Search - The Veil of Night (Signet Eclipse)

Lady Victoria Wakefield goes to meet with the Duke of Raeburn to try and save her brother from disgrace and scandal. Raeburn is a well known rake hell who lives by night and there are many rumors concerning his true nature. No one knows exactly what his secret really is.

Lady Victoria has her own secret that has forced her to play the part of a faultless spinster for years, so she is more than surprised when Raeburn offers an unusual bargain. He will wait for payment of her brother's debts if she will spend one week with him. Though she can hardly believe it, she agrees.

This book has much of the style of the old Gothic novels, but with a modern outlook. It is a bit different from the usual romance because both main characters are damaged in ways that seems real and possible for the times. Also it is set in the high Victorian era when morals were insanely strict and hoop skirts ruled, a period that I haven't run into much in novels lately.

Debut novel for this author. The Duke of Raeburn, Byron Stratford, has a shameful secret; at least, he thinks it shameful. He lives in the dark, in shadows; only goes outdoors at night or when it's raining.
Lady Victoria Wakefield agrees to stay with him a week, signing a contract with him, doing so to save her family from ruin. She also has a shameful secret......
They enter into an affair that neither wants to end at the end of the agreed-upon week.
Very sophiscated dialogue. Look for Joyce's next book, "The Music of the Night," already published, which is even better than this one.

What can I say? She writes the kind of books I want to write. Sexy, historical, dark, suspenseful and romantic. Did I leave anything out?

Couldn't finish. Yawn.

The book kept me in suspence until the end.

I loved this book. It's worth every minute and it will be a favorite of yours too!

good story , with a bit of mystery to the main male character

I really enjoyed this book.

This bk got pretty good reviews for a debut novel, but it was only an average read for me. I guess the writer's style didn't appeal that much to me. It's well written but I never connected to h/h or really cared about them. The hero did have an unusual secret that he later revealed to the heroine. The secret was something that effected him personally, and I was impressed with the author for her creativity in using this. Her second bk, MUSIC OF THE NIGHT, sounds good and I will read it when I can get a copy; the heroine of this bk has been left with facial scars from smallpox.

Historical, debut book by author, interesting and different.