The courtesan and the street thug. It’s a tale as old as time…
What’s it About?
Maude ‘Ginger’ Daly is used to fine clothes and a luxurious lifestyle. But with money comes trouble. A gambling debt brings her to the slums of Victorian London and the king of the underworld himself—Frank Handley. Should she make a deal with the ruthless man to get back what she lost? Absolutely not. But she does anyway. His crude jokes? She ignores them. His advances? She’s handled worse. His scorching kisses and rough hands that can be oh-so-tender? She doesn’t care. Until that’s all she thinks about.
Frank ‘Lucky’ Handley grew up on the streets. An orphan, a ruthless fighter, he has amassed a fortune and a reputation that makes others bow in fear and admiration. To him, the slums are his Holy Grail. Money is a commodity. And so are women. Until the day brazen Miss Maude Daly dashes into his life. She is a blaze on legs who sets his mind and heart on fire.
But there is one thing that can break the ruthless king.
When the enemies do unspeakable.
To the one person who captured his heart.
His fiery courtesan.
First Impressions
This novel isn’t afraid to take your standard Victorian era romance, and completely turn it on its head. We are far removed from the glamorous tea parties and balls of the ton, and have wandered into the dark and stench-filled alleyways of London’s slums. There isn’t a fainting couch to be found in this book which instead chooses to explore the grimy and unfortunately realistic underbelly of this industrial city. Our lead characters were born of these streets. A high-end courtesan who sells her body for the night (or the hour) to any man who can afford her fee. A street thug who has risen through the ranks of ruffians and hooligans to become the right-hand man to one of the most feared and infamous gangs in the city. Make no mistake, these two have lived hard lives, and they’ll do anything they need to do in this world to keep their head above water and survive.
This often involves actions that could make any number of romance readers turn away in dislike, but this is one of those books where you need to know what you’re getting into before diving in. And it’s right there in the description. A courtesan and a fighter. You simply can’t approach this if uncomfortable with the idea of sex and violence. It’s ingrained in their world. Maude sleeps with several men throughout this read for money, but ultimately sets her heart on one man for love. Lucky uses his fists against his enemies to stay on top in this dog-eat-dog world, yet eventually discovers that there’s really only one person worth fighting for. Their journey towards love is a bumpy one, fraught with confrontation, the harsh realities of abject poverty, and a dead body or two might be left in their wake. There is also friendship, love, and maybe even a bit of magic thrown in for good measure. In the beginning it seems as though Maude and Lucky mix together about as well as oil and water, but as their relationship evolves we see not only love blossom between them, but also the hope for a better life away from the dark recesses of the only life they’ve ever known. Is there a chance they could escape to a brighter future together?
The Meet-Cute
So how exactly does a high-end courtesan cross paths with a violent mafioso? Well, let’s face it, some of the best meet-cutes take place in the back alleys of London’s slums. Ok…so this might be one of the only romances I’ve ever come across with such an introduction, but the possibility for passion is practically stewing in the sludge of the gutters. Essentially Maude finds herself in one of the poorest and most dangerous parts of town with the intention of paying off the debts of one of her clients. She’s somehow convinced herself she loves this spineless man, hoping he’ll be the saving grace to get her out of the Belle House. Lo and behold, a stray cat launches itself across her path, forcing Maude to drop her reticule containing her entire life’s savings, and a little street urchin proceeds to run off with it. She gives chase through the crisscrossing alleyways of the city, and ultimately finds herself in an infamous gang’s hideaway, coming face to face with the formidable Frank “Lucky” Handley, who proceeds to taunt and goad her into realizing her supposed lover is a deceptive cheat taking advantage of her. In hindsight, I almost wish Maude had found herself in the slums of St. Giles that day to pay the debts of a brother, or perhaps a dear friend.
Maude is a strong-willed woman who has learned how to survive in this difficult world through her own fortitude. To think that she had misplaced her trust, and even her heart, in a sniveling client ultimately feels so out of character for the woman we come to know. It seems she would have been more likely to slap the man for making such distinctly false promises rather than agree to forfeit her life savings to bail him out of a tough situation. And goodness gracious does Frank love to remind her of it. They really push each other’s buttons in the beginning. You could even say there’s a genuine dislike between them. As time progresses however, it quickly becomes clear that neither knows how to confront these unusual feelings stirring up underneath the surface that seemingly go beyond lust. In these harsh streets they know so well, the last thing they could possibly do is make themselves vulnerable to feelings of admiration, let alone love, so they instead choose to lash out with barbs and insults rather than flowery words of affection. I’ll admit, I questioned more than once if these two should stay as far away from each other as possible, or just rip each other’s clothes off and be done with it. Don’t worry, they eventually proceed with the latter, but consider yourself warned it’s not exactly a sweet and dainty path to romance. Only when they both find themselves at their most vulnerable- he laying injured in bed and her crying tears from his tawdry attempts to constantly treat her like a lowly harlot- do they welcome a tender touch to their relationship.
The Business
Let me be absolutely clear. I hate talk of business. Economics, trade, stocks, get the hell outta here. And yet, there is something ridiculously peculiar anytime I come across a romance featuring mafia-like characters because I always find myself wanting to know more about their business dealings. Does it really matter in the grand scheme of things how the Bankee boys of this street gang earned and now maintain their living in the slums of London? No. Do I still wish I knew what the specific outcomes were for the few times Lucky chose to use Maude in providing him with information on some select members of the Belle House’s clientele for his own business purposes? Yes please!
All we know is that when Maude finds herself in the wrong place following her pursuit of the young lad who stole her reticule, Lucky says he’ll only return her savings piecemeal if she finds out some secret info on some of the men who frequent the brothel. Why it was these men in particular, what exactly it was Maude found out, or how it benefitted Lucky or his gang, we never truly know. And again, I realize it’s really not that important when all is said and done, but I think it could have helped provide a more distinct window into what exactly Frank was involved in from day to day. Not to mention, it proved to be a link continuously drawing him and Maude together for those first few weeks of their relationship, so I guess the curious cat in me would have liked to know more!
Series: The Belle House, book 2. I could see myself checking out a few more from this series in the future, but considering the heavier subject matter I would probably need to parse them out over time rather than binge them all in one go.
Would I befriend the heroine? Hmmm…tough one. I could see us maybe catching a show together at the theater, but I can’t tell if we’d be besties.
Would I date the hero? Too intimidating for little ole moi! Also, while I do appreciate a good cigar every now and again, this man seemed to be chewing on one in practically every scene. Do you know how hard it is get the scent of cigar out of your clothes, let alone your furniture?!
Final Impressions: Make no mistake, this is no Bridgerton. This is a darker Victorian read, and while we do get some steamy romance, it’s a far from perfect road to get there. Maude and Lucky are not afraid to bare their claws at each other, and really make a show of berating each other’s professions in the beginning. Eventually we start to see love bloom between them, and this is also when they allow us to see the softer side to their personas. They hope for a better life, not only for them, but also for those who’ve lived and suffered in the same environment as they have. Some details involving Frank’s business and an eventual major plot point were glossed over a bit more than I would have liked, but it was exciting to give a go of something beyond the norm of what we’d expect in this genre.
Smut Level: Hot dang. We’re dealing with a brothel here, so you should expect to see some raunchy stuff. While the relations between Maude and Lucky never reached an intensity level that left me uber uncomfortable, at one point we are privy to all of the lascivious details of an exclusive party for the most illustrious clients of the Belle House, and goodness gracious me oh my. ‘Twas quite the celebration of lavish eroticism and debauchery.
Get it on Amazon: Click Here. $3.99 Kindle Price. Amazon Digital Services. 314 Pages.
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