The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden
Book Description:
Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls school in 1865s Victorian London. She is also a well-respected author of silver-fork novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different kinds of stories--the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class men. Under the pseudonym Charles King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural threats, intelligent detectives solving grisly murders, and dangerous outlaws romancing helpless women. They contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks.
Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Charles King started taking all of his readers. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the social and political causes of their working-class readers. The group knows King could be an asset with his obvious monetary success, or he could be the group s undoing as King s readership continues to cut into their profits.
Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black. As a fellow-author, she is well-known among the high-class writers; perhaps she could be persuaded to make some inquiries as to Mr. King s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to insure her secret identity is never discovered. What neither author anticipated was the instant attraction, even though their social positions dictate the impossibility of a relationship.
For the first time Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent. But the more time they spend together, the more she loses her heart. Its upper-class against working-class, author against author where readers, reputations, and romance are all on the line.
Rorie's Review:
This story is different from any other Sarah Eden book that I've read, and I loved it! Elizabeth was a strong lead character and I was rooting for her "side job" the whole time. Actually, it was the same with Fletcher. They both had their secrets and I was so intrigued to see how things would go once they each discovered what the other one was hiding. Watching their relationship develop was very entertaining.
This was my first time reading stories within a story, and it could have been a nightmare - difficult to keep track of all of the different plots, story lines and characters, but the author did a great job presenting each one. In fact, I found myself so caught up in Elizabeth's story that I almost didn't want to switch from that back to the main one! Thankfully, all three tales were equally entertaining and it was fun to switch back and forth.
Yet again, Sarah has a hit on her hands. I love her writing style and always look forward to the stories she creates.
Tarah's Review:
Looking for a novel that you won't want to put down? You don't need to look any further than The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden. This book has everything a good book should have. Well thought out characters that have multiple layers and that you can't help but rooting for, an interesting setting that isn't something you read about often, and mystery and action. Oh my heavens, and romance. Don't forget about the romance.
I loved how Elizabeth and Fletcher's stories were each included in the novel, and for me that is saying something. I normally really hate it when the story breaks away for a different story, but I felt that you got to know each character better through their own stories. It didn't take away from the main story at all. In fact, Eden was able to make me want to know what happened in each story. I wasn't in a hurry to get back to the main story like I normally am. I was totally intrigued by each story, and I felt they only added to the main plot.
Even though the romance aspect isn't all kissy and pinning for each other, I liked it. I loved that the relationship was real (I mean it's fiction, it's not real, but you know what I mean) and that they grew together. That's what we need more of.
And one last thing...I'm really hoping that since the story centered around a group, The DPS, I'm hoping that there will be more to this and it will become a series. Wouldn't you love to see Stone get his own story? Or some of the teachers at the school? I definitely would.
Andrea's Review:
Sarah M. Eden is such an amazing author and The Lady and the Highwayman is a wonderful addition to my collection. It was different from many of her books, and I enjoyed that the main male character (Fletcher) wasn't her typical male lead (not that I don't love her other characters-I do, it was just a fun change).
I liked knowing the details (like who Mr. King is) and having the main characters figure things out. The characters (as usual for Eden's books) were deep and you couldn't help but care for them and how things turned out.
The setting was new for Eden's books too in that London was viewed from the lower class instead of the titled, and it made for a great story. I recently traveled to London and explored a bit, and it was interesting to think about this story and the conditions. I will definitely read this one again.
Title: The Lady and the Highwayman
Author: Sarah M. Eden
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: September 2019
ISBN: 1629726052
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book
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