ARC Review: Lady in Red by Maire Claremont

Let me start by saying that Lady in Red (Mad Passions series #2) is a dark book. Very dark. Very Gothic. This is not to say that it isn’t a good book because it is quite good. But do not look for a sweet, heart-warming story. Every character in Lady in Red is tortured in some way, including the secondary characters. Each has a troubled past that is complicating the present. The book is so dark that we don’t see much light at all until nearly the very end, yet it is a romance with a happy ending. I found myself intrigued by the story and was very wrapped up in the characters. I also read the book very quickly which is a sure sign that I enjoyed it.

Set in Victorian England in 1865 the book picks up where the first book (The Dark Lady) left off, with Mary Darrel on the run after escaping from an insane asylum. Mary seeks help from the only person she can think of, her mother’s friend, a whorehouse madam named Yvonne. It is there that she meets another damaged soul, Edward Barrons, Duke of Fairleigh. He is immediately drawn to her plight and envisions saving her as offering redemption to him. He takes her to his home and helps her begin to recover from her physical and emotional traumas. But soon her father, the Duke of Duncliffe, who had imprisoned her and told everyone she was dead, finds where she is and comes after her. Edward engages the help of his friend, Viscount Powers, to empower Mary to fight her father. Will revenge satisfy Mary’s need for resolution? Can Edward release himself from his tormented past and more forward? Can two marginal people somehow rebuild each other?

Lady in Red was a strangely compelling book. Even though I like really tortured characters this was almost too dark for my taste. There was a considerable degree of violence, torture, insanity, and serious opium and alcohol addiction surrounding the events. One high point of the book for me was the character of Viscount Powers. I loved his sarcastic wit and was touched by his damaged spirit. It is exciting to know that he is the hero of book #3 (The Dark Affair, coming March 2014). This was one of the best set-ups for the character in the next book that I have seen. As I progressed through the book I was somewhat overcome by all of the troubles, but I rooted for the characters nevertheless. The ending was satisfying, but a little abrupt and it shifted gears perhaps too quickly. The sudden leap into lightness was appropriate, but felt just a bit strange. I think that Claremont did such a good job with the darkness that it was hard to see the characters any other way. All in all, I really liked the book and am looking forward to the next one.

**ARC provided by NetGalley**

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