Sandrine Oliver has spent her life in quiet Squalton-on-Sea, longing for adventure. Though she’s generally stifled by her overprotective mother, she’s decided to enjoy one moment of “delicious, unpredictable freedom” in the sea. Unfortunately, it’s short-lived, as she’s suddenly...
Sandrine Oliver has spent her life in quiet Squalton-on-Sea, longing for adventure. Though she’s generally stifled by her overprotective mother, she’s decided to enjoy one moment of “delicious, unpredictable freedom” in the sea. Unfortunately, it’s short-lived, as she’s suddenly hauled out by a strange man who thinks she’s in need of rescuing. That man is Lord Dane Walker, brother of the Duke of Rydell, but as the Rydells are not well liked in Squalton, he’s pretending to be Danny Smith. Though he ruined Sandrine’s swim, they seem to connect and even share a magical kiss, but then he disappears. They soon encounter each other again when Sandrine visits London to petition the Duke of Rydell on behalf of the local historical society—and that’s when she learns that Danny is now the duke, and he’s not necessarily happy to see her. At this point it will become clear to nearly every reader, if it isn't already, that Bell's latest is heavily inspired by Grease. The Duke is a member of the Thunderbolt Club, which is “all about racing,” and he’s returned to London to find that his buddy Kenwick’s new curricle has arrived, and it’s called Lightning Streak. Meanwhile, having been snubbed by Dane at the theater, Sandrine finds support in a group of young women who call themselves the Pink Ladies, though a certain Lady Roslyn seems to think she’s “too pristine to be pink.” Though the plot is familiar, the story is as steamy as Bell’s readers will expect, and certainly more explicit than the film. Because the book hews so closely to its inspiration, it's not groundbreaking, but Bell has fun with the premise, and readers looking for a lighthearted historical romance will enjoy it as long as they don’t mind having the soundtrack stuck in their heads.
