Review: A Reflection of Victorian Times
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 8, 2014
Will Samson the hero of this novel is a man on a mission. He wants to kill the dastardly Nicholas for beating his mother almost to death. He doesn't count on meeting Nicholas' fiancee Emily and falling for her. Emily Darson for her part is determined to marry Nicholas to secure her future and that of her future children. It was really frustrating to read about Emily's determination to marry Nicholas even after learning about his violent nature. She was a strong woman in a way in that she thought she would not be made to knuckle under to him;but she was such a product of her time where a woman usually had no real prospect of a decent life without a man of means. A married woman was also almost like chattel and could be treated in anyway by her husband. Thanks to her growing love for Will and his support she finally recognizes how perilous her life would be with Nicholas.Will you have to just love, against all odds he brings a really vicious individual(his chances were slim since Nicholas was a member of the upper class)to justice for his crimes against many women. He is steadfast in his love for Emily and eventually seduces her for love not for his original malicious intent. You have to admire Emily's father who came to recognized that regardless of his origins or class Will was the one who could make his daughter happy. The women who came forward to testify against Nicholas did something that would have been unheard of in that era. These women were mostly prostitutes and one a single mother. It was a relief when Emily finally came to her senses and told Nicholas that she wouldn't marry him; he probably would have given her a real beating if they had not been in a public place when she told him. In the end Will and Emily get their HEA and they really deserved it.