The Dangerous Viscount by Miranda Neville

All it took was a glimpse of pick stockings to have the bookish, woman loather Sebastian, Viscount Iverly,  to rethink his views on women.  However, the women in question, Lady Diana Fanshawe has absolutely no interest in this shabbily dressed man with his spectacles.  After all, she is trying to make herself very proper to overcome her very unproper, odd family.  She has her sights set on Lord Blakeney, heir to a dukedom who also happens to be Sebastians cousin, and she knows she must have her childhood crush even if she will never love him.  Unfortunately,  Sebastian and his cousin have never been the best of friends and when Blakeney bets Diana that she can not get "Owl" to kiss her, she accepts.  Now Sebastian is flattered that a woman of Dianas beauty would give him the time of day and they share a passionate kiss that neither can forget.  And just when he is ready to tell Diana his feelings.....the truth of the bet comes out and he decides to extract revenge on this cold women.

Bets, bets, bets....nothing good ever comes of them.  Sebastian turns to his fellow booklover, dandy friend, Tarquin to have his assistance in starting to dress the part of a respectable gentleman.  He starts attending events that he hopes Diana will be at and flirts with all the ladies and ignores her.  This naturally, starts to aggravate Diana as to why her friend that she has had so many lovely discussions with, has all of a sudden dismissed her.  Eventually through this round and round they end up together and share a very passionate night together and just when Diana is just glowing with happiness, Sebastian shatters her and tells her why he did what he did.  It takes quite a bit of time to heal both of their wounds and end up with their happily ever after.

I very much enjoyed this book.  After reading The Wild Marquis and seeing Sebastian in that book I wasn't really sure if I could grow to like that man but Miranda Neville did a wonderful job transforming him from skittish, virgin scholar to a wonderful, deeply caring man.  Diana really annoyed me with her desire to be fit in away from her odd family.  She seemed a bit immature at times, especially for being a widow, but I grew to like her by the end of the book.  I really enjoyed Dianas family and as I have already started the third book, The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton (Burgundy Club) I am so happy to see them reappear!  I hope we get to see more of them in the future as well!  Once again, Ms Neville has written a warm, funny, sexy story that should appear to many romance lovers who enjoy a romance book that basically just focuses on the romance of the main couple.  I am looking forward to a wonderful future of books from Miranda Neville!  4 stars