#Review: A Scarlet Woman by Lorna Peel @PeelLorna

Release date - 6th September 2017 
Book length - 304 pages
Publisher - Self-published
Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US - www.amazon.com


ABOUT THE BOOK

Can Isobel escape her past? Or will she always be seen as a scarlet woman?

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.

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? 

MY REVIEW

A SCARLET WOMAN by Lorna Peel is a beautiful, gritty tale of love, despair, and learning to trust, set in Ireland in the 19th Century. 

Isobel Stevens grew up in a harsh household where her father ruled supreme so when she finds herself seduced and abandoned, it is no surprise to find herself disowned and penniless. Heading to Dublin, Isobel will do what she must to survive but on the night she meets Dr. Will Fitzgerald, both of their lives will change forever. Finding a different way to make ends meet, Isobel and Will start a beautiful friendship that will give them both what they are missing in their lives. But life is never straightforward, and as obstacles and twists and turns try to throw them off their path, will they be able to find their way back to each other?

From the moment I saw the cover of A SCARLET WOMAN I wanted to read it and the story inside did not disappoint. With strong characters who have been through so much, plenty of historical detail to paint a picture in your mind as you read, and a love story that will melt your heart along the way, A SCARLET WOMAN by Lorna Peel is a truly engaging and compelling story. But it is also so much more than a romance as there is a raw and tough quality to the story too, as the harsh reality of what life was like for so many women at that time is portrayed. A SCARLET WOMAN by Lorna Peel is perfect for historical fiction fans.


Author Bio:

Lorna Peel is an author of historical romance and romantic suspense novels set in the UK and Ireland. Her latest novel, A SCARLET WOMAN: THE FITZGERALDS OF DUBLIN BOOK ONE, an historical romance set in 1880s Dublin, Ireland, is available to pre-order for just 99cents or 99p at Amazon.

For more information:
Website - lornapeel.com
Twitter - twitter.com/PeelLorna
Facebook - www.facebook.com/LornaPeelAuthor

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*I am lucky to have a character profile and an excerpt for you all to enjoy...

Meet A Scarlet Woman’s Isobel Stevens

Isobel Stevens is twenty-two years old. She was born in Co Galway, Ireland, the youngest of two children of the Reverend Edmund Stevens, a Church of Ireland (Anglican) clergyman, and his wife, Martha. Her parents’ marriage was an unhappy one. Reverend Stevens was a cruel and vindictive man who beat, not only his wife but his children, too.
Despite his cruelty, Reverend Stevens wanted what was best for his children. Both Isobel and her elder brother, Alfie, were well-educated. Alfie was sent to Harrow public school in London, England while at the age of twelve, Isobel was sent to Cheltenham Ladies College in Gloucestershire, England. With Isobel’s beauty and education, Reverend Stevens hoped to arrange a good marriage for her. 

Unfortunately, this was not to be. Isobel was seduced by James Shawcross, a neighbour’s son, and she fell pregnant. James wouldn’t stand by her and Isobel was forced to tell her father about her pregnancy. Incensed, Reverend Stevens whipped Isobel and threw her out of the Glebe House.
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Disgraced and disowned, Isobel pawned the jewellery she was wearing and travelled to Dublin not knowing what she was going to do. In Dublin, Isobel approached a girl standing outside the railway station and asked her if there was anywhere she could work in exchange for bed and board. The girl said yes, and brought Isobel to Sally Maher’s brothel on Montgomery Street in Monto, Dublin’s red-light district…


Excerpt:

She woke feeling Will stirring beside her. His brown eyes stared blankly at her for a moment before he smiled.

“You remember me, then?” she asked, fighting an urge to explore his now heavy stubble with her fingers.

“Yes, I do. Good morning.” He rubbed his eyes. “Thank you for putting up with me last night. I don’t often drink to excess. I hope I didn’t pry too much and upset you.”
“It was nothing,” she lied, giving him as bright a smile as she could manage.

“I'd better go.” Throwing back the covers, he got out of the bed and went to the chair and door for his clothes. “Any sounds from the other bedrooms?” he asked as he got dressed.
“I don't think they'll be stirring for hours yet.”

“Well, I’m afraid Fred and Jerry need to stir right away. Fred’s getting married in—” He took out his pocket watch. “Three hours.” Putting his watch back in his waistcoat pocket, he went to the dressing table and bent in front of the mirror finger-combing his hair into place.
“Use my brush.” She pointed to it lying beside a bottle of overly sweet scented perfume.
“Thank you.” He reached for the brush, tidied his hair, then turned to face her. They observed each other for a couple of moments until she smiled self-consciously and pulled the bedcovers up to hide her breasts. “Why don't you—” he began, then stopped abruptly and flushed.

“Find more suitable employment?” She shrugged. “I'm all but unemployable. I was schooled to be a lady.”

“But think of what you might catch here?”

“I am clean, Will,” she replied tightly. “You needn't worry.”

He flushed even deeper. “You could go into domestic service?”

“Yes, I suppose I could.”

“I can only advise you to leave this brothel while you are still young and healthy.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Getting out of the bed, she quickly put her robe on and went to the door. She lifted his hat down from the hook before opening the door for him. “Good morning to you.”

“Good morning.” Taking the hat from her, he went out. She closed the door, hearing him knocking loudly at the two other bedroom doors on the landing, ordering his friends out of bed and home at once.

Standing in front of the dressing table mirror, she opened her robe and surveyed herself. He was right. A few years of this and she would be as coarse as Lily down the landing and would probably have syphilis or herpes into the bargain as well. It was time to leave.

I WANT TO THANK LORNA PEEL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THIS BOOK AND FOR THE FASCINATING CHARACTER PROFILE AND EXCERPT.