This was, in its day, a very strong book and a departure from much that Hazard wrote and much of romance writing. Miss Claire Carrington is a genuinely talented painter in oils. In her era it appeared that a woman could not have a career and a marriage also; her society believed that her only proper career was marriage, and not necessarily for love. Claire does fall in love with Andrew and she has to make a hard choice because it is unlikely that she'll get both love and work. Claire's frustration at the restrictive rules for women's lives is well shown; even the men who are sympathetic to her feelings don't really feel any change in society is necessary (and they are genuinely concerned for her safety).

This book is #1 in a series - the next titles are The Dreadful Duke (Severn, a subsidiary character in this book) and The Turnabout Twins (Severn's daughters). All three are available on ebook now.

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