"The Lady and the Highwayman" by Sarah M. Eden

The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah M. Eden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: Received to review.
Genre:  Victorian Era Historical Romance


Book Description:  Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school and 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 Mr. King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural threats 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 Mr. King started taking all of his readers--and his profits. 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 rights of the less-fortunate.
 
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. 
 
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.


My thoughts: Oh, man. The book ended. I'm not quite sure I was ready for that. It could have gone on and on, I would have been perfectly content.


In this romance, you get three stories in one. You have the main story of Elizabeth and Fletcher, then there is the "Penny Dreadfuls" - stories that the common folk could purchase that wasn't considered proper literature. (I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed them.) Fletcher knows that there is an author competing for the top rung of the publishing ladder, he knows it is Mr. King, he just doesn't know that Mr. King is Elizabeth. It makes for an interesting dynamic. She is aware of who he is, he just doesn't realize who she is.

The main draw of the book was that both are committed to helping children. Elizabeth runs a school for girls from the middle class and Fletcher removes street urchins from dangerous situations and takes them to a school for the lowest class of people. His work leads to situations that dangerous and tricky. Elizabeth is up to any of the challenges that he throws at her. They are a formidable team.

I can't say that there is anything that I didn't love about this book. It is a different writing style for Sarah Eden, I hope to see more of this in the future. I wouldn't object to some "Penny Dreadfuls" thrown in for good measure.

This book contains kissing and non-graphic violence.

Online Purchase Links:  

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * Deseret Book

About the Author:  (Taken from her webpage) Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today Bestselling author of witty and charming historical romances, including Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, as well as 2014 Whitney Award winner for "Best Novel of the Year," Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor's degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski. 

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