Sorry for the inconvenience but I have lost interest in the book as I realized that it's a part of a series and I haven't read the previous books.
Thank you for providing the copy though. I look forward to reading some more titles of yours. Thanks!

Always enjoy books by this author, this book being no exception. Her characters are different from usual regencies, and this story shows them to perfection in a London that is grittier than usual.
Copy of this book from Netgalley with thanks.

Until the unnecessary Cinderella ending, this was a surprisingly affecting Regency romance, pairing a naval intelligence officer with a hardened thief and her streetwise brother, unusual for its portrayal of their class differences, the harshness of the British 18th century legal system, and explicit discussions of consent.

Elizabeth Essex is a new author to me, so I was looking forward to reading The Danger of Desire to see what it would hold within its pages. You begin to realize fairly quickly that our heroine Meggs and her little brother Tanner are not all they seem as she promises him they will leave London and go to a place that is always warm. She is too well educated, too knowledgeable to be the street thief of which she appears, but she always has a quick answer for her responses. She runs across Captain Hugh Alden due to her thievery, but is hurt in the process. For an unexplainable reason, she is drawn to him.

Hugh is on leave healing due to a leg injury, but has been given the assignment to find out who is leaking top secret information to the French. He enlists/forces Meggs to help him with her easy slight of hand lifestyle. She goes into training to be a maid while her brother is out teaching and learning from Hugh.

In the first part of the book, Ms. Essex seems to use a London gutter dialect that was occasionally difficult to follow, but stay with her as it gets better as you see how Meggs uses numerous dialects and disguises to do her job to be able to feed her brother and herself. She is struggling to gather together enough money to leave London. Hugh promises to pay her enough to work for him that with what she has will help her and Tanner leave.

Without giving too much away, once Hugh and Meggs become lovers, he knows he wants to keep her in his life, but is not sure how to go about it. He cannot admit to himself that she means more to him than he realizes. Yes, he needs some help.

There seems to be two parts to the book, but the direction in which the book turns adds to the mystery that is Meggs. Hugh seems to not know what hit him when he meets Meggs and gets to know her better. Interestingly, Meggs has a bit of a moral standard about what she will do and will not do. She and Hugh begin to spend more time together complicating their relationship all the more. As this is my first Essex book, I cannot compare it to previous works, but know that I enjoyed this one. It is not too serious, not is it too lighthearted, it is just a good book.

Publisher's Description:

THE OFFICER IS A GENTLEMAN
Royal Navy Captain Hugh McAlden will do anything to stop the treasonous flow of information out of the Admiralty, even if it means taking in a slyly attractive street thief to steal those secrets back.

BUT THE LADY IS A TRAMP
Circumstances might have forced Meggs Evans into a life of crime, but she's bound and determined to lift herself out of the gutters even if it means stealing for the wickedly handsome captain.
On the trail of a traitor, the undeniable attraction between Meggs and her captain explodes. But when danger ignites their desire, the only thing in danger of being stolen is her heart.
----
The Danger of Desire was originally published in 2011 and was nominated for a RITA Award. This new edition has been revised and reedited.

My Thoughts:
This is the third and final book of the Dartmouth Brides series. I loved this book.
I never read the original which was published in 2011 and was a RITA Awards Nominee but it could not have been better than this 2017 revised edition.
The characters are quite well developed and loveable. The storyline is unique in that we start out believing the heroine is a gutter snipe and a thief and near the end of the story we discover something quite different. Our hero has a surprising side to his character. He is the male version of a virgin.
This story is both intriguing and sometimes comically amusing.
This is the second book I have read in the Dartmouth Brides series. I missed reading book #1 but read and reviewed book #2 as well as this one. They seemed to get better with each addition to this series.
This book does not need to be read as part of the series as it does quite well as a standalone title.
I gave this book 4.75 of 5 stars for storyline and characterization and a sensual rating of 4 of 5 flames.
There are some really heated scenes in this book, but they are strategically placed nearer to the end. The build up, though is quite the interesting read.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book from the publisher thru NetGalley to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this title which I have reviewed voluntarily.

This is the third book of the Dartmouth brides with Hugh and Megg's story with intrigue and trust. Am enjoying this series and settings of the books . Like the author's style of writing.
Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks Opinions are entirely my own

Character introductions draw you in, the story started off a little slow but once into the meat of it, I was sucked in. The descriptions, sights, and sounds of the city help you visualize the story and the characters as you move through. The storyline is intriguing itself without the anticipation of when Meggs and Hugh will become lovers. Great read, if you want to get swallowed up into historic London and the English Countryside, dive on in.

A decent read. Arguably a three star rating, however, since I finished the book and actually enjoyed the story, I went four stars. I can say I absolutely adore the heroine but the hero needs a lot of help. The story started slow then picked up then slowed down then picked up again. The actual plot was good but I felt the entire base could of been a little more informative for the spy conspiracy. I would of liked more background information on that included into the story itself. Now, I can also say this author is talented in her writing, and even if I am a little disappointed in the way this stories pace went up and down I did enjoy the work! I was given this book in return for an honest review. Anna

I really enjoyed reading this book.I really liked the characters they were very believable and likable it was well written with a great story line a super addition to the series.

What a unique and good story. A good solid plot. Enjoyed.

'The Danger of Desire' by Elizabeth Essex is book Three in the "Dartmouth Brides. This is the story of Hugh McAlden and Meggs Tanner. I have read this book before as it was first released around 2011. This can be a standalone book.
I enjoyed reading this book the first time and was so happy to read it again. This has some funny scene along with some emotional ones. Hugh has definitely met his match when Meggs goes to take a few things from him. It was just as much fun to read the second time as it was the first. I always loved how Meggs and Hugh came together and grew to love each other.

This was the third story in a series of three books. Although I had hoped to catch up with the characters in the first two books, they were barely mentioned in the book.

The story focused on Hugh, a government agent, and his usage of Meggs, an accomplished female thief. Meggs had a younger brother, Tanner, under her care. There was a fair amount of action in the form of street chases and intrigue. Of course, a romance develops between the lead characters.

There were twists and turns along the way but the great reveal at the end of the book was somewhat expected, in some similar fashion. However, the fact that Meggs knew her identity all along, and yet, still lived the life of a street person, was unpalatable. Throughout the book, Meggs, explained that she did everything for her brother. Well, since her decision not to pursue her, and more importantly, his, true heritage, was simply unbelievable. I will not give away any more details, but, suffice it to say, I was disappointed with the manner in which the author wrote that part of the character.

Although it was a quick and entertaining read, I would not recommend the book to anyone other than those devoted fans of the author. I would try another of her books and hope that the character development was much more involved and made more sense.

Meggs Evans had been on the streets of London with her brother, Tanner so long she almost can't remember not being in this life. Captain McAlden has been given an assignment in which he is not sure how to go about it. Someone is slipping the British war info to the French. McAlden has been tasking finding the person responsible. He happens to see Meggs and her brother working to lift a purse of a young man and it gives him a plan if he can get her help. Can they find who it is in time? Are they having trouble keeping a business relationship without going further? Follow the story to see where it leads.

When a wounded Naval Captain Hugh McAlden takes on high stakes assignments and enjoys being rewarded handsomely. Hugh will do anything to find a traitor including getting the help of a thief. One of London's stealthiest thieves Meggs Tanner is caught by a Scottish officer and ensues an unusually proposal to work for him and possible escape her life of crime. Meggs has had to do things in order to survive and she will do anything to protect and save her younger brother. Hugh decides he wants to save Meggs and she could do nothing less than push him away. These are two very strong characters with minds and agendas of their own who have to overcome their own personal demons and learn to trust each other to find their HEA. I loved this story it’s filled with intrigue, betrayal, newly awaken passion and romance with trust issues.
This is my honest review from an Arc copy from Net Galley and the publisher.

Third in the Dartmouth Brides series by Elizabeth Essex, this is a very fun read. Meggs and her Captain join forces to uncover a traitor, and their partnership turns into quite a bit more. Recently I seem to have read too many romances where the plot turns around a lack of communication between the hero and heroine. Although both Meggs and McAlden have secrets, their relationship begins and continues with frank and honest communication. They are refreshing and likable characters, as are the peripheral characters.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the hero and the heroine, both are very unique personalities, convincing, complex and good at what they do - and proud of it. When they work together to find a traitor among the Lords Commissioners on the Board of Admiralty, both have to find a way to trust the other and, well, to keep their hands of each other. Alright, they are more successful when it comes to this trust thing than at the other part but it's not easy to resist when there are so many sparks flying around and all that, right?

When Hugh McAlden hired the "street rats" Meggs Evans and her brother Tanner in order top help him find a spy, he didn't know that those two would change his life forever. Somehow this young woman and her brother get under his skin and what should have been strictly professional, well, it becomes so much more.
But can Meggs become a part of Hugh's world or...might there be something more about her and her brother?

As the story was also interesting, fast-paced and on the whole gripping and captivating, this is definitely a book that I will read again and I'll probably look for other books by Elizabeth Essex.