Having read all Susan Elizabeth Phillips books and enjoyed them, I thought I would give this one a go and I enjoyed it too. Ok, yes it's a bodice ripper. There is rape and both the MC's get violent with each other on a fairly regular basis but that's fairly standard for the sub genre. It kinda annoys me when good books, which also happen to be bodice rippers, are given poor reviews simply for being bodice rippers and that's how feel about this book. To me, it's kind of like criticizing erotic fiction simply for its explicit content.

There was a lot I liked about this particular bodice ripper. First of all, I liked Noelle and I liked that she never really came across as a victim. A tormented, abused heroine is a fairly standard inclusion in these old school historicals. What I liked about Noelle, is she never came across as the suffering victim. Noelle was so strong and proud and fiery that, while she was treated appallingly, I felt like she endured her hardships rather than suffered them. I also loved that Noelle gave as good as she got, that she was more likely to punch Quinn in the face than give in to his arrogance.

The book was very S.E.P. Maybe it's just because I'm familiar with her other writing but her style and 'voice' (for lack of a better word) were all over this book. Maybe it was the snarky dialogues between the MC's or maybe it was the inclusion of a secondary romance, I don't know. If you have enjoyed S.E.Ps other books and if you enjoy a good authentic bodice ripper than you will probably enjoy this book too. ( )