Pink Heart Reviews
Untouched
Anna Campbell
ISBN-10: 0061234923
ISBN-13: 9780061234927
AVON, December 2007, 373 pp
Historical – Gothic Regency
$6.99 (US) $9.99 (CDN)
Reviewed by Laurel
December 2007
Held captive by his uncle for many years after the death of his parents, Matthew can’t believe the sight laid out before him – a woman tied to the very table his uncle enacts his regular methods of torture to prove him mad. Not believing a word coming from her mouth, he is insistent that she was hired by his uncle to amuse him, satisfy his needs. Nothing really but a common whore is his determination of her. However Grace Paget is recently widowed and was on her way to meet her Uncle Vere, when she was drugged and carted off. Waking up to find herself strapped to a table and conversing with a man who tells her he is mad. Released from her bonds by Matthew, she is relieved when he appears uninfluenced by her manner of dress, and leaves her in solitude to plan and plot her escape. But she quickly learns that escape is not possible and when her abductor tells her she has one week to seduce Matthew or else she will die she panics – how is she to seduce a man who appears ignorant to everything about her?
Matthew though is not ignorant to Grace; he is trying to protect her and himself at the same time. When she tells him what his uncle is planning they devise a scheme to elude Lord John and his two spies Monks and Filey. They pretend to be lovers, it seems to work, until the time spent with each other, opens their hearts to a love that is passionate and unyielding. It comes with a heavy price though; Matthew knows he has to get Grace out of his uncle’s clutches, plans a daring escape placing himself in danger and Grace’s if she is caught in the process. Grace resolute in helping free Matthew from his uncle’s prison defies his plans and bravely returns to the home and family she left years ago. Knowing they are the only ones with enough power to stop Lord John, and possibly losing her heart’s desire forever.
UNTOUCHED with its disturbing plotline was a fascinating and engaging read. I must confess by fifty pages in I did not think I was going to like Anna Campbell’s second offering. However her writing and characters drew me in – held me riveted actually as I wanted to see the end of this dark but touching love story. I am glad I did, it proved to be one of the best reads I’ve read this year. These two characters were caught in dire circumstances, untrusting of each other and the rush of feelings coming out, horrified at the new level Lord John’s madness had become. You’re not sure whom to feel sorry for the most, Matthew the hero being held prisoner and declared mad by his Uncle. Grace the recently widowed heroine who had long since paid for the sins of her past. Or Lord John himself – the man who is inflicting cruel and horrible methods of torture on others to satisfy his lust for money and the power that comes with it. Each character was well written, compelling and appeals to you, they bring many emotions to the reader including revulsion, sadness, anger, joy and happiness. Lord John is most probably one of the vilest evil characters in a long time in romance; he made my blood crawl with his cool and calculating demeanour. But by refusing to believe Grace’s claim she was not a whore, it became his undoing after many years of torture and injustice.
Anna Campbell is a new and powerful voice to Historical Romance, UNTOUCHED is her second novel, her first novel CLAIMING THE COURTESAN was an instant hit with romance readers myself included. She brings with her a passion and a daring no holds barred attitude to her writing and stories. It’s something that’s been lacking for many years in the romance genre by many authors and novels.
