*[Blog Tour Review] Illicit Love (Marlow Intrigues #1) by Jane Lark

 

Summary:

 

Trapped under the reign of a cruel keeper, Ellen Harding longs to be free. Under his oppression, her soul and conscience have died while her body lives on, fulfilling his dissolute desires. She is empty––a vessel––deaf to the voice of morality and blind to shame.
When her eyes are drawn to a beautiful man for no other reason than his looks, she imagines what it would be like to escape her chains for a night by giving her body to him.
But Edward Marlow is kind and gentle when he touches her, and her subconscious whispers, this man could be her salvation. Yet how can he help her when she has secrets which prevent her freedom?
Edward is restless, lonely, and a little angry with his lot in life—it is his only excuse for being drawn to another man’s mistress. The woman’s dark hair and pale eyes are striking, and he cannot take his gaze off her while she watches him over the top of a fan with an illicit intent in her eyes.
Once he’s known her, he cannot forget her, and once he’s seen the evidence of her supposed benefactor’s brutality, he wants to help her. But how can he when she will not run any more than she will speak of her past?
When a desperate Ellen finally relents and shocks Edward from his sleep, he doesn’t hesitate, he helps her flee .He just doesn’t know he’s running headlong into the secrets of her past.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 368 pages (E-book)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: Print/E-book

Publication Date: May 2nd 2013 by Sapphire Star Publishing      

 

When I first got the invite for Illicit Love I was really excited to read it. Historical Romance is one of my favourite book genres and one that I've been indulging in since I was a about 12 years old a bit early may hap but it's still a genre I come back to time and again.

 

Illicit Love was definitely one of the most unique historical romances I've ever read. It is definitely a darker read but one that was still had lots of passion between the pages. I think Jane Lark brought forth a really good read and one full of substance with characters that were very well developed.

 

I really felt for Ellen. The poor woman had been through so many things I couldn't help but like her and cheer her on through the novel. I thought that the abusive nature of the man to whom she was a mistress was an interesting angle. I've only seen the abusive "spouse" theme in a few Historical Romances and as weird as it sounds I think it should be used more to make the characters as well as the story more real. I loved how there was a lot of struggling and personal growth in the book with Ellen and Edwin as individuals as well as as a couple.

 

I thought that the romance between Edwin and Ellen was perfect as weird as it sounds I don't think I would change a thing about how their relationship came about and how it progressed because of all the other components of the book fitting together so well.

 

Overall, I found the plot to be enthralling and the characters to be rather addictive to read about. The author used a theme I don't see often and she used it with a deft hand. I thought the pacing of the book was just right and was neither too fast or two slow and was always bringing about something new and surprising. I'm really glad that I signed up for this tour because now I've found a new author to be on the lookout for.

 

I would recommend Illicit Love to fans of historical romance who are looking for a new author to try out and a historical romance that isn't as light and fluffy as the other ones out there on the market. 

 

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

 

I read this book for the following reading challenges:

 

2013 150+ Reading Challenge

 

Really Liked It!
★ ★ ★★

 

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Author Bio

 

 

 

Jane is qualified to the equivalent of a Masters Degree in People Management and is fascinated by the things which craft people's personalities, so she has great fun exploring these through characters. She lives in the United Kingdom near the Regency City of Bath and has just bought her 400 year old dream home. History has always tempted her imagination and she loves researching and also exploring ruins and houses to get ideas. She equally loves a love story.
 
Jane has always aspired to writing a historical novel so when she was thirty she put it on her ‘to do before I am forty’ list. She completed her first novel ten years ago, never sent it anywhere then started the next. She’s not stopped writing since, and escaping into a mental world of fiction is a great painkiller to help fight off her Ankylosing Spondylitis.
 
Jane is a member of RWA, RNA, and the Historical Novel Society.