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The Lady and the Highwayman by Sarah Eden

Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school and a well-respected author of “silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different kinds of stories—the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class men. Under the pseudonym Mr. King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural threats and dangerous outlaws romancing helpless women. They contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks.

Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Mr. King started taking all of his readers–and his profits. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher’s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the rights of the less-fortunate.

Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black. As a fellow-author, she is well-known among the high-class writers; perhaps she could be persuaded to make some inquiries as to Mr. King’s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to insure her secret identity is never discovered.

For the first time, Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent. But the more time they spend together, the more she loses her heart. Its upper-class against working-class, author against author where readers, reputations, and romance are all on the line.

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About the Author

Sarah M. Eden is a USA Today Bestselling author of witty and charming historical romances, including Foreword Review’s 2013 “IndieFab Book of the Year” gold medal winner for Best Romance, Longing for Home, as well as 2014 Whitney Award winner for “Best Novel of the Year,” Longing for Home: Hope Springs. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances set against rich historical backdrops. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah lives with her husband, kids, and mischievous dog in the shadow of a snow-capped mountain she has never attempted to ski.

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My Review

5 Stars

Elizabeth Black works as a headmistress of Thurloe Collegiate School. She also writes Silver-Fork novels that are for the upper class ladies of Victorian society. But she also writes Penny Dreadfuls under the name Mr. King. Elizabeth has slowly been gaining more and more fame for these books and is using the money to help the school.

Fletcher Walker grew up a street urchin and is very well known as a Penny Dreadful author too. He would take the money from his books and send it to the Hogg School, the only school for street kids, and help where ever else he can. But Mr. King has been cutting into his profits. Fletcher is part of the Dreadful Penny Society whom he enlists to help him find Mr. King.

Fletcher meets up with Elizabeth since she works around the upper classes in the hopes that she will help him find Mr. King. Elizabeth decides to partner up with Fletcher to try to keep her identity hidden. But the more time they spend together the closer they get.

This is a great read. Although Elizabeth’s real life may be dull her stories are full of action and adventures. I really like Elizabeth and the stories she comes up with. The Lady and the Highwayman is part of this book and I just love it. Fletcher has grown so far from where he started in life and I could understand why he wants to stop Mr. King. His story, The Vampire’s Tower was not as finished as Elizabeth’s story and kind of drug the story down.

I love the play between Elizabeth and Fletcher, completely against traditional views of that time and just added that realistic level to the romance between the two of them.

This is a wonderful story and one that I recommend checking out. You will definitely be surprised.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Shadow Mountain Publishing for the opportunity to read and share this book.