This story starts out looking like any Victorian era romance/erotica. The hero swoops in, scoops up the heroine, marries her without really knowing her, and then gets up to naughty things with her. And that does happen. But, that's not all that happens, and that's only the very tip of the iceberg. There is a sneaky, shady, evil witch; a strong, smart, stubborn heroine; and a hero who is deceived.

Elizabeth has spent her life miserable at her father's house. He seems to hate her, alternately abusing her and neglecting her. They live in genteel poverty, and Elizabeth does everything she can to keep the house running well, as well as trying to stay out of her father's way, and maintain her learning and her own interests. It isn't always easy, but she manages it.

Richard, Earl of Shepton shows up at her house one day and when her father calls her in, Elizabeth learns that he is to be her husband and will marry the next day. Elizabeth knows nothing of him except that he's an Earl. She hopes that he will be kind to her, but she's glad to be getting away from her father, anyway.

When the day comes, she gets married and then is very nervous for the rest of the day. She's not entirely sure of what is going to happen, but she likes what does happen. Things seem to be going along just fine until Angeline shows up. And all of a sudden, things change.

I really enjoyed Elizabeth. She's smart and strong. She learns to like what's going on, and when things change, she takes charge of her destiny more. She really is tough. Some people may have a hard time warming up to Elizabeth because she isn't necessarily the most tactful person. Brains and beauty are her gifts. Charm and tact, not so much. I like that about her. She's very much a WYSIWYG system.

I really can't wait for the next book in the series. It's going to be an interesting series. ( )