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Book Review By Angel Manners
To Distraction by Stephanie Laurens

    Deverall, Viscount Paignton, is a former English spy in search of a bride like the other members of his elite group the Bastion Club. After asking his Aunt Audrey her opinion, she directs him to Phoebe Malleson, a spinsterish woman who has declared that she will never marry. Deverall attends a country party Phoebe's Aunt Edith is hosting to meet the woman, and he is instantly intrigued by her beauty and unique personality. Phoebe declares to Deverall that she is not on the market, but he decides to begin a courtship of her anyway, asking her to be his lover and hoping to convince her to marriage.
    During the party, a servant goes missing, and Deverall happens to witness Phoebe absconding with her the night before, curious he begins to investigate her activities to discover she operating an underground ring that helps servants woman who are harrassed to get away from the men who are bothering them. As the couple become closer, Deverall follows her on one of her "rescues" and manages to save her in the process. Deverall's price for silence is to let him in her group, and the two become lovers in the process.
    Trouble finds them when another group begins to steal women away also, only they are selling them into a slavery ring. Deverall calls on his former spy friends to break up the ring and discover the procurer. The Procurer, an impoverished Lord, finds that it is Phoebe who is edging in on his business and decides to kidnap her to put an end to their group. Phoebe and Deverall discover how much they truly love each other during the crisis, only the have to fight to slavery gang before they can find their way to alter.


Plot & Themes
Time/era of story
Action/suspense subplot? Yes
Action:
If one lover chases another... - he chases after her

Main Male Character
Profession/status:
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Unusual characteristics?

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Effect of sexing
Unusual characteristics:

Setting
City? Yes
City: - London
Misc setting - Fancy Mansion

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
What % of story is romance related? - 90%
How explicit is the sex? - vague references only - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - impregnation/reproduction - actual description of sex - Boob talk - Vagia talk - Weiner talk
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much sexing? - 3-4 sex acts
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