seriously romantic: traitor in her arms by shana galen

the french revolution is not usually an era used as a backdrop for romantic novels, it's a bit macabre, what with all the losing of heads and blood flowing in the streets. shana galen's traitor in her arms doesn't shy away from any of that. the horrors of revolutionary paris are described in meticulous detail, but not in a way that feels gratuitous or false.

the horrors of paris up the ante for our hero and heroine. lady gabrielle mccullough is a thief who finds herself recruited by the mysterious scarlet pimpernel. she's left drowing in debt after her husband's death and her attempt to steal cleopatra's lapis lazuli necklace to finance paying her bills goes awry when ramsey barnes, earl of sedgwick gets there first.

she's not sure why he'd be stealing the necklace. he has money. it's likely just a game to him. years ago they shared a kiss in a summer house, but nothing came of it. she's sure he's toying with her the same way he did back then. the truth is more complicated however, ramsey is being blackmailed. his life, his ability to care for his family, is under threat if the truth about his past is revealed to society. he's always been attracted to gabrielle, but he's also known that getting close to her was too great a risk. if everything were ever revealed her position in society would be under threat, and ramsey wasn't about to risk it.

when his blackmailer asks him to unmask the scarlet pimpernel he has no choice but to head to paris. when he encounters gabrielle on the ship and realizes she is working with the mysterious do-gooder, he realizes he must stay close to her. his intent is to betray her. but the idea of this kills him. he finds himself helping gabrielle with her task even as his blackmailer grows more determined to have him bow to her will.

the story really shines when it gets to the streets of paris. the action picks up, the danger and the horror do too. ramsey and gabrielle find themselves drawn together for reasons that go beyond their mutual safety or their individual missions. there's the connection they've been denying for years, and with death threatening just around the corner, there's no reason to keep apart.

**traitor in her arms will publish on august 22, 2017. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/random house publishing group (loveswept) in exchange for my honest review.