Arabella Beaumont is a cortesan, a high priced whore, in regency London. But it's a fantasy regency, not very realistic (her sister Belinda expects to marry well, for instance), one in which the very real risks of disease, disgrace, heartbreak, ostracism and eventual poverty are glossed over. It is written with a light touch, but the humor had an arch feeling to it, as if the smartest little girl in the room was giggling with her 7th grade friends. In short, it wasn't to my taste. I didn't care for the characters much so I didn't care what happened to them, and the mystery wasn't much of a mystery. I got partway into it and skipped to the end. That said, if this is the sort of thing you like, it is well done. I can't complain that the author doesn't know how to write.

Share/Like this Review?