The characters are very believable for the time period being set. You have Anne and Edward, Anne’s cousin, who believes all is well with the world and everyone lives as well as the noble. Then you have Alaric and Gerard, Alaric’s brother, who understand that their country has fallen on hard times due to a King and his advisors that seem not to care. Lastly there is Nocturne, a man of mystery. He is intelligent and also a Robin Hood of sorts. With these great mixes of characters the truth of the world is eventually shown as is the good of people.

The story is quite well written and flows well. It moves easily from one scene to another with no jumping around as you see in many stories. There's also a nice mystery throughout that pulls the reader in for more. The reader really wants to find out who Nocturne is and how he and Anne will eventually find their place together. Will Anne and Alaric move their friendship towards a romance? Will Anne become more aware of her surroundings and forget about her past love?

The involvement between the characters is also well written. Anne and Alaric form a wonderful friendship during their time together that the reader begins to believe will eventually turn to a romance. The tension between Anne and Nocturne is also felt. There is an annoyance and understanding between the two that also falls into a friendship.

My only issue with the story was that the love scene seemed rushed and incomplete. I thought more could have been done with that particular scene, but it did fit the style of the story and the plot line. This is a well thought out and executed story with characters the reader can easily feel for. I highly recommend this story.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: D. Spears
March 5, 2008