Dire circumstances force a young innocent into life as a courtesan. At the height of her notoriety she disappears leaving her rich and powerful lover for a quiet life far away from glamorous London as a ‘widow’. Her lover is furious at her desertion just as he was about to fly in the face of society and propose to her. He hunts her down and kidnaps her with a view to renewing their relationship, forcing her to admit her love for him and accept his proposal. Naturally she resists the return to her old life but inevitably succumbs to his will. In spite of the many reasons she espouses that their marriage could never work, true love cannot be denied and we leave them on the brink of happy ever after.
I can’t say that I particularly liked this book but the writing was compelling. I must be up front and admit that the hero, the ultimate in alpha males, is everything I despise in a man. He is quite possibly the most authentic historical character I have ever read in a romance novel. His sense of entitlement is almost palpable and the actions of his character (which include kidnapping and rape) completely convincing within the story’s context. It is a testament to the author’s skill that I had such a strong reaction to the character and kept reading in spite of that.
It is his redemption about which the story pivots and while he does change I feel that it happens too swiftly and too completely to be convincing. The trigger for his change of heart doesn’t seem strong enough to carry such a momentous turnaround and make it a permanent feature. Perhaps if we were to see some of his history earlier in the story I would be more sympathetic towards him and inclined to believe the change when it happens.
The heroine is almost a secondary character despite large chunks of the story being in her point of view. In a few places I couldn’t see the motivation for her action, in fact I thought she acted against the character she had been shown to have. Though she is consistent and her actions reasonably believable for the main part.
This story is well, and evocatively, told. The writing is compelling and the hero probably an accurate historical character. (I won’t even begin to discuss whether or not the average reader of historical romance wants the hero to behave in a manner authentic to his time and rank). If you are a sensitive sort who doesn’t like to read scenes of emotional and physical abuse give this story a wide berth for the rest Regency noir is an interesting new take on an old favourite.-Lynn
No comments:
Post a Comment