Following the mysterious death of her older sister, Cerise (Risa) Lindsay inherits an estate and title, but vows to disprove the gossip that Madelaine, spurned by a lover, killed herself. If the titters of society are to be believed, then that man is none other then Blake Hargrove, the eighth Earl of Sandown. But Risa can find no reason to stamp true to these allegations, not when her heart longs for Blake, and her soul cries out for fulfillment as a woman and an artist. Both, of which, can be assuaged only by the man her aunt blames for Maddie’s death.

After Madelaine’s suicide, Blake withdrew from art, hiding his talent from the light of day as penance for his inability to keep her from harm. When Cerise questions his involvement in her sister’s demise, Blake instinctively feels drawn to her wild beauty and artistic nature, and vows to help solve the mystery. Their first meeting changes his life, turning a profligate rake into a man of honor who seeks the grail of true love. But the crusade to capture Risa’s heart twines a path fraught with danger and sizzling passion.

With a background firmly rooted in art history, it was a great pleasure to read Allure and renew old acquaintances with artists and their magnificent creations. Jo-Ann Power does a masterful job of recreating an era. Juxtaposing the inbred society of the Victorian with the dawning expressionist movement, Jo-Ann collides diverse worlds to produce a paradigm shift into which fall characters that balance on the edge of self-discovery, willing to flaunt all social conventions to attain awareness that empowers them to love on the playing field of equality.