A Scarlet Woman by Lorna Peel

A Scarlet Woman by Lorna Peel
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Historical
Length: Full (401 pgs)
Heat: Hot
Rated: 3 stars
Review by Rose

Can an idealistic young doctor and a fallen woman find love when Victorian society believes they should not?

Dublin, Ireland, 1880. Tired of treating rich hypochondriacs, Dr Will Fitzgerald left his father’s medical practice and his home on Merrion Square to live and practice medicine in the Liberties. His parents were appalled and his fiancée broke off their engagement. But when Will spends a night in a brothel on the eve of his best friend’s wedding, little does he know that the scarred and disgraced young woman he meets there will alter the course of his life.

Most of people are under great pressure. cialis side effects http://amerikabulteni.com/2011/09/13/u-s-afghanistan-embassy-attacked-taliban-claims-responsibility/ No surgery helps pfizer viagra cheap in making the disorder vanish from the person. Until now purchase levitra online it was thought that tea was highest in antioxidants but researchers have now discovered that of all the foods high in antioxidants, chocolate is the highest. A healthy lifestyle, including weight loss, quitting smoking, limit of alcohol intake, a healthy diet and exercise can go a long way in treating this problem. viagra canada mastercard discover content Isobel Stevens was schooled to be a lady, but a seduction put an end to all her father’s hopes for her. Disowned, she left Co Galway for Dublin and fell into prostitution. On the advice of a handsome young doctor, she leaves the brothel and enters domestic service. But can Isobel escape her past and adapt to life and the chance of love on Merrion Square? Or will she always be seen as a scarlet woman?

I loved the premise of this book and with the setting being Ireland, I was hooked from the first time I read the blurb. I was looking forward to seeing how the author had her heroine overcome all the difficulties she was facing in her life.

I liked the character of Isobel and, mostly, Will as well. I enjoyed their banter as they got to know each other. And, I loved the way he cared for her regardless of what was going on and how determined he was to make their relationship work.

The first half of the story was really good, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The second half of the story took a different twist. Instead of the character development I was seeing on both Will and Isobel’s part, it seemed to read more like a magazine serial. Poor Isabel faced problems on every side (shades of Perils of Pauline). However, she was saved in the nick of time by forces she didn’t bring about – a rich opportunity was missed here, I think. I didn’t mind the roadblocks that were thrown up, but I wish Isabel had done more to save herself. I was disappointed in some of the decisions she made (just another sign of being invested  in a character).

There was also a lot of hot sex thrown in the last part of the book that, imho, was gratuitous and didn’t do anything to move the character development along. I found myself skipping these passages because they weren’t really adding anything to the story and I wanted to get back to it.

However, I was invested enough in the characters from the first half of the book to overlook these issues and move on to find out what happened next in Will and Isobel’s relationship. The writing is clean with no major issues as far as editing goes and it was an easy read.  It was definitely worth reading.