Karen Hawkins – A most dangerous profession

The third book in the Hurst Amulet series, published October 2011.



Mysterious, elusive, unforgettable. The Hurst Amulet continues to lure lovers into peril as New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins spins her newest scintillating tale of danger and desire.

An Entrancing Thief
For beautiful, seductive Moira MacAllister, the stakes have become terrifyingly high. ?Her daughter has been abducted and a priceless ancient relic is the ransom. Moira must acquire it at any cost, even if it means confronting the man she once duped and left, a man who still doesn’t know she has a child … and that he is the father.
A Dashing Rakehell
Robert Hurst, an operative in the king’s service, has never forgiven the mysterious spy who seduced him into marriage and then disappeared without a trace. Now, as he pursues the onyx box that will save his brother’s life, their paths cross again. But Robert isn’t sure which he longs for more – to satisfy his lust for revenge or to quench his relentless hunger for this bewitching woman.
A perilous mission
When Moira reveals to Robert her long-kept secret, however, he realizes his burning desires must wait as a treacherous foe closes in, threatening all they hold dear … and their second chance at love.


This book continues where the second one ended, so for your maximum enjoyment, read this series in order. If you only care about the romance in a book, and not really the plotline, then yes, you can read it as a stand alone.

Having rescued the second onyx box containing a hidden treasure map for the Hurst Amulet, Robert is set out to find the third box. He knows who has bought it, and he will get it. He also wants to catch Moira MacAllister again, but the box is priority at the moment. She escaped only an hour after he turned her over to a colleague to be arrested. He knows she is after the boxes too, only he doesn’t know why. Why is she working for that snake George Aniston? It cannot be for the money, as she doesn’t need it and if she did, she could earn it much more easier doing whatever she likes to do.
Moira is blackmailed by Aniston to do what ever he wishes, as he has kidnapped her little daughter. And she will do everything necessary to get her back. But to trust the father, Robert Hurst, her husband, with that fact? That she just cannot do. She could not bear it if he would demand custody and take the child away from her. She hasn’t had many good experiences with men so far, so trusting one now is not easy. Her child’s life is at stake here.

Robert is an experienced government operative, with lots of resources at his hands, while Moira is an accomplished spy, who has to rely on herself, her wits and her beauty. It was so much fun to see the one outsmart the other time and again, but in the end they had to work together. And together they are unbeatable.
I loved Robert. He poses as a lazy dandy, wearing clothes with lots of lace, but underneath is, he is a very smart, and very fine figured man. He wants people to underestimate him, but he does underestimate Moira a few times as well. She will not be dictated to, she will get the box herself if Robert tries to leave her behind.
Moira certainly had an unusual childhood. When her mother got pregnant, her family threw her out, and when her mother died when she was five, she ended up in the workhouse with the other orphans. Until a gypsy woman picked her out to live with her as she missed her own daughter. So at a young age, she travelled all over Europe, learning languages and customs. Which was how she could pose as a Russian Princess for so long. And that was the reason their paths crossed. Robert was send to investigate her, and they fell in lust very quickly. But why she tricked him into marriage, he really could not understand. He has kept silent of that fact for years, not wanting to face the humility it will cause to get a divorce or annulment.

Hmm, bit rambling review I guess, but I am enthusiastic about this book. The best in the series so far. Both Moira and Robert are great characters, with his servants serving as secondary characters.

I do have one complaint though, it is never explained how Moira escaped when Roberts two servants were ready to tie her down … And I am really curious how she managed that.

A fastpaced book, with a great plot, a great romance and great characters. Yes, some nice love scenes as well, you can feel the attraction between them.

10 stars.