This review originally appeared at Romantic Historical Reviews in 2012

I thoroughly enjoyed The Emperor’s Conspiracy – although it eventually missed out on getting a DIK rating, of which more later.

The heroine, Charlotte Raven is an unusual one in that she was once a street urchin and has retained her links to London’s underworld, mainly through her friendship with Luke Bracken, who has risen through the ranks of the criminal fraternity to become what we might now term a gangland boss. Although she is well aware of the restrictions that come with her position as a young, unmarried woman, she is nonetheless very direct in her manner and is not afraid to come forward with information that could help others while possibly endangering her own position in society. I liked that she was fairly straightforward with Edward, too – there is no Big Misunderstanding between them in order to drive the story – she is honest about her attraction to him, even though she is wary of acting upon it.

Her relationship with Luke is very well drawn. They share a bond that neither is willing or able to break, even though Charlotte makes it clear several times that she loves him like a brother, Luke can’t help torturing himself with his desire that she will return to him and love him in a romantic way. Their relationship is dysfunctional, messy and not good for either of them, but there is a real depth to its portrayal that makes it quite compelling to read.

Edward, the romantic hero is less well fleshed out, I felt. He’s all a reader would expect in such a character – handsome, titled, rich and clever – but I never really felt like I got to know him. That said, he and Charlotte make an attractive couple, and the parts of the book where they are working together have a real undercurrent of sexual tension. But this is part of the reason the book doesn’t quite merit DIK status – and why I hope that perhaps we will encounter Edward and Charlotte in a future novel – the ending of the novel is rather inconclusive. On one level, that works very well as we are shown Charlotte, finally free of her demons and realising that she can now be her own person in a position to make her own decisions. On another, it’s a little frustrating that we don’t get at least a glimpse of the hero and heroine together at the end of the book. Looking at it in a positive light however, I suppose that gives the reader the chance to draw their own conclusions and it certainly makes Charlotte into a stronger person.

In her author’s note, Michelle Diener points out that her inspiration for the plot of the novel is drawn from the real-life attempt by Napoleon Bonaparte to destabilise the British establishment by undermining its financial system, thereby bringing about revolution and chaos. The story in the book centres around the gradual realisation on the part of Charlotte and Edward of the attempt, by a small group of so-called gentlemen to enrich themselves by smuggling gold out of England and into the hands of the French government.

This was a real page turner, one of those books I was eager to pick up during every spare moment I had. The thriller element was very well done indeed, and kept me guessing as to the identities of the conspirators right up until the reveal; and Charlotte’s progression from someone who feels she belongs nowhere to a woman who finally knows who she is, was extremely engaging.