I’ve been waiting for this book from Lorraine Heath, which returns us to the world of the Scandalous Gentlemen of Saint James. Our hero is Viscount Langdon, the son of the Earl of Claybourne (In Bed with the Devil) and our heroine, Marlowe, is an infamous courtesan.

It’s 1879 and Langdon is languishing on his private island off the Cornish Coast as he struggles to recover from injuries he received in a train crash. He’s lonely and depressed and wishing for female company. Who should fall out of the sky from a sinking balloon but the beautiful and irresistible Marlowe? This is quite the meeting!

The first half of the book sees these two alternately care and yearn for each other as their awareness and infatuation grows. They had previously met in London when Marlowe was out with her protector; both she and Langdon had felt an attraction then which they didn’t act on.

Now, Langdon is keeping secrets and Marlowe has a lot to navigate as her time with her current protector comes to an end. It’s clear she has very few options to change her circumstances – and while the courtesan life was not her choice, she has always been pragmatic about paying her father’s debts and supporting her mother. The ton saw her as a whore even though she had apparently only had one partner–her current protector. He is not portrayed as the villain, more just as a man of his time.

Langdon is struggling as well. His secret is significant (no spoilers here–and he probably has PTSD as well). The novel is threaded through with commentary on class–Langdon is a Viscount and therefore a member of the ton even though his family are very unconventional. Marlowe is trapped in her mistress role. It’s a reminder to the reader that once she’d taken on that life, it’s almost impossible to leave it and regain any respectability.

Marlowe is lovely, she’s very perceptive, self-possessed and clever. I’m surprised she’s only 22, and with her first (and only) protector. Even with all her artifice, the sense of her vulnerability is so appealing. Their relationship is very physical and there’s plenty of steam once they give into it. It’s certainly steamier than some of Heath’s earlier books.

I’d have liked to see more of Langdon and Marlowe building a life outside of the bedroom. She was obviously resourceful, and her cleverness could have been explored. Perhaps unavoidably, the focus on her role as a courtesan means that we don’t see her other abilities. I know that love and Marlowe won’t cure Langdon’s depression but he’s not much fun, even by the happily ever after. After all, both Langdon and Marlowe are challenged by their circumstances. The overall mood is bleaker than some of Lorraine’s other works.

Overall, it’s not my favourite by Lorraine, but it’s an original premise and a fresh exploration of the aristocrat and the courtesan trope.