgan wasn't sure at times if he wanted to shake her or kiss her, and the kissing usually won out. It was fun to see him do his best to scare her off, especially since her reaction was usually the opposite. It didn't take long for Clara to realize that his words and actions didn't match up, making her even more determined to get at the truth. I enjoyed how she persisted until Morgan had no choice but to tell her what was going on. I found it amusing that in spite of his worry that she wouldn't be able to keep the secret, he was the one who couldn't stay away from her. I also liked the fact that when Morgan proposed marriage to protect her reputation, she refused to settle for what he was offering. She made it plain to him that she deserved more. I loved how well she understood him and wanted him to see the same man that she did. It was an emotional scene when he was finally able to let go of the past and see a bright future. The epilogue was a nice wrap-up for the book.

The part of the book dealing with Morgan's mission to capture the Spectre was pretty good. Morgan's past made him uniquely suited for the mission. I enjoyed Morgan's interactions with Johnny the pickpocket and Samuel the footman, as he tried to maintain his cover without putting them in danger. The first encounter with Spectre was pretty creepy, especially with his disguise. It was easy to feel the threat that he posed to both Morgan and Clara. As the book progressed, I suspected who it might be, but wasn't sure how he pulled it off until the end. The final confrontation was intense and had me on the edge of my seat until it was over.

The secondary characters also added depth to the story. I loved Clara's Aunt Verity and her dogs. It was easy to picture them as I was reading, along with her attempts to fix Clara up with Lord Winthrop. My favorites were Johnny and Samuel. Johnny's struggle with giving up pickpocketing was real. It was easy to see that he wanted to please Clara, but giving up that independence was hard. He had that teenage bravado that tried to hide his vulnerability, and I liked the way that Morgan tried to help him. I also loved Samuel, the reformed pickpocket who is now Clara's footman. I loved his protectiveness toward Clara, and his growth into the position as Morgan took him under his wing. He was really sweet with Lucy, too.

I definitely want to read the other books in the series, especially the one about Juliet and Morgan's brother. ( )

Lovely, sexy, feel-good historical romance with a satisfying HEA. Adored both the main characters and the story was compelling. Of course I knew who the villain was pretty much immediately upon meeting him, but it mattered not at all. Fun read! ( )

Not bad, but weakest of the series so far.

http://ktleyed.blogspot.com/2011/12/dance-of-seduction-by-sabrina-jeffries.html ( )

If anything, Morgan Pryce, the hero of Dance of Seduction, is a lot more interesting than his twin brother Sebastian from After the Abduction. I could never really get a handle on Sebastian's character in that book, but just from passing mentions of Morgan in After the Abduction my attention was instantly caught by the accidental pirate and undercover smuggler spy - I love me those pirates. When Morgan gets a book all his own, he doesn't disappoint. He’s not your typical rake/spy. He's clearly a nice guy trying to do the right thing - while still managing to maintain an aura of danger and excitement. A great combination that seems like it would be hard for an author to pull off. When our story starts, he's going undercover as a fence in an elaborate plot to catch a notorious London thief known as the Specter. This leads him to cross paths with Lady Clara, a reformer who runs a home for former pickpockets just down the street from the shop that Morgan's using as a cover for his fake fencing. Clara's on his case immediately because she's worried that he'll tempt her young charges back into a life of crime. Clara and Morgan have an instant chemistry that is fun and sexy and, as always with Jeffries, very hot. I love watching them spar, flirt, fight, and fall in love.

I'm surprised at how much I like Clara, considering she seems custom made to get on my nerves - a zealous save the world type with a pack of cute little kids in tow. I'm expecting an incongruously sheltered, uptight, shrinking violet, but instead am completely won over by a surprisingly savvy, strong woman who, despite appearances, is the farthest thing from prim and proper. She spends most of her time in the seedy underbelly of London, the location of the Home for her kids, so she knows a thing or two about how tough and dangerous it is out there. I’m vastly entertained when Morgan's attempts to scare her off blow up in his face. And I'm more than happy to root for Clara as she tries to save the world one pickpocket at a time because she's never self righteous or moralistic about her mission. Even more surprising, I don’t hate the kids who show up in the story either – no silly lisping sugary clichés here. Thank goodness. Nor does Clara do stupid things while bragging about how she can take care of herself. Well, for the most part at least. She does have some cringe worthy moments, but Morgan still has to work hard to keep a step ahead of her. Their relationship is all about the untangling of Morgan’s subterfuges, from his top secret mission to his tortured past. Clara manages to be the ministering angel type without being apotheosized or appearing too meddlesome. Morgan is a bit whiney about how horrible he thinks he is, when of course he’s not really horrible at all, but he gets over it eventually. Yay. When these two are finally able to overcome Morgan’s past together and find true love, I’m happy for them. Even with the convoluted plot, and the apparently obligatory damsel in distress finale, Dance of Seduction was a satisfying read over all. ( )

This is the fourth book of the Swanlea Sisters series. The connection to the other books is loose via marriage. Sabrina Jeffries is always a good read, however. ( )