21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Completely Fabulous, November 23, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Black Angel (Paperback)
This is one of the best historical romances I've read in years. Adriana and Tynan will dance through your head long after you put this book down. Barbara Samuel has done it again -- inhabited a story with characters who make you ache, make you smile, and make you long for the book to never end.
Adriana is a complex woman and described by her sister as "of a thousand faces." And each is an unveiling of strength, character and honor. Each is a confrontration with the double standard women continue to face. Tynan is equally well-drawn, a man who is heroic in every sense of the word, but who struggles with his own prejudices about the tarnished wife he has chosen. The reader can't help but ache for him and can't help but empathize with his difficult choices. The difficult politics of the era are hinted at and the author deftly paints a poignant picture between the haves and the have nots without ever intruding on the real point of the story, which is the unfolding relationship between Tynan and Adriana.
Whether you read this author as Barbara Samual or Ruth Wind, her books are sure to please.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rich and rewarding, March 27, 2011
This book proved to be a wonderful surprise and I look forward to reading to other books by Barbara Samuel - especially as some as so reasonable on Kindle.
Adriana is a complex and passionate character, shamed by the consequences of her youthful indiscretion on her family - especially on her brothers, who had to flee after a duel. She tries to hide behind ill-fitting, unflattering clothes, deflecting any attention.
Her family urgently need finances and her father (now deceased) arranges her marriage to the Irish Black Angel, Tynan Spenser, Earl of Glencove. His reputation is that of a handsome rake who needs access to society in London.
Adriana cannot understand why her father insisted on her rather than one of her sisters as a match for Tynan and fails to see how her scandalous past will help him in gaining access to society.
Tynan held Adriana's father in very high regard and honours his promise, despite his initial disappointment at the apparent dowdiness of his new bride.
Adriana is determined to do her duty, but wants to keep her distance emotionally, frightened to open herself to the possible turmoil that she has suffered in the past.
Their initial impressions of each other are wrong and the book is a voyage of discovery in their relationship. Adriana is a woman of many faces with great courage and passion. Tynan is a man of honour with a sense of purpose and the desire to achieve very unselfish goals. They balance each other and that realisation is the thread of the story, ultimately making it clear that Adriana's father made a perfect choice.
The backdrop to the story is also very interesting, touching on many social and political topics: the colonies and unfair treatment of those considered inferior, religious freedom, the station of women and the hypocrisy in so-called polite society.
The characters around Adriana and Tynan are very real and command attention - from her brothers and their adventures since feeling England to the plight of Tynan's twin brother.
The pace of the plot is fast with many twists and turns, suspense and drama, paralleled by the emotional drama of Adriana and Tynan right through to the last page.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Historical Romance and Prose Perfection!, September 30, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Black Angel (Paperback)
This is my first time to read Barbara Samuel, but it certainly won't be the last. I would say that The Black Angel is probably the best historical romance of 1999. The writer's prose is clean, but lyrical, and this romance is about grown-ups. Nothing silly here. I especially enjoyed that her characters were flawed, that the romance was one of passion and longing, and that Ms. Samuel added secondary characters of deep feelings. Don't miss this book. It's a wonderful read that you will enjoy over and over again.
Highly recommended.
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