Review: Insightful, strong themes
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 28, 2013
Lori Brighton’s trilogy about Lady Lavender, owner of  brothel that provides “entertainment” for women, ends with this novel. Primarily it is a story about revenge and the ways that nurturing hatred can ruin a person’s life. In a way, Lady Lavender reminds me of the old adage that hatred is like taking poison and waiting to see if your enemy dies. In this novel, the last of the trilogy, James McKinnon, Lady Lavender’s most loyal supporter, comes to see that she is only using him as she has used and abused so many. But to Brighton’s credit, even Lady Lavender in her despicable behavior arouses our sympathy, giving us a complex villain. The strengths of the novel are its insights into domestic abuse, self-image, women’s sexuality, and forgiveness.  The action is good and the characters well developed. Although the premise is a little far fetched, Brighton has done some interesting things with this trilogy and I recommend them.