The Nude
Dorothy McFallsHistorical romance
Available from Five Star
ISBN: 978-1-59414-767-8
May 2009
| Elsbeth, Lady Mercer is slowly recovering from an abusive marriage. She feels guilt that she does not mourn her monster of a husband who tricked her into marriage. An art exhibition shatters this hard-won sense of security. An artist hiding behind the name of Dionysus has painted a nude portrait of her, ruining her reputation and endangering her family's standing in the ton. Nigel, Lord Edgeware tries to repair her reputation by first sponsoring her in society and then with marriage. Elsbeth is determined to find out the identity of Dionysus, and also the identity of the man who is trying to kill Nigel. Despite all of her resolve, she has fallen in love with him and wants a future with him.
This is one of the best historical romances that I have read in the last few years. The author has a wonderful feel for the Regency period without going into excessive historical detail. Her story of a brave woman and her trials and tribulations had me enthralled from the beginning. I loved her tenacity in ferreting out all of Nigel's secrets and her growing love for him. Her quest for the identity of Dionysus meshes perfectly with her investigation into the series of “accidents” that have befallen Lord Edgeware. The subplot of her cousin Lauretta's romance with the dissolute rake, Lord Ames is so good it is worth a story of its own. Obviously, my favorite character is Elsbeth, there is so much to admire in the woman, but the secretive Nigel will quickly find his way into your heart also. His London butler is a memorable character as is Molly the feisty maid. There are enough villains in the piece to make it difficult to figure out the perpetrator, so if you are a fan of historical romance or suspenseful mystery, this novel is just the thing for you.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Maura Frankman |
