The novel is a web of deceit, intrigue, love, and hate. It is a tale of theft and murder, a sleight of hand reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes series. There are a lot of characters to remember. The details are incredible, giving us a good idea of how the social classes were different.

Caroline Richards has done her homework to create a novel true to its time. I liked the story line even though there are many debaucheries. The finesse of the two main characters together is nicely defined. In certain instances, I found the two main characters to be somewhat hidden among the others. I found that gives you a deeper sense of the trouble they were in. However, there were a lot of secondary characters and at one point which I found demanded more attention to reading to stay in the story. Their sensual moments are nicely defined giving us a sense of love -- yet hate -- yet love between them, though the reasoning behind that is apparent near the end. During the whole novel, you sense the danger they are in. Once the danger has passed, you see how the real personalities are delightfully pleasant and have a wonderful sense of humour. I adored the main characters.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Dyanne Doezz
September 10, 2011