The Lady And The Highwayman (Proper Romance Victorian)

by Sarah M Eden

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available to purchase on September third.

This book is a mixed bag for me. There were things that I thought were done well, but others just didn’t work. I was at a bit of a disadvantage with this book anyway, because I don’t read romance. I was hoping it’d be more historical swashbuckling adventure and slightly less on the heaving bosoms and fluttering hearts. Alas, if I had anything remotely resembling a heart, I might have enjoyed this more.

I thought Fletcher and his Dread Penny Society misfits were interesting. That he used his success as a penny-dreadful author to fund endeavors to improve the life of poverty-stricken children made him a multilayered character. Elizabeth, though, was boring. I hated reading the parts written from her perspective.

I did like the cat-and-mouse aspect of the book. It added some fun and made the story move along nicely. What I didn’t like were the random chapters of each character’s separate penny dreadful that were interspersed throughout the book. It kept grinding the story to a halt, taking me out of what was happening to the characters at the time.

All in all, this book wasn’t for me, but if you’re into romance with some other stuff thrown in for good measure, you might really enjoy it. I just needed more buckling of swash, and less of the syrupy sweet romance.