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A Fallen Lady

(Ladies of Scandal #1)

Elizabeth Kingston (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 781 ratings · 112 reviews

Six years ago, to the outrage of her family and the delight of London gossips, Lady Helen Dehaven refused to marry the man to whom she was betrothed. Even more shockingly, her refusal came on the heels of her scandalous behavior: she and her betrothed were caught in a most compromising position. Leaving her reputation in tatters and her motivations a mystery, Helen withdre ...more

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Kindle Edition, 1 edition, 364 pages

Published December 30th 2015

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· 781 ratings · 112 reviews

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Jul 10, 2018 Elena C. rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, reviewed, historical

Read for the URR New Year 2018 Reading Challenge: Enemies to Lovers.

They only held hands as the cart pulled away, letting the distance pull their arms straight before the grasp was broken. Helen kept her arms outstretched, the emptiness of her hands saying all the things that she could not voice.

Too soppy, you say? But what if I tell you that this scene doesn't take place between the heartbroken heroine and the hero, but in the moment of the separation between the heroine and her closest female friend? And indeed, female friendship takes the lion's share of the first half of the book: the relationship between Helen, the titular Fallen Lady, the scandalous Frenchwoman Marie-Anne, the Irish maid Maggie and Emily, whose deafness makes her a burden and an embarrassment to her noble family, is what immediately caught my attention and makes A Fallen Lady a much different beast than many other HR (and a lot of romance in general, really), where other women - women that aren't the heroine, that is - are often seen as obstacles towards the heroine's HEA, instrumental in making it happen or they're simply kept in the background, depicted as gaggle of geese without much sense or purpose.

Intruding in the life of this little group comes Lord Summerdale, bent on determining once and for all the truth of the story behind Helen's fall from grace: a truth that, while not explicitly stated at this point in the story, is all but evident to the readers but simply unimaginable for Stephen, and in his mind Helen's unseemly past behavior says it all about the matter of her broken engagement (in fact, his snooping around has nothing to do with giving voice to Helen's truth, that she's guilty of her own ruin is something he has no doubt about: he merely wants to make sure that (view spoiler)).

The arrival of the hero in the lives that these women have so painstakingly built for themselves is as far from meet-cute as you can imagine: Stephen represents everything that Helen fears and loathes, one of the most distinguished representative of the same genteel Society that tried to destroy her. And when he starts to insinuate himself in her life, asking uncomfortable and painful questions with his impeccable manners, it's impossible for Helen to turn him away, to ask him to leave her house and never come back, to tell him to mind his own fucking business. Helen has no protection against his curiosity: Lord Summerdale isn't a bully, he simply wants to know something about this woman's past for reasons he isn't required to explain - her position in society doesn't grant Helen the right to defend against a nosy man and his position in society demands that his inquiry is given an answer, period.

Luckily for us there's more to Stephen than a stuck-up asshole incapable of seeing past social customs and once he begins to warm up to this little cosmos of feminine fellowship, he slowly starts to questions the values of the society that tossed Helen outside the realm of respectability, unprotected. His doggedly pursuit of the truth of what happened to her and Helen's determination in keeping her hurtful past a secret (out of a sense of self-preservation rather than shame) make for the theme at the core of the book - how much are we willing to let the other person see of ourselves? The difficulty of opening our hearts to others can be there whether we've been unlucky enough to suffer a terrible trauma or, like in Stephen's case, it can simply be born out of loneliness, fear of rejection and a sense of inadequacy. Kingston makes the case for both without ever turning Helen's painful past and Stephen's sense of estrangement the only thing that defines them as characters, but rather something they need to work on to finally be truly happy, as individuals and as a couple.

A Fallen Lady is a much richer read than I expected: great characterization, a strong cast of female characters that have truly meaningful relationships with each others and romantic leads with something more to go on than simple insta-lust (and also a few typos here and there, but with such a story and good writing, do you really, really care?) ...more

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Oct 03, 2017 Skye Kilaen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 0-genre-romance

Content warning: sexual assault -- One of the most feminist romance novels I've yet read. Lady Helen Dehaven is Completely Fed Up With Patriarchy. Specifically, men who refuse to believe that she made the right decision to break an engagement after a horrific trauma. Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, is tasked by Helen's brother to find out what happened, which to Helen is yet another insult (and she's not wrong.) She's built a life with her friends and found a goal worth living for, and she doe ...more

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Feb 08, 2016 Caz rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-and-5-star-books, 4-and-a-half-stars, romance-1800-1850, aar, kindle, romance-regency

I've given this a B+ at AAR, so 4.5 stars.

This second book from new author Elizabeth Kingston is miles away – both chronologically and geographically – from her first one -The King's Man - which was set in medieval Wales. A Fallen Lady is a Regency set in a quiet English village, and I am pleased to say that Ms Kingston is as much at home with the social conventions of the early nineteenth century as she was with the brutal, turbulent times of the thirteenth century.

Six years earlier, Lady Helen I've given this a B+ at AAR, so 4.5 stars.

This second book from new author Elizabeth Kingston is miles away – both chronologically and geographically – from her first one -The King's Man - which was set in medieval Wales. A Fallen Lady is a Regency set in a quiet English village, and I am pleased to say that Ms Kingston is as much at home with the social conventions of the early nineteenth century as she was with the brutal, turbulent times of the thirteenth century.

Six years earlier, Lady Helen Dehaven suddenly and unaccountably ended her betrothal, even after she and her fiancé had been discovered in a compromising position. Ruined in the eyes of an unforgiving society, Helen flees her brother’s home after he dismisses her one attempt at an explanation, and settles in a small village where she lives in relative obscurity but among friends.

But now, Alex, the Earl of Whitemarsh, wants to find his sister, and in a case such as this, there is only one man to whom he can turn. Stephen Hampton, the Earl of Summerdale is the keeper of society secrets, a man who knows everyone and everything and who can be relied upon to use that knowledge with the utmost discretion. Alex gives Stephen to understand that he wants to find out if Helen will consider a reconciliation and also suggests that maybe Stephen will be able to find out the truth of what happened six years ago.

Stephen Hampton is young, rich, good-looking and extremely well respected, with a reputation for upstanding propriety. He might not, then, be the best person to go looking for a fallen woman, but his friend’s request comes to him at a propitious time. Increasingly uncomfortable with the demands of his position and of the endless round of tawdry secrets and intrigue into which he is so often drawn, Stephen is keen to get away from London for a while. The prospect of a sojourn at his estate in Herefordshire – which is close to the village of Bartle-on-the-Glen which Helen has made her home – is thus an attractive one.

Helen is naturally suspicious when Stephen appears, making it clear that while she would love to see Alex and his new wife, she is not prepared to do so at any price. Her brother didn’t believe her years ago when she told him the truth and she was deeply, indelibly hurt by that. At first, Stephen judges her as society has judged her, but there is something about Helen that draws him, and he can’t resist seeking her out, coming to realise that there is more to her situation than meets the eye and that society has condemned her unjustly. The pair develops an unlikely friendship, finding pleasure in each other’s company even as they tread warily around one another – and for the first time in his life, Stephen discovers a sense of belonging; with Helen, with her friends and the society in which she lives.

A Fallen Lady is a gently moving story in which there is no overarching plot or major action; the romance IS the story and it’s by turns funny, tender and incredibly poignant. The two leads are well-developed, complex characters whose roles are slightly reversed; Helen is the one with the dark past and Stephen is the peacemaker, possessed of a warm, sunny disposition, even though he, too, has some demons of his own to exorcise. Their romance moves at a leisurely but believable pace, given what Helen experienced in the past, and while Ms Kingston doesn’t write overly explicit love scenes, she has imbued the relationship with a wonderful degree of longing and sexual tension.

Stephen is a truly lovely hero; warm, funny and protective, when he falls, he falls hard, and it’s clear he is prepared to do anything for Helen, even if it means making a sacrifice of his own reputation and good standing. Helen is rather more difficult to like, however, and even though the trauma she suffered makes her thoughts and actions completely understandable, it is almost heart-breaking to read the way she holds back from Stephen while he gives her so much of himself.

That’s the only reason I’ve given A Fallen Lady a B+ rather than an A-. Otherwise, it’s a compelling and beautifully written story about characters I came to genuinely care about. Elizabeth Kingston has well-and-truly cemented her position on my radar, and I will definitely be looking out for whatever she comes up with next.
...more

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May 26, 2017 Ingie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-m-f-historical, romance-m-f-audio, books-i-read-2017

Review written July 4, 2017

3.8 Stars - A good one ... but not as great as Kingston's newer medieval

A Fallen Lady is a earlier written HR from Elizabeth Kingston. A author who already impressed me when with her great two medieval (year 12xx) Welsh Blades historicals*). An author who gives you characters with strong feelings and a pretty cool temperate mood. We are not dealing with just normal.

Once again a very well narrated audiobook by the great and formidable Nicholas Boulton. Summary: 10 h ...more

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May 29, 2017 Caz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-1800-1850, romance-regency, audiobook, audiogals

I've given this an A+ for narration (duh!) and an A- for content at AudioGals.

In A Fallen Lady, Elizabeth Kingston and Nicholas Boulton leave the political intrigue and the rolling hills and valleys of medieval Wales behind them and head East (and a few centuries into the future) to end up in Regency era Herefordshire for this story of a young woman who refused to endure the censure of society and her family and left both of them behind her in order to carve out a new life for herself.

Six years ...more

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Feb 08, 2016 Lyuda rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-regency-period

3.5 stars

Helen, named for the face that launched a thousand ships, only to be left shipwrecked…

The story starts slow, very-very slow, but picks up steam half-way through with escalated tension and unveiling of secrets upon secrets.

Six years ago 17-year-old Lady Helen Dehaven became a fallen woman. It would have been a trifling thing, that she had given her virtue to her betrothed before they were wed, but her true sin was that she had then refused to marry Henley (her fiancé).With her reputation in tatters Helen removed herself from society to the country house she had inherited from her grandmother. When her brother, her only remaining family, came home to England and demanded an explanation for her rush and foolish-like decision, he got what he deemed “wild stories”. Alienated from a very disapproving brother and society at large, Helen settles to a quiet life in a small village where her secrets are safe, where she finds friends and relative peace. But six years later her quiet life is disrupted again with appearance of Stephen, the Earl of Summerdale, who came to seek Helen (apparently at a behest of her brother) to find the truth of what happened six years ago and to promote reconciliation. There were other reasons for Stephen’s presence but these would remain secret until later as would many other secrets. Their revelation is painfully slow and the sheer number of them and drip-drip speed of their exposure is the main reason for my lower rating. It seems nobody is forthcoming enough and has the willingness to talk and listen.
On the other hand, in Helen and Stephen, the author created such complex and multilayered characters that is on par with some of the best romances I read. Both are generous, carrying and ultimately likable people but they also are hiding inside walls - and even more walls-some are not even recognized by them until later. Each had been wounded in both love and family relationships and it shaped their characters and outlook in life. Their romance develops slowly and very convincingly. Combine this with an excellent writing and I'm definitely looking forward to Kingston's next story.
...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Blackjack rated it liked it

I had such high hopes for this book given my enjoyment of Kingston's previous books, especially the amazing The King's Man. In two of Kingston's books, she truly excelled at emotional stories that grabbed me from start to finish. What happened here?

A Fallen Lady is an angsty and at times dark read with some heavy themes of sexual violence and the old-fashioned theme of shunning a ruined woman. For the first quarter of the book, I was convinced I was reading another stellar effort from Kingston, I had such high hopes for this book given my enjoyment of Kingston's previous books, especially the amazing The King's Man. In two of Kingston's books, she truly excelled at emotional stories that grabbed me from start to finish. What happened here?

A Fallen Lady is an angsty and at times dark read with some heavy themes of sexual violence and the old-fashioned theme of shunning a ruined woman. For the first quarter of the book, I was convinced I was reading another stellar effort from Kingston, and I was eager to see how this author in particular would explore the characterization of a "fallen woman." I am sorry to say that the best work on this issue comes in the first quarter of the book. From that point on, new story lines emerge that offer ever new obstacles and sources of misunderstanding for the main couple. I had significant difficulty getting my bearings every time a new source of tension emerged to tear Helen and Stephen apart, and at around 60% I gave up trying to figure out where the story was going.

In Fair, Bright, and Terrible, Kingston did a very nice job depicting a "difficult" woman. Eluned never truly becomes likeable in the way readers might expect a romance heroine to behave, but she is always complex and ultimately understandable in her cynicism and distrust of people. Here though, Helen tells us she is "difficult" via internal musings, but in reality she is an incomprehensible mess of confusing behaviors and emotions. Helen's behavior jumps from love to hate, from trust to suspicion, and from desire to repulsion for much of the novel, and in the end, it is exhausting. I see myself as a heroine-centric reader with wide latitude for the so-called difficult women of the world, but this book left me confused. The last chapters were especially problematic with respect to Helen's actions toward her husband, and unfortunately, the tacked on happy ending epilogue felt forced. I had no real belief that Helen and Stephen were going to be able to sustain a happy life together based on everything preceding the final words of the book.

I gave this a generous three stars for Stephen, who is an understanding, kind, and patient man, and for the old-fashioned feel of the book. Too many historical romances today elide the realities of the regressive views on women's sexuality, and this book felt historically accurate in its depiction of sexual mores. Overall though, it was not an enjoyable read, and I am thankful that I have read other Kingston books because if this had been my first, it may have been my last. ...more

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Apr 26, 2018 boogenhagen rated it really liked it

Shelves: hurray-and-happy-i-read-it, interestingthings, angstfest-wrecki-drama, i-am-so-totally-feeling-the-lurve, 2017

Slow burn romance with two people who really deserved an HEA. Helen is fabulous and I adored her strengths. Her BFF Marie-Anne is equally great and this was one of the best, non-wallpaper historicals I have read in AGES.

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Feb 21, 2019 Wollstonecrafthomegirl rated it did not like it

Shelves: did-not-finish

I returned to this book so many times in 2018. It has much promise. A lot of good writing. But by God, I was bored. Something indefinable was missing for me. I simply ceased to care about any of the characters and thus the romance. Reached about 60% and decided life is too short and gave up for good.

Thought Kingston’s medieval effort was excellent though. Not sure why this fell so flat for me.

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Dec 29, 2015 Melissa rated it really liked it

I just read on Elizabeth Kingston's website that this was actually her first book, written in 2002 and put away for years before she brought it back out for polishing and publication. All I can say, in that case, is that she's been an excellent writer for a long time, even if we readers are only just discovering her with this book and the first one she published, The King's Man.

The heroine of A Fallen Lady, Lady Helen Dehaven, broke off her engagement six years before the story begins, under cir I just read on Elizabeth Kingston's website that this was actually her first book, written in 2002 and put away for years before she brought it back out for polishing and publication. All I can say, in that case, is that she's been an excellent writer for a long time, even if we readers are only just discovering her with this book and the first one she published, The King's Man.

The heroine of A Fallen Lady, Lady Helen Dehaven, broke off her engagement six years before the story begins, under circumstances that have branded her, in the oh-so-kind judgment of Regency England, as "ruined." She lives hidden away in a small village, with a few good friends nearby, but far from the aristocratic society in which she grew up. She is estranged from her only remaining family, her brother Alex, so when Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, arrives in the village in search of her and claiming to be an emissary from Alex, Helen is suspicious of his and her brother's motives.

The truth of Helen's ruination is much more horrible and heartbreaking than almost anyone knows, and she's very self-protective and closed off as a result. Stephen starts out judging her as society has judged her, but as he gets to know her he can't help feeling that society's conclusions -- and her brother's -- have been wrong. He finds himself falling for her, too, wanting the sense of belonging that comes from befriending her and becoming enmeshed in her circle. With her he feels a belonging that he's never experienced before, either with his dysfunctional, verbally abusive family, or in the upper class society that respects him but always keeps him at arm's length.

Seeing these two lovable but flawed people make their way to each other on a bumpy emotional journey is the essence of this novel. There is no big plot, no major action, but it's a compelling story, beautifully and poignantly written, with characters I truly came to care about.

So...a medieval romance, and now a Regency. I wonder what's next for Elizabeth Kingston? A Western romance? Something set in Victorian times? Whatever she writes and whatever time period it's set in, I'll be waiting anxiously to read her next book. ...more

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Jan 24, 2020 Becca rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle

I was absolutely loving this dark, tortured, beautifully told story up until the very last argument. After so much angst for some reason the last time just made me doubt the HEA even though I know the author did it to make sure all the poison from the past was out in the open.

Regardless this story was well written and gripping. The writing style was different but I was into it. The best part is how the author herself described the book on had website. If you haven't checked her out, she is FUNNY ...more

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Dec 09, 2017 OLT rated it really liked it

(3.5 stars) This was a difficult HR for me to rate. It has much-better-than-average writing (except for the "lie/lay" difference which nobody seems to get anymore) and the characters were complex and well developed. I can see a good argument for giving this 4-5 stars but I also see the point of view of those who rated it a 3.

The heroine, Lady Helen Dehaven, sister to the Earl of Whitemarsh, 6 years ago was a young 17-year-old betrothed to a Lord Henley. Scandal has it she and he anticipated thei ...more

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Aug 13, 2019 Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie* rated it it was amazing

This was such a beautifully written and deeply emotional love story and it has definitely made me want to read more of Elizabeth Kingston’s books.

The traumatic events of six years ago left Lady Helen Dehaven ruined in the eyes of society. It also led to an estrangement between herself and her brother, Alex, Earl of Whitemarsh, when he rejected her explanation of what happened as ‘wild, incomprehensible tales.’

Forced to flee her brother’s home, she has built a new life for herself in the rural He ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 Jennifer rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017, takes-their-time, historical-british, romance, stars-2, all-the-lies-or-secrets, sad, adult, wealthy-person, not-a-mh

This book's a hard one to rate. I have to go with my gut feeling and say that I didn't really enjoy it all that much. It was well written, to be sure, and there were definitely moments that felt like a glimpse at the author's above average writing skill, but the MCs and plot were overwhelmingly sad. Honestly, it was depressing. And while I'm not a chick lit fan by any means, I don't need to be reminded by how awful and unfair real life can be.

I found it hard to connect to the MCs at the beginni ...more

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Apr 30, 2018 Sara Reads (mostly) LOTS of Romance rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Angsty, emotional, sad, trauma heroine romance lovers

Shelves: historical-romance

3 stars for the good writing, pacing, and emotional drama
2 stars knocked down for my own negative opinions of angsty romances

After reading this, knowing this novel would be angsty before reading it, and during reading it, I somehow convinced myself I really enjoyed it.

Instead I have come on a journey of self reflection and discovery

Alas. I detest angst.

There is nothing worse than constant drama and miscommunication and no laughter in a book. That's not entertaining for me. I like laughter and h ...more

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Feb 22, 2019 Bree Wolf rated it it was amazing

Six years ago, Lady Helen’s life ended. Ruined in the eyes of society, she retreats to a small village, hoping to start over…as much as that is possible for a ruined woman in regency England. However, then her past reappears in the form of Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale.
This story is simply beautiful. Both main characters almost jump off the page. They feel so real, so life-like that you cannot help but shed tears with them as they fight the demons of their past and risk everything to reclaim ...more

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May 28, 2018 Janine Ballard rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-releases

4 stars

A Fallen Lady is set in 1820 and begins with a prologue that tells us that the yet unnamed heroine suffered something that led to her “ruin,” something she was unable to recount with full coherence afterward.

In the following chapter, we see a letter from Stephen Hampton, Lord Summerdale, who has come to the village of Bartle-on-the-Glen on behalf of Lord Whitemarsh to investigate Whitemarsh’s sister, Helen Dehaven.

Six years earlier, Helen, then seventeen, was seen leaving the woods with h ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Melanie rated it it was amazing

I’ve only recently discovered this author and the two medieval books she wrote, I just loved. This one is set in Regency period and while the plot was slow moving, I thought the story revolved mostly around the developing characters and their growing relationship. I believe the complexity of the characters (and trust me, both characters had a lot of issues that only with time would be resolved) and their growing romance are as much of a plot as the real reason behind their meeting and the heroi ...more

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Mar 02, 2017 Corduroy rated it liked it

Pressing pause.

I don't like this as much as everyone else (the story of my romance-reading life!) - to me, this is the juvenalia of a very good writer. The book is sometimes pretty good, frequently okay, and there are occasional hints of something much better than okay. But it's a somewhat frustrating read for me, because much of it doesn't live up to its own promise. It has ambitions and doesn't fulfill them. I'll probably try again at some point.

(Because of THE WAY I AM, I can't handle the t ...more

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Oct 05, 2016 kathie rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-england, angst, hero-nice-guy, hero-honorable, steam-level-1, hero-beta, hurt-feelings, heroine-lack-of-trust, hero-earl, heroine-hard-to-like-at-times

3.5 Not bad...not great either. Just slightly above average read for me. Enjoyed author's other book The King's Man much more. I liked the hero Stephen but I thought the premise of him being some kind of confidence man that everyone told their secrets to was somewhat odd. Of course, the story was built around that premise with him trying to unlock Helen's secrets and falling for her while doing so. Helen was harder for me to like because she was so prickly at times. Still, I do like this author' ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 BJ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: loved-it

Fantastic book. The h has been betrayed in the worst way, especially hurtful was being judged by her family, instead she lost all that was dear. The H is a good man, moral, intelligent and he arrogantly believes her to be a fallen woman. He is also shocked at how attracted he is to her. They marry but she doesn't trust him, nor does he trust her. They must let go of their fear to find their way. A wonderful story, beautifully written.

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Jun 29, 2017 Dot Salvagin rated it it was amazing

After having read several very positive reviews of this book I just had to see what all the superlatives were about. I was not disappointed! This is the type of book that makes a reader cringe at any interruption. I wanted nothing more than to just continue reading and I was so sorry when it ended.

Helen had a trauma so devastating to her that she can hardly get words out to describe the horror. So she keeps her secrets deep inside; only sharing them with her best friend, Marie-Anne.
Stephen’s est ...more

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Jul 07, 2017 Kiesha ~ 1Cheekylass rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: regency, historical-romance, audiobook, england

Audio Edition: For the most part, this was a great story. The heroine and hero were both really likable with amazing secondary characters, Marie-Anne and Maggie were my favs. I thought that the plot was really interesting, what brought these two together was one I've not read before. There were also a few curve balls I didn't expect. This is a new author, highly recommended by Laura Kinsale. I do have two gripes:

1) While the plot was great, the buildup to understanding the heroine's fall from g ...more

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Jan 07, 2016 Kathy Cohen rated it really liked it

It is so satisfying to discover a new author who writes well and tells an interesting story. Set in the late Regency period (1820), Helen has been living as a recluse in a remote village because she refused to marry her fiance and she has been ruined. Her brother's business partner visits her, ostensibly to discover the reasons for her actions, but in reality to ascertain the trustworthiness of the former fiance for a business deal. The underlying theme explores the long term trauma caused by ra ...more

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Oct 07, 2018 Heidi rated it liked it

Shelves: audible-faves, debacles-from-good-authors

I still have a love affair brewing with Elizabeth Kingston. Her writing style is unique, astute and sharp-witted. However, this book was definitely a let down after reading the Welsh Blades, books #1 & #2. The character development of the heroine Helen was just painful. It made me feel like I barely escaped a runaway emotional freight train by the end of the book. I do take into account the pain/trauma of her back story but I was left feeling nothing but pity for Stephen being stuck with this pr ...more

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May 15, 2018 kate rated it liked it

The hero had a reputation as a man who knew everyone's secrets. This to me does not a hero make. He's nice enough but being a super gossip doesn't ring my hero bell. The heroine has gone through enough melodrama to fill three books. This has made her a little weepy whiny. Understandable.

No excuses for the h's brother who should have tracked her down after an obviously traumatic event and made sure she was all right. Instead he bought into rumor and gossip. Then waited six years to check out her ...more

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Jan 27, 2020 Rosanna Leo rated it it was amazing

I knew I enjoyed Elizabeth Kingston's writing, but A Fallen Lady has made me a total fangirl. This book had me ensnared. I couldn't put it down. The author not only delivers a wonderful romance, she ties up every loose end in the loveliest of ways. This is such a satisfying story, and I cannot wait until I read the next installment in the series.

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Aug 20, 2017 Late To Romance rated it liked it

I’ve loved each of the books I’ve read by this author. This one had me sobbing into my kindle at about 2am- it was an emotional read for me. I like the way she takes her time with her stories-gradually unfolding. The heroine has been excluded from her family and society because of a scandal six years earlier. This isn’t a light hearted, slightly inconvenient exclusion- this really is a life ruined, the heroine scrapes out an existence, with very few friends who will make contact her. – the heroi ...more

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Sep 30, 2017 Maria Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: review-copies-on-deck

Heartbreaking at times, yet the characters have the resilience to see things through. Both characters have their faults, and there are reasons behind their behaviours that make them all too human. And yet still a sweet love story with a happy ending. Full review to come.

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Jul 04, 2016 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, historical, read-2016

3.5 stars. This was really different from most historical romances I’ve read, and I really enjoyed a lot about it. The romance was the kind of slow burn that I really enjoy. In addition to the romance, I loved the friendship between Helen and Marie-Anne.

The one major thing I did find frustrating about this was (view spoiler) 3.5 stars. This was really different from most historical romances I’ve read, and I really enjoyed a lot about it. The romance was the kind of slow burn that I really enjoy. In addition to the romance, I loved the friendship between Helen and Marie-Anne.

The one major thing I did find frustrating about this was (view spoiler) And it’s unfortunate because I really liked the romance in this, and overall I thought the story was lovely, so without that element, this could’ve been like 4.5 stars from me. I did still end up liking a lot about this, though, so I’ll definitely check out more by this author in the future. ...more

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About Elizabeth Kingston

Elizabeth Kingston

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Elizabeth Kingston lives in Chicago, where she can be found gleefully subverting tropes and inventing new ways to make fictional people kiss. When there's time for it (hint: there's always time for it) she shouts loudly about the intersection of historical romance and white supremacist narratives. Lipstick, ski ...more