Much Ado About Rogues is my introduction to the historical romance series about the Blackthorn Brothers, by Kasey Michaels, and what a wonderful introduction it is; an historical romance with layer upon layer of plot, blending mystery and intrigue with love and romance.

It was really this layering of plot elements that completely hooked me in. The middle Blackthorn brother, Jack, the bastard, the outlaw, is a very dangerous man, and his job, his duty to the crown, is to hunt down his missing mentor.  To do so he must again face Lady Tess Fonteneau, a woman he scorned, but also a woman who has her own talents and skills. She’s not a woman to be underestimated in this sneak through the criminal underworld.

Tess is mostly a pretty strong, independent sort of lass, and I found her to be surprisingly believable. Not ‘kick-butt’ in the modern Urban Fantasy sense, but certainly a character with hidden depths and strengths, surrounded by a definite sense of her own limits, which I found particularly refreshing.

The interplays between Tess and Jack are delightful; the twists, the banter, the witty humour, and the undercurrent of not just sexual tension, but deep heartache, all develop the characters beyond the plot and make them come alive.

Add to the dynamic between Tess and Jack, the reappearance of a long lost, and deadly, foe, a family intrigue, a brother’s arrival, a death, and treasure, and the plot just keeps on coming.

Kasey Michaels has created delightful characters, and a story that flows well, where, just when you think you’ve reached the end, another layer presents itself to be completed.

A darn enjoyable historical romance, and one that certainly inspires reading the earlier books in the series.