Superb suspenseful regency historical romance with two wicked men!
When the baron Cyril Farquharson, rich but unappealing in the extreme,
forces his attentions on Madeline, her mother could not be happier and
she could not be more repulsed. When this evil man traps her in an
uncompromising situation, another mysterious man protects her but also
threatens her reputation --- he is known as the Wicked Earl. Torn
between two men, which one is more wicked? Will she love either of them
or will she pay with her life?
Margaret McPhee's descriptions of the villain are
fantastic....really creepy and disgusting and made me think of Charles
Dickens, Uriah Heep and worse! Hissing, sneaky, slithering, slimy and
just downright wicked! The heroine is both innocent and wise, reticent
and spunky. Madeline knows how to protect herself one way or another.
Her choices and dilemmas create a well-rounded character beyond the
reader's expectation. Margaret McPhee's characterization breathes
suspense in every moment.
From the opening scene, the plot drives the romance forward while
creating suspense like a serial novel. One place in the novel had a
quick suspenseful scene change that could have used a sentence or two
more preparation but otherwise Margaret McPhee delights with fast-paced
action, tense suspense filled scenes, and a fine mixture of scene
changes to heighten suspense and create vivid characters. For that
reason and more this romance deserves a 5 star rating.
Readers will enjoy the scene of the heroine reading Jane Austen and
thinking of Mr. Darcy as well as having the scene placed in a crucial
turning point in the romance. In addition, King Arthur fans will enjoy
the heroine's musings on Tintagel Castle where Uther seduced Ygraine
under her husband's eye and where Arthur was conceived. Setting one of
the final scenes there was a masterstroke --- just enough parallels to
create intrigue but enough variation to heighten the expected suspense.
I just loved the way she played this scene! The first two-thirds of
this romance were so well-written and suspenseful that I imagined the
last third and ending could only be anti-climatic. Not at all! Even the
last line tantalizes!
