*This ‘review’ has been posted on Amazon and Goodreads
Maire Claremont’s debut Dark Lady grabbed me on page one and kept me riveted through the end. The writing is gorgeous, the heroine strong and very sympathetic, and the hero honorable and sigh-worthy through the darkest moments. The story is swims through the hidden side Victorian splendor, where laws could be twisted to satisfy the ends of the powerful. As the hero and heroine clash against the forces bent on their destruction (and sometimes against each other), their strength and honor build and the very deep wounds of their past heal. Those clashes, whether or not they are in alleyways, carriages, madhouses or drawing rooms, are always vivid and soulfully depicted. Ian and Eve form a love that conquers her consuming grief, his pervasive guilt and the greed and evil intent of the villain(s!).
Highly, highly recommended!