When life hands you a raw deal, you must do what ever you can to survive. Meggs found herself alone at the young age of twelve. Her parents passed away leaving her and her baby brother, Timmy to fend for themselves on the mean streets of London. To make sure they both had food to eat, Meggs turned to the life of crime. Picking pockets, finding marks, targeting the rich is now her bread and butter. Everything changes when an unwanted witness to her profession would like to hire Meggs to gather information for a government secret mission. Could this proposal change her life? Will it be for better or worse?

Captain Hugh McAlden is not happy with his current position. After a battle wound, he has been placed on disabled pay and lost command of his ship. He will do anything to retain the glory he once had. The admiral of her Majesty's Navy may have the very mission the Captain desires. It seems there is a traitor within the Lord's Commissioners, selling secrets to the French. The Captain must figure out who is committing treason against the crown before the information risks the lives of more British soldiers.

The Captain is amazed when he witnesses a young girl skillfully remove valuable assets from a gentleman without the mark even realizing what has happened. Could this girl be the tool he needs to discover the traitor? Little does he know that she is the answer to questions he hasn't even asked himself yet.

THE DANGER OF DESIRE is a suspense filled adventure that will have you in awe as the mystery unfolds before your eyes. The turbulent relationship that the reader witnesses build between the talented Meggs and her stubborn Captain is written beautifully. The reader can feel the suspicion, pain, angst, and desire right along with the characters. The story and the sub-plots are blended together beautifully. It will leave you feeling as if you read three stories wrapped into one. Elizabeth Essex masterfully delivered a story involving the lower and working classes in a genre saturated with tales of nobility and the rich. If you are in the mood for a story that seems to have it all, look no further. THE DANGER OF DESIRE is the book for you.

Book Summary

Naval Captain Hugh McAlden is accustomed to taking on deadly, high-stakes assignments--and being rewarded handsomely for his success at them. But to accomplish his latest mission, he'll need someone more inconspicuous among his own ranks. Someone like the larcenous beauty who just relieved him of his pocket watch under his very nose. . .

Meggs Tanner's livelihood--as one of London's stealthiest thieves--depends on her remaining un-tethered and unnoticed. But when she is caught by an icy-eyed Scottish officer with an unusual proposition, she sees a chance to escape her life of crime forever. Ever wary, she accepts the job even as she plots her exit strategy, ready to cut and run at a moment's notice.

But as Meggs and Hugh come nearer to the danger of their shared mission, thoughts of betrayal and distrust begin to dissolve. . .overshadowed by a passion worth any risk. . .

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