The Damsel is a standalone sequel to The Villain Duology, a Dark Regency Erotic Romance series.The Honourable Mr. Robert Stanley is heartbroken … one night in an upstairs room with her, he leaps at the chance despite her stipulation that he submit to her every whim. He wants nothing more than to lose himself and forget his pain; allowing someone else control seems a small price to pay for it. Little does he know that one night will have the power to change everything.
Lady Cassandra Lane is in a constant state of rage…
After her brutal assault at the hands of a lord, she’s had her name and reputation dragged through the mud. Her family and friends have turned their back on her, and she’s become a social outcast. In the midst of it all, the anger and fear caused by the theft of her innocence rules her existence, and Cassandra has had enough. Deciding to take control of her circumstances, she sets out to find a man with whom she can overcome her anxiety over physical intimacy. Robert Stanley seems like an ideal choice—someone she can use for her own ends and discard once she is done. However, she never anticipates that their one encounter will lead to a craving for more.
Even when she fights him, all he wants is to save her from herself …
Robert cannot understand why he responds so readily to Cassandra’s dominant nature, or the cruelty fueled by her anger. Nevertheless, he is drawn to her like a moth to a flame—despite the possibility that she will only hurt him in the end. As he falls rapidly under her spell, he begins to uncover Cassandra’s deep, dark secrets, as well as her hidden pain. Even though she pushes him away at every turn, he finds himself unable to walk away—especially when it becomes clear that one of her secrets might just be the death of her.
She doesn’t need a hero … but if she’d let him, he might just be her saving grace.
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She was hurt by a life and she is now in disgrace. so she takes her anger out on others now. He has lost his love to another man and all he wants is to get drunk. They meet and have one night but they did not expect they would want so much more. Will they fall in love? Will they be able to stay away from each other? See what will happen
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A refreshing take on the damsel in distress with a heroine you will love and a hero who will make you swoon. The plot is as intense as the smoldering love scenes, and if you’re searching for a page-turner that’s sexy and emotional, look no further.
I loved this book because there was such a great story that kept my interest. The chemistry between Cassandra and Robert was excellent. This had a lot of emotion in it and that led up to the great HEA.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
4 1/2 Stars
This well written period piece set in a time where society held double standards for the rich and titiled had Cassandra’s tattered reputation the cause of her pain and strength. Raped as a young ingenue and shunned by her mother and sisters who blamed her, Cassandra had to dig deep to find a way to survive.
I liked the way the author showed the backstory of Robert’s family history that lead to a deeper understanding of his life and personality.
Although he was not weak or effeminate, he was not the alpha male dominant hero as most romances feature. Beautifully handsome, optimistic, kind, and sensitive, Robert had been in love with his childhood friend and sweetheart Daphne all his life. He met Cassandra while mourning Daphne’s union with another man.
Cassandra’s relationship with Robert started off as a one night stand (Victorian style) but grew into a mutual passion solidified by their compatible bdsm kink. A bit of a twist where Robert willingly submitted to Cassandra’s dominate role.
Lots of action and adventure as Cassandra took risks to punish the evil men who freely lived a life of luxury while abusing and murdering innocents.
Very entertaining and sweetly touching as Robert was able to heal her darkness with his love.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This historical romance finds Cassandra and Robert both emotionally, in Cassandra’s case also physically, injured and drawn to each other to heal each other’s wounds. There is some BDSM in this book, but it’s not overly done. This is a wonderful read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a tough book to get through. It reveals the dangerous emotional side of what could happen to a r@pe victim. As uncomfortable as I was to read this, I must admit it is realistic, raw, in your face disgusting and contemptible. A victim who was to have been empathized with, treated with compassion and understanding was ostracized, condemned not only by society but by her family. There was no one to protect her or be on her side. All alone in her terror, pain and sorrow, she turns to her emotional dark side. There are two distinct avenues she takes to deal with all the horror. 1 – she meets out her rage in being a Domme who delivers pain to her submissive male s€xual partner. 2 – she becomes a phantom avenger for abused and wronged women. She has no idea how her destructive her behavior is affecting her psyche. It is negative not healing nor positive. When events unfold that almost destroys her, her submissive fights for her to save her from herself. I quote for the book:
“Why you’ve allowed me into your bed time and time again? It is the same reason I am ruined for all other women. I am your match, Cass … and you are mine. We are two sides of the same coin, and no amount of denial on your part will change that. So, do your worst. I want it all … your anger, your pain, your sadness. I can take it.” So, she gave it to him…”.
Whew!!!! An emotionally charged story, well written, I find no BS fillers anywhere and truthfully and honestly told. It is on the dark side. However, I highly recommend it. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book was great, the storyline was well written and the characters were interesting. This book is number four in the series which I will have to read. Cassandra was raped and it ruined her when her and a few other ladies took Lord Bertram .and that is when things got worse, Robert (Lord Stanley) has always loved Cassandra, Cassandra invites Robert to her room, he is informed by Cassandra that she is the dominant one. Stanley except’s the rules.
Thank you for allowing me to review this book it was great
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the second book that I have read by this author and I must say it did not disappoint. I didn’t want to put it down. I look forward to more of her work.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I thought this book was very unique and stunningly good. A compelling combination of histoical and erotica that also has a dark, sharp edge. The story is complex, the characters complicated, the scenes sizzle and the emotions are raw. Cass and Robert both captured my heart and I felt so badly for both of them. One surprising deal leads them to the discovery that they were just what the other needed. A beautiful, moving and powerful romance.
The book opens with a large section detailing the tragic family background of Robert Stanley, our hero. He and our heroine, Lady Cassandra Lane, have a fateful meeting at a seedy tavern. She is there at the suggestion of her friend Millicent to find a man who will help her gain control of her fear of intimacy after her brutal assault by Lord Bertram Fairchild. She chooses Robert. He is there drowning his sorrows over Lady Daphne, who has just left with Adam Hartmoor; he had gone to propose to her. She gets the feeling that he would be a good man for her plan. They have quite a night! Cassandra is in control the entire time, and after they part, neither can entirely forget the experience. She comes back into his sphere when she removes to the dower house at the former Fairchild estate, which was purchased by a family member after the Fairchild family’s downfall. They quickly fall into a pattern of assignations of dominance and submission that they both enjoy. But this isn’t quite enough for Cassandra to regain her equilibrium. What matters to her most is justice. She seeks to avenge women who have been abused by men of power like she was.
How far will Lady Cassandra go in her pursuit of justice? Will she endanger herself or Robert? Where will her and Robert’s affair end? Will Lady Cassandra come to a better place in her life?
I have read the previous books in The Villains series. I was initially intrigued by the duology because it was listed as a dark Regency, and while I adore Regency, I wasn’t quite sure what “dark Regency” would be. So I was curious. The duology is very dark indeed as Hart wreaked vengeance upon the Fairchild family because of what Bertram did to Olivia. I absolutely adored the third book of the series, The Butterfly, which is Olivia’s story. Cassandra appeared briefly at the end of that book, and I was curious to see how her story would play out. This book is another very dark Regency tale. Cassandra has been so wounded not only by Bertram’s act but by her own response that she has become hardened and brittle, and now some five years after the attack, she’s wanting to take more control of her life, both sexually and against other predators like Bertram. At times, it is difficult to read how poorly she treats good-hearted, gentlemanly Robert, but the author has done well in showing why Cassandra acts as she does. Then, while watching her act against the predatory male members of the ton, you find yourself wondering how much will be enough for her and if she will be able to get a better place.
Robert is her perfect hero, the yin to her yang–and yes, I am purposely switching the genders here. He has known much suffering in his life even if he looks like the golden child. As his parents’ fourth son, he watched all of his brothers die throughout his childhood and as a young man. The extended section describing the Stanley family’s tragic history is heart-rending to read as the author does an excellent job in showing it, not just telling it; we can feel their pain. Certainly, it shows the fertile ground that made him both the perfect submissive (as he always bent to his mothers will) and the perfect masochist (as his mother was constantly trying to keep him from harm, often to the extreme). As they might say in Regency times, Robert and Cassandra were formed for each other.
While I hadn’t noticed it in the first two books–and I might have to go back and look at them–the author used symbolism here to great effect. There’s a pond near the border of the Stanley property where Cassandra likes to submerge herself as she contemplates the darkness. When Robert walks over to see their new neighbor, he watches transfixed as she enters, knowing that there are a ledge and a big drop off. When she doesn’t emerge for a while, he dives in to go after her. She resists and struggles but eventually lets him bring her to the surface. She lets him know that she didn’t need rescuing, as she was entirely in control of her actions. In beautiful symmetry at the end of the book, there is another scene at the pond. While what happens at this pond perhaps reflects their greater story, there is even a small bit of symbolism regarding tea versus coffee that shows Robert’s personal journey. By the end, they’re both better and stronger people, having grown because of their relationship.
In general, this entire series was darker than I typically like to read, and in particular, I am not a fan of dominant-submissive books. But what I appreciate is that this author has given the darkness in all of the books of this series context. This is not darkness for darkness’ sake, meant to titillate or arouse our more prurient interests. Rather, especially in the last two books in the series, she takes you to the characters’ personal hells and then leads them to the light, or at least to the promise of a better future, made more stark and beautiful due to the contrast. All of the characters in this series are three dimensional, and most are sympathetic to some degree, and the author was able to paint them with such vivid detail that I couldn’t help but understand their struggles and wish for them to have the best possible outcomes.
With the crushing loss of all three of his elder brothers, the Honorable Mr. Robert Stanley finds himself heir to his father’s barony. Still grief-stricken, he faces yet more heartbreak when the woman he has always loved marries someone else. He seeks to drown himself in whiskey at a roadside pub and is approached unexpectedly by Lady Cassandra Lane, who offers him a no strings attached night with her in an upper room. Her only stipulation is that he must submit to her and do only what she tells him. Robert finds himself more than willing to cede control to someone else and forget his pain for awhile, but his one night with Cassandra shows him a completely undiscovered side of himself and leaves him unable to forget her.
Cassandra’s reputation is in tatters after the trial and subsequent execution of the lord who brutally assaulted her and several other ton ladies. She has lived in a haze of anger and fear as an outcast for the past five years and decides to find a man to help her overcome her fears of intimacy. Robert seems like the perfect choice to use and then forget, but she never expects that one night with him will leave her longing for more.
Robert is confused by the newfound part of him that is drawn to Cassandra and her dominant nature, even though he knows she’ll only wind up hurting him. He’s sick of being the perfect son and amiable friend and wants to keep exploring the desires Cassandra has awakened in him. But aside from being rather emotionally unavailable, Cass has secrets, dangerous activities that are more of a threat to her than even she realizes. As she continually pushes Robert away and he continues to try to save her from herself, her anger and need for vengeance may be enough to keep them apart or even see her killed.
This book was intense, the relationship between Cass and Robert unique. They both had issues to work through, especially Cass with her intense anger and many times it seemed implausible that they’d ever advance to any sort of functional, loving relationship. But eventually they earned their hard-won happily ever after and with plenty of steam, almost too much angst and a surprising amount of true romance. This was my first read from this author but I’ll be checking out more of her work now.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Honorable Robert Stanley is a baton with a tragic backstory. He’s also very recently known accute disappointment. He had hoped to marry his childhood friend and almost lover. As a gentleman, he stopped himself from going all the way.
Lady Cassandra is shattered, broken by a lord and ruined by him and society and she can’t do a damn thing about it. She sees to release some of her rage and propositions Robert with a night of her taking back her power and gaining a measure of control.
Loved the characters.
Can these two broken and shattered people fit their jagged pieces together?
Recommend.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a touching, emotional story about two damaged people finding true love. The heroine, Cassandra, is marred by a awful tragedy that befell her in the past, which has destroyed her reputation with society, as well as torn apart her trust for any and all men. While Robert, our hero, is in turmoil because he has lost too many close to his heart, has a controlling mother, and has also just watched his childhood sweetheart be whisked away by another man.
Upon happenstance, both Robert and Cassandra find each other in a pub one day, and find a connection with one another, albeit a temporary one, according to Cass, who prefers to keep Robert at arm’s length, rather than her ever give her heart fully over to him…But when Robert relinquishes control to her, he finds that the once plain girl he remembered from parties with the ton, and a broken girl due to tragedy…he now finds he’s quite taken with her. She, however harbors a secret, one he can’t ever know, but once he finds out, will he stay?
I really loved this story. Cass is a kickass heroine, she fights for what she believes in and embarks on her own brand of justice with regards to past problems in her life. Robert, is a gentleman and is such a warm-hearted hero….whenever Cass pushes him away, he continues to pursue her in order to prove his devotion to her…I loved the way he was written, and he was not stalkery, his character waited and would only push forward when Cass would give permission, he was hesitant in the most respectable ways. I really enjoyed how sweet and vulnerable he was with regards to his feelings for Cassandra. Also, their dialogue together was so incredibly romantic, passionate, and exciting! Lots of lovely quotes throughout this book! 🙂
As many can tell, this is book 4 in a series, so there are side characters from other stories prior to this one-which either make an appearance in this book or are spoke about in reference to certain passages and past history. Every detail was connected quite well and it wasn’t so much to take you out of the story, nor would you need to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this one, since the author made sure to include anything you would need to know in this one, so you could connect the dots to the present, and understand character motivations, as well as how each person relates to one another. I’m happy the author, Miss Vale, would insert these reminders because I have yet to read the last two books, so this helped me incredibly while reading.
There is beautifully written scenes, from the intimate passages, to the descriptions of historical settings, like: ballrooms, dinner scenes, and exchanges with family. I always enjoy this author’s storytelling abilities, because they really make you see the scene, rather than just read it. I highly recommend The Damsel, it’s a romantic, thrilling, sexy read with real, flawed characters with relatable issues that could affect any one of us, making it both heartfelt and relevant for anybody to enjoy. 4 stars! **** 🙂
The Damsel Not in Distress!!!
The Damsel is the fourth book in the Villain Duology series by Victoria Vale, although for me this is book five in the series because I count the short story the prequel, Hart. I’ve read all of Ms. Vale’s books off of iBooks, this is the first review I’ve written by this author. This story takes off where The Dove (Book 2) ends but the Hero in this book is actually introduced in the Villain (Book 1).
Robert Stanley is a handsome and courtly country gentleman waiting for the woman he thinks is the love of his life to come back to him. I really like this character because he is presented as a likeable, smart and caring man. His upbringing as a young man sets him up for his relationship with Cassandra. At first I was worried that he didn’t come off dominant but he is and the feisty heroine not over shadows him.
Cassandra Lane was a victim and has risen to become the mistress and a bad a$$. Her need to dominate is what has been missing out of Robert’s life. Like most heroines she doesn’t see the good thing in front of her until it’s almost too late.
I rated this book 5 stars out of 5 because, Ms. Vale is one of my favorite authors for a reason. I find all of her historical romances erotic, thought provoking and easy to read. I hesitate when I start reading her books because I know the image in my mind that I create while I’m reading her books makes me drift off into adult fantasies and I choose songs to match those fantasies.
Book four of The Villain Duology series. This one can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone, however the main characters were secondary characters in the past books and the series is amazing when read in order. Full length with HEA and epilogue that completes the series beautifully. This historical romance has a bit of BDSM. Two broken people who are hurting, one needing to hurt someone, the other needing pain inflicted on them to feel alive. The story is told so well you feel their hurt and their pain and you are rooting for them to find healing in each other. I loved reading this book, it is the perfect ending to the series!!
I have to say, Victoria Vale had done such an excellent job in her previous books of describing the actions of a man who truly had no backbone. A good old fashioned momma’s boy that I was have a difficult time connecting with as I have no patience for such. But as the story between Cassandra and Robert began to unfold it brought a light onto personal traits that weren’t known before. Things that brought out the best in each other, even when it wasn’t wanted. The events brought tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat several times and my anger soared at characters that were deserved more than my wrath. This was truly a story I wouldn’t have missed for the world and a series I will re-read over and over just for the pleasure of it.
Wow! This was a wonderful conclusion to the Villain series. Two previous minor characters are revisited to work their way to their own much deserved HEA. Cassandra is a tortured soul that finds her perfect compliment in Robert. I highly recommend reading all of Ms. Vale’s books!
If you have read or listen to The Villain Dulogy books then you will know the Robert was in love with Daphne but she didn’t see him any more then just best friends and Cassandra was just one of the victims from Daphne brother
This book starts from when Daphne leaves to go get Adam while Robert is watching her go with a broken heart and he goes to try to find a way to move thought and he found more then he thought he would
4.5 Stars
Cassandra and Robert. They do not seem like a good match on the surface. Cass appears to be prickly, standoffish and ruined to boot. Robert is the good-natured momma’s boy who doesn’t appear to have a care in the world. Cassandra’s need to dominate and Robert’s need for pain made them the perfect match in the bedroom. It was quite a journey to see that they also were the perfect match in all other areas as well. If you’ve read the other books in the series, you’ve come to expect plenty of heat with plenty of heart and that is no exception here. This book is a complete standalone, but I encourage you to read the other books. Just do yourself a favor and read ALL the VV books. You’re welcome!
I have enjoyed all of the Victoria Vale books that I have read. She is the queen of regency erotica. Her books have so much emotion in them. They are not just all about the sexy times. She writes about characters that need each other to feel whole again. Cassandra had a traumatic event happen in her life and we feel her anger. Robert has also had some traumatic events in his life and we feel his sadness. Cassandra has built up a wall and does not trust men at all and Robert is trying to break down that wall and show her it is okay to have someone to help you. This was a very emotional story. I teared up at the end.
Quotes I highlighted: “You cannot allow the past to rule your present. You cannot let it destroy your future.”
“We are two sides of the same coin, and no amount of denial on your part will change that. So, do your worst. I want it all…your anger, your pain, your sadness. I can take it.”