Betrayed

Betrayed is both a historical mystery and a historical romance. It takes the reader to England in the 1770s. Kate Lancaster, devastated by the murder of her parents, vows to find the killer with the help of Christopher Bradshaw.  Her heart races whenever the handsome nobleman is near her but his overbearing wife is constantly playing the matchmaker with their son, Lucas. Kate and Christopher try to resist the temptation of their mutual attraction while striving to solve the mystery of who wanted the Lancasters dead.

C. De Melo always writes a good historical novel. Betrayed, however, is one of her best. In this rare historical mystery she shows how well she can craft a mystery plot. The twists and turns and unexpected ending made the book an exhilarating read for me. I can't recall when I last read an exhilarating historical novel, if ever.  Betrayed is that special.

As usual for me, my favorite character is the villain. Claudia Bradshaw cheats on her husband frequently with different partners and is the dominant person in her marriage. We are lead to believe that in the eighteenth century only the men got away with this type of behavior. However, I think there were plenty of Claudias. People just didn't openly acknowledge strong women. Her husband, meek and mild Christopher, only married her because she was pregnant and he believed that the child was his. Claudia never told him anything about the identity of the father of her child. She played him well.  Our protagonist Kate Lancaster was also able to force him into doing whatever she asked.

While the romance is tasteful and strong in Betrayed, it is the mystery that makes this book great. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.