Review: His Improper Lady

His Improper Lady by Candace Camp
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. 

2.7 stars 

The thief was a woman. 

Tom Quick awakens to an intruder in his detective offices one night and during a tussle, learns the thief is a woman. When he discovers a necklace that got left behind, a gambling token from a casino on a chain, he has a clue to find her. Desiree Malone has always had “funny” feelings and they're telling her to search out who her real father was. When the man who caught her searching his office finds her, he doesn't believe that a clue she found there proves her father was a Moreland, the family that saved him from the rookery. Desiree and Tom work together to find out the truth about Desiree's father but as their trust is building, so is the attraction between them. 

And like him, she didn't belong in either place. 

His Improper Lady is the eight installment of the Mad Morelands series but I haven't read the others and I had no problems understanding the world. The Moreland family and members make a strong showing, they try to steal the show sometimes in the middle and latter half, but, for the most part, the spotlight is brightly on Desiree and Tom together. Desiree, her twin brother Wells, and their older brother Brock know their mother was a mistress to a rich man. When the twins were babies and Brock around seven, their mother and the man ran away together and were never seen again. Brock was transported to Australia while the twins were taken in by a friend of their mothers who was a circus performer and eventually ended up with a kidsman named Falk until Brock managed to make his way back and save them. The Magnificent Malones were popular acrobatic and tumbling acts and very efficient thieves for Falk. The story definitely involves this aspect of Desiree's life with having her teaching Tom some tumbling moves in a special room they have equipped to train in and incorporating it in chase scenes. I thought it was a fun, different element to add in, especially since it wasn't once mentioned, then done but actually utilized. 

“I plan to do a great deal more than look.” He planted his hands on the bed on either side of her, crawling slowly up her body. 

Desiree searching out if her father really was a Moreland (she found a Moreland ring in Tom's partner's desk that matches the one her brother Brock said their father gave him when he was a child) and Tom wanting to protect the Morelands from grifters, because of how they took him in as a child, had these two together from the beginning. The vast majority of the time is taken up by Desiree and Tom together going from person to person from her mother's past and Alistair, the Moreland cousin they learn and think could be Desiree's father, looking for clues. The investigation plot pace was very well-regulated, sometimes painstakingly as I thought around the 70% mark things needed to be wrapped up. This is not a story that has a quick pace and you're going to rush through, it's more sink in and spend a couple days with. Overall, I wouldn't call it slow, but towards the end I did start to get a bit antsy as a sex scene was put in and delayed some action after they learned an important clue. These two had a pretty even keeled vibe to them, Tom doesn't trust her in the beginning but as he gets to know her, he mellows (takes him a wee bit too long) and trusts her. Desiree was the open warm book we all probably wish we could be and I did find myself loving the honesty between them, no hidden truths, angst, or thee drama for this couple. 

And he knew, with his body as much as his mind, that he could not live without this woman. 

The pace and tone of this made me think of instead of taking a plane from Minneapolis to New Orleans, you took a raft down the Mississippi river, slower but probably more idyllic. The mystery and danger aspect never felt too urgent and you'll probably be able to glean some of the whys and hows of Desiree's parents. Tom gets a little bit of the shaft, story wise, because it's all about Desiree but I thought he complimented Desiree sweetly on her journey. If you're a frequent reader of this series, you'll enjoy past couple appearances and looks at this mad Moreland family. There was a very slight paranormal aspect to this with Desiree's inner eye “telling” her about liars and dangers, which seems to be a theme for the Morelands as there were mentions of other family members having some abilities (even mention of a witch who invaded dreams!). Desiree's twin brother Wells, who seems to be a spy for the government, and her older brother Brock, who owns casinos, each have enough charisma to make me want to read their books. You probably won't race through this one but it does have sinkable quality and sweet romance that believably builds.

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