"Daughter of a Parisian courtesan, Sylvia Boisette longs for respectability, though gossips say she is nothing more than a gentleman's paramour. Now, with her guardian dead, she finds herself in a shocking situation...
"Christopher Everden is appalled by his uncle's will--Madamoiselle Boisette is now his courtesan! Although his body responds to Sylvia's tempting sensuality, he knows he should rid himself of his disreputable charge. But, surprisingly, Sylvia has a vulnerability to match her exceptional beauty. Perhaps his inherited mistress could become his rightful bride!"
The title to this book does not do it justice. As the saying goes, I caution you to not judge this book by its cover (or title); there is far more to this story than meets the eye and I was certainly pleasantly surprised.
Readers immediately encounter young Sylvia at the reading of the will of her former protector and guardian. Everyone else in attendance seems to presume the rumors to be true: Mr. John Everden took a very much younger Parisian woman as his mistress, installed her in his household...and then willed her to his youngest nephew. Sylvia had been well cared for under Mr. Everden's care for many years and she had been led to believe that now she would make her own way in the world. That is, until the will reveals that her care -- and what little money she is to receive -- lies in the hand's of Mr. Everden's nephew, Christopher. He is, perhaps, even less excited about the situation than she. Surely his uncle had been addled! How dare he insist upon such a scandalous arrangement? Wasn't it bad enough that he'd been dragging the Everden name through the mud housing this young courtesan for so many years, now he had to saddle Christopher with her and charge him with her care? Unfortunately for Christopher, he cannot find a way out of the arrangement. Every chance he has to try to rid himself of Miss Boisette runs aground. Then again...the more time he spends in his presence, the less sure he is that he really wants to be rid of her forever... Their journey takes them across England, through London, and even back across the Channel to the place of Sylvia's birth. Christopher learns there is far more to Sylvia than he'd first been led to believe and he comes to realize that Sylvia is far more innocent than the first impression she'd presented. Meanwhile, Christopher teaches Sylvia that she is worthy of respect and trust and, just maybe, even love. But, with a dark and tragic past such as her own, how can Sylvia possibly allow a good and honorable man such a Christopher to lower himself to include her in his life? Surely she will never be accepted and she cannot allow his sterling reputation to suffer. Unfortunately for the two of them, there may not be time for them to sort through their complex attraction. There is an unknown evil lurking in the shadows, stalking Miss Boisette everywhere she goes. A very powerful man wants Sylvia to disappear from English shores, even if that means locking her away in France and immersing her in the hellish life she'd once escaped long ago.
Sylvia was an intelligent female lead. She was immensely brave, quick-witted, and eloquent. I enjoyed the realism of her unwillingness to let just anyone into her life, especially given the sad circumstances of her upbringing. She rode the fine line between looking out for herself (as one would expect from a woman who grew up as she did) and being selfless for those she loved. She, however, also recognized that there were certain things she could not change about herself and certain things which would never be accepted. She'd learned how to play to some of those assumptions (as evidenced in her first private meeting with Christopher), and also how to recognize when she was in over her head. This came into play in her relationship with Christopher on numerous occasions and I found it all endearing and excellent characterization.
Christopher as a male lead was wonderful. He was kind and caring, but not overly soft; and I definitely appreciated that his backstory made sense as far as this aspect of his personality. He was also strong, brave, intelligent, and had strong morals...and more than a bit handsome if we go off of Sylvia's impressions of him. What more could a girl want?! He will go to any lengths to protect his family and those he loves -- even if that means crossing the Channel in pursuit of a certain kidnapped French girl and going undercover to retrieve her from the clutches of a ruthless Madame. Christopher knows that Sylvia will never be safe until the discover who is behind all of this...and the answer to that question could very well turn Sylvia's whole world upside down.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The first few chapters started off a little bit slowly. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I think I placed a lot on what conclusions I was going to come to once I saw more of Sylvia. Exactly how archetypal would she be? A reformed fallen angel? A misunderstood courtesan? Something else entirely? Thank goodness she was the latter because I don't think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much. I found the spark between Sylvia and Christopher to be excellent. It didn't drive the entire plot (which was nice and seemed to stay true to both of their personal motivations and personalities), but was a satisfying undercurrent of dare-we-act-dare-we-not. Once the passion and desire between the two of them finally comes to a head, I must say that their chemistry was delightful. I very much enjoyed Lethbridge's writing. Do note that she is an English writer, so some of the words and formatting are decidedly "unAmerican." I found that I didn't mind this, though, and it was actually easier to believe the characters to be English because of this. I thought her sense of place was lovely. It drew me into the story and I was utterly absorbed in the scenes. This book truly turned out to be a gem on my shelves and I absolutely look forward to reading more of Lethbridge in the future.
