A house full of Jacks is not a winning hand for Mariah Eller.  She knows she is in trouble when she is called to her inn to help deal with a group of trouble-making noblemen using fictitious names like Jack Sprat and Jack B. Nimble.  She doesn’t know just how much trouble, even when she realizes that one of those trouble makers was her future king.  Soon, she finds herself pressured to be a mistress to a prince and a bride to one of his subjects.

I loved this book.  Betina Krahn picked an interesting time for the setting – 1887 – which is a refreshing change from the Regency period.  She created strong, remarkable complex characters.  Mariah Eller is a compelling heroine – a strong, capable young widow who runs her own inn and knows the Kama Sutra.  She has much in common with Jack St. Lawrence, the only true Jack that night in the inn, and the one entrusted by the prince to find Mariah a husband.  Both Mariah and Jack find they have little control over their lives.  Mariah is bound by her gender and poverty, Jack by obligations to his family and the Crown.  The tension between desire and duty make for some sizzling chemistry between the two.

Ms. Krahn’s descriptions paint a good picture of England in 1887 without making you feel like you are sitting in a history class.  The plot moves quickly but smoothly.  Unlike many books, I found no jarring scenes in Make Me Yours, nothing that seemed contrived for a laugh or to make some educational point.  Ms. Krahn’s writing is seamless.

Betina Krahn makes you think, laugh out loud, and reach for a fan and a cold drink all in the same book.  Make Me Yours is witty, funny, and sexy.  It is a feel-good story that is smart enough to be a guilt-free read.  I highly recommend it.

This book is available at Amazon, Book Depository, Powells and Books on Board – and of course from eHarlequin.