Claiming the Courtesan

Sensual, romantic and very different, its dark undercurrents captivate the reader in the first chapter.

The Duke of Kylemore is a dark brooding hero, who hides his fears and insecurities from the world. Beneath the cold exterior lies a deep passion, one that has never felt complete, until the night his eyes meet Soraya’s across a room. She is on the arm of an elderly man and he vows one day she will be his, all his.

Soraya has been forced into a life of debauchery, to keep her young brother and sister from starvation. The young girl, who was once Verity Ashton, has changed her name to protect them and herself. Giving in to Kylemore’s request has meant she can leave the life she loathes behind. But she has not factored in his obsession and desire, until he kidnaps her. Taken to his estate in Scotland, he vows to seduce her to his will.

Verity dreams of escape, but knows she will never feel love for any other man. He wants to marry her, despite knowing it will exclude him from polite society. For him she is a savior, as only she can keep away the nightmares and the madness that runs in his family.

New author Anna Campbell has written a very intriguing and sensual story as her debut. The characters are fascinating, depicting the way of life in 1870 high society. The conflicts were tantalizing in their complexity, drawing the reader into the story. CLAIMING THE COURTESAN is very original in its presentation, with a dark underlying tone that captures the essence of the story. The style is very sensual, and the sex scenes are explicit but tastefully written. Although there are many of them, they never seemed boring or trite, which is a compliment to the author’s abilities to suspend readers in another time frame. The opening chapter is a foretaste of what is to come, and drew this reviewer deep into the characters’ lives until the well crafted ending that had this reader entranced. The emotional content flowed smoothly, with anger, submission and adventurous thrills threaded throughout the plot. The secondary characters were also an interesting mix, from the evil mother, an out for revenge brother and some interesting servants. Sights, scenery, smells and clothing were described within the context in a refreshing way. The Scottish Highland with its rugged but often beautiful scenery was brought to life through the characters’ eyes. A must read book if you like historical romance with raw emotion and a gallant but flawed hero.

April 2007