I'm being a bit generous here - I almost rated this 2 stars. It's such an uneven plot that it's tough to rate. There's a lot of good reading and sumptuous romance. And then, there's just... wrong stuff!Nits:1. The plot had me until "clone"... Yes, that's right. We not only have the modern-day present, the Regency past, but the clone future! Wow. I didn't see that one coming. Even if we were venturing into the future, past Gabriella's modern-day present, I never expected to end up in Clone World. Really jumped the shark for me. Maybe it shouldn't have, but I think by this place in the book, I was getting jaded by the author's repetition and disjointed, strange words.2. Examples of strange: After a particularly steamy love scene, the Heroine Gabriella turns to our Hero Damon and says, "My God, Damon," she said breathlessly. "that was incredibly fun - and enjoyable." Seriously?The second time he makes love to Gabriella, the monologue in Damon's head includes something like, ...He'd felt the barrier of her virginity, was careful not to breach it. Wait - isn't this in the wrong place? If it had been in the carriage scene, where it was their first time they almost got out of control but not quite, this inner monologue makes sense. But the 2nd time they've actually made love and he's talking about her "barrier"?Gabriella is on a horse with Emily. See if this makes sense to you, realizing that Gabriella is supposed to be on the back of the horse, behind Emily: She sat on the horses's rump, with her arms on either side of Emily, holding tightly to the front of the saddle.3. Wandering story line: I'm convinced the author has a page quota or an indifferent story editor. There's WAY TOO MUCH here - the story would be better and more concise, if someone edited out the unnecessary scenes. In their pursuit of the truth and the villain, there's a lot of wasted time and energy, not to mention wasted time/energy with all the deportment and dancing lessons. The ball scene is nice, but it could easily be trimmed.ALL THAT SAID, this isn't a bad story, it just needs a bit of help and direction. I read this after I read "Kissing Mr. Bellamy" with Roger and Emily, who appear several times in this book. I thought I'd understand that book better once I read this one, but... not really. In fact, while I like elements of this story better and actually like Gabriella and Damon and Lady Clare a lot, I think I prefer "Kissing Mr. Bellamy". Probably because it doesn't try to overly confuse me with past, present and future... and clones, for goodness' sake!
