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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Unique but very dark premise for a romance, August 29, 2005
This review is from: The Lily Brand (Mass Market Paperback)
"The Lily Brand" is the debut novel for Sandra Schwab and it shows promise for an author who is willing to take some risks with her characters and plots. It is far from a standard Regency historical romance--the story is dark and moody, and the characters' psychological development is the focus.
The hero of the story is Murgatroyd Sacheverell, the fifth Earl of Ravenhurst (called "Troy" for short, thank heavens!) Captured by the French before the battle of Waterloo, he is in a filthy French prison when the ever-so-evil "Black Widow" Camille picks him out and takes him home as a "gift" for her young stepdaughter, Lily. Camille is an over-the-top villainess who likes to torture and beat her male "playthings" into groveling submission and she wants Lily to follow in her footsteps. She has Lily literally brand Troy with a hot iron and lead him around on a chain. Lily, too frightened of her stepmother to object, secretly plans her own escape and manages to flee to her grandfather's protection in England.
Six months later, Lily, having been accepted by London society and being courted by a young viscount, is introduced to the viscount's cousin who is (of course!) Troy. Lily and Troy instantly recognize one another and Troy launches a desperate attempt to prevent his young cousin from marrying a woman that he believes to be an evil bi**h. Troy's plan backfires and he ends up having to marry the woman he loathes himself. Troy, filled with rage and shame, cuts himself off from his new wife, and Lily, full of guilt and shame, freezes him out. With the help of time, Troy's friends and Lily's nanny, Troy slowly comes to realize that Lily was as much a victim as himself and gradually the couple begin to heal their damaged hearts and minds.
The psychological exploration of the characters is well done and interesting. Both Lily and Troy are suffering from a type of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome following their horrific and dehumanizing experiences. The book gets a little bit redundant in parts, with Troy and Lily going over and over in their own minds the incidents of the past and stewing in their respective rage and guilt. I found the evil stepmother Camille a bit too much to be believed and ridiculously overt in her perversions. I also cannot see why she would want to "cut off the balls" from someone that she is planning to use as a sex toy--seems to me that making her sex toys into eunuchs limits their usefulness. Troy's school chums, a homosexual couple, were a refreshing addition to the story, but Lily and Troy's blithe acceptance of what at that time was considered to be a very scandalous (and illegal) relationship seems a bit anachronistic.
In summary, this is an unusual and rather dark historical romance set in the Regency period. The book is certainly not without its problems, but the characters are interesting and the story unique and atmospheric. The subject matter is very dark in some parts with scenes of torture and Camille's violent and nonviolent sexual perversions so *major* warnings to readers who dislike that sort of thing in a romance novel.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Romance: neither driven by Romance or Lust, May 14, 2007
This review is from: The Lily Brand (Mass Market Paperback)
This was a very strange read for me; I would call it more of a Dark Romance. But the story is really not built on either romance or lust which is odd considering this is supposed to be a romance. The story resembles a dark and twisted Cinderella story. True there is a happy ending, but the trip there is certainly not happy and you can foresee the characters definitely having mental issues that will always be in the background.
Lily's father remarried another woman. When her father died when Lily was a young age, her stepmother became her sole guardian. Camille, her stepmother, is known throughout the French prison where Troy, an Earl, is imprisoned as a POW of the French-British war as the "Black Widow." Camille is in to the S&M, except she doesn't care if her victims die or if they are in pain. Camille goes shopping for another slave in the prison, and chooses Troy as a gift for Lily.
Troy's nightmare of a captivity has only just begun have repeated whippings when Camille forces Lily to brand a lily onto Troy's chest to mark him as her possession. From this moment on, Lily sees Troy as hers and despite her stepmothers strict orders to keep meting out the torture on Troy, she tries to ease him in secret in the only she can w/ medicine, food, and removing his gag in private.
When the opportunity finally presents an escape from her own environs, Lily helps Troy escape as well, leaving him in a forest w/ the only thing of value she has for him to trade--a locket of her parents.
One year later, Lily is being introduced to the ton by her noble aunt and uncle. She is pursued by a young Viscount who is deeply enamored. Unfortunately, the Viscount's cousin is Troy. Troy is determined to prevent any possible marriage and unintentionally compromises Lily in anger, which results in their marriage. The journey of their marriage is truly the most heartbreaking and sad things I have ever read. Both are filled w/ completely w/ nightmares, anguish, and guilt. As I wrote earlier, this is truly a strange romance because there is absolutely nothing romantic or even sensual about the majority of this book. Troy is impotent w/ anger and pain. Lily is terrified w/ guilt and fear of her stepmother. This book is about how 2 people w/ such huge scars inside them were able to break free from their mental chains and be normal once again.
Kudos to a very unconventional and darkly emotional read, I'm not sure if I would be able to re-read this because it is very dark. But I gave this 5 stars because, the style was very original and a big gamble against the standard romance.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting story, great character development, lush historical detail, July 9, 2005
This review is from: The Lily Brand (Mass Market Paperback)
No cardboard characters or stock situations in this unique and riveting romance. The main characters have depth that makes you care about them and makes their journey from loathing to love both believable and moving. And the secondary characters are both humorous and refreshingly unstereotypical. I definitely recommend "The Lily Brand!"
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