Thank you to eBook Discovery for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

And, this is not an easy book to write a review for. Some facts I considered when writing my review:
*The writing is excellent.
*The characters are well drawn and fully developed.
*The story is well plotted
*There is drama, intrigue, romance, sex, abuse and more.
*There is a HEA
*The set up for book two in the series is well handled.
*The story was originally published under the title “Midnight Princess” in 1989.
*It was dark and disturbing at times.
*There were lighter happier moments.

If you are looking for a lighthearted historical romance this is not the book for you. If you have abuse/rape triggers this is not the book for you. If you like a provocative and sometimes disturbing historical romance that takes a look at how horrible some mental institutions were in the past, how controlling some men can be and how valiant, strong and defiant a woman is able to be when she is threatened then this is the book for you. ( )

I bought the book in spite of the cover and blurb. I was not disappointed and agree with Ms. Goodman's statement that the story held up, but can't comment on Christian's former characterization as I was deep in the toddler years when this came out. I see glimmers of West and Breckenridge in him and since they are two of my favorite heroes, I was quite, quite happy! After all there will probably never be another Restell Gardner, I've almost accepted that.

Never one to dawdle about, Ms.Goodman literally tosses the reader in to the middle of the story. It is one of the many things I enjoy about her work. That her writing is atmospherically perfect and her ear for dialog so eerily well-paced is forgotten as you are completely drawn in to the story. Ms. Goodman had not hit her stride in witty, dark dialog in this book, but you can hear the development underway. Her secondary characters are fleshed out and worthy of being in the story. The villains here are predictable. But that's OK, there are times I like me some plain ole bad guys in fiction. She chose NYC for this tale and it works well. The formula demanded of writers Back in the Day is a bit more obvious in comparison with the formulas currently followed by writers. I enjoyed spotting them. This in no way detracted from the story itself or my enjoyment thereofheretoforewithin.

Frankly, their interaction prior to him finding her in hiding about mid-book did not truly justify the declarations that so swiftly follow. Fortunately, there were still chapters to go, mysteries to solve, bad guys to nail and TIME for the declarations to become realistic. And that's why this book has such a high mark from me. The sex was rushed, the Romance was not. The second half of the book was perfectly paced, the hero redeemed himself and the heroine obtained dimensions she lacked. It is totally worth the read and price, I recommend it for when you're wanting a little edge to your romance.

Read my complete review of this book at Pagetraveler dot blogspot dot com ( )