The Lady Flees Her Lord

Michele Ann Young

Publisher:
Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date:
October 2008

Genres:
Historical Romance
Erotic
Regency

ISBN:
Print
9781402213991

Bookmark Rating:

Reviewed by
Natalie S.

Review Posted:
November 2008

Lady Lucinda Denbigh has been married to her husband for a long time.  What started out as a marriage of love, at least to Lucinda, has turned into a marriage of horrific proportions.  Never a small girl to start with, Lucinda is constantly being ridiculed by her husband over her weight, her looks, and her inability to get pregnant.  Physically abusive to her, Lucinda’s husband drinks a lot and spends a good bit of time away from home.  When he comes home after a particularly nasty bout of drinking, Lucinda knows it is only a matter of time before he demands his husbandly rights.  Rights she no longer plans to allow him because when he passes out, she flees her lord and runs away into the night. Lucinda plans to secret herself in the country posing as a widow with the hopes of never having to deal with her abusive husband again.   

Lord Hugo Wanstead is a tormented and wounded man, both physically and mentally.  He wants nothing more than retire to his estate and heal from his wounds.  His beloved wife was killed in the war in which he fought and Hugo’s conscience won’t allow him to forgive himself for putting her in harm’s way.  When he finally returns to his estate, he finds it in near ruins and a widow living the Dower House, Hugo sees red and wants her gone.  There is just one catch – the lovely widow is the only person who is paying monies on time and if there is one thing Hugo needs for his estate it is the money she is bringing in for rent.  As time passes Hugo realizes another thing – the widow holds his attention more and more and he finds himself wanting to explore their feelings for each other.   

Fate is cruel mistress however.  Lucinda’s husband finds her and not only does he want her back, he sets forth a plan to make her return to him and his perverted ways.  Hugo will have to search for his new love and find her before her hateful and cruel husband harms her. 

THE LADY FLEES HER LORD is chock full of intrigue and suspenseful plotting.  Lucinda escaped her husband with little more than the clothes on her back, yet, she was strong and courageous in my eyes and was able to pick herself up and take care of herself.  Emotional abuse is a tough thing to deal with and Lucinda, while hurt, handled it and was able to finally believe in herself that she was beautiful.  I love the process in which Lucinda had to go through to finally believe in herself.  It was realistically written, that’s for sure.  

Hugo is unable to forgive himself for the deaths of his wife and mother and as such, experiences nightmares and finds himself only able to sleep after drowning his sorrows in alcohol.  When he inadvertently meets Lucinda, the sorrow he feels comes across as anger when he finds her living in the Dower House of his estate.  Wanting her gone and prepared to tell her that very fact, Hugo begins to realize that in his anger, he is finally feeling something after such a very long time.  I didn’t like how his anger let his mouth run at times but I also understood his pain.  His falling in love with Lucinda, his desire of her, was beautifully written and very sensuous.   

If there was one thing I did not like about THE LADY FLEES HER LORD it would have to be Lord Denbigh.  I loathed and despised this character.  I hated him with a passion and wanted him to die.  Bloodthirsty thoughts, I know, but in my emotions being that strong, I knew that Ms. Young had perfectly characterized this infuriating and evil man.  He was the devil incarnate and more than once I found myself yelling at him out loud while reading.   

THE LADY FLEES HER LORD takes the reader away to the English countryside.  Glimpses of the setting help give this novel a regency feel.  Historical romance is meant to be exactly how Ms. Young portrayed it.  Intense, emotional, and just a very good story.  I loved every single word of this exquisite book!

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