Read. (less) As my first foray into Victoria Dahl historicals, I have to say I was quite pleased with this book. One of the things that impressed me about Dahl's contemporaries is her willingness to create heroines that are strong. She didn't disappoint when she created Marissa. Marissa isn't the average shy miss you tend to find in historical romance novels. In a way, she was quite modern about her sexuality. She was caught in a compromising situation, and your typical, "she was alone for 10 minutes in a ro ...more As my first foray into Victoria Dahl historicals, I have to say I was quite pleased with this book. One of the things that impressed me about Dahl's contemporaries is her willingness to create heroines that are strong. She didn't disappoint when she created Marissa. Marissa isn't the average shy miss you tend to find in historical romance novels. In a way, she was quite modern about her sexuality. She was caught in a compromising situation, and your typical, "she was alone for 10 minutes in a room with an unmarried man without a chaperone" situation, but rather (view spoiler) [ a "she was caught with a man betwixt her thighs" situation. She was ready to do away with her virginity, and at 22, who could blame her?? (hide spoiler) ] . The delightful part is that she wasn't the least bit sorry about her actions but rather dissapointed with act itself. I loved the hero in this novel.