Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school and a well-respected author of “silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different kinds of stories–the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class men. Under the pseudonym Mr. King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting … fighting supernatural threats and dangerous outlaws romancing helpless women. They contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks.
Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Mr. King started taking all of his readers–and his profits. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher’s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the rights of the less-fortunate.
Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black. As a fellow-author, she is well-known among the high-class writers; perhaps she could be persuaded to make some inquiries as to Mr. King’s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to insure her secret identity is never discovered.
For the first time, Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent. But the more time they spend together, the more she loses her heart. Its upper-class against working-class, author against author where readers, reputations, and romance are all on the line.
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What a sweet and tender story,but some amazing action scenes. Loved the setting of this book along with the characters as I felt even the supporting characters were fleshed out well. They grew and developed and I was able to find a link with them. I loved the Penny Dreadful stories. The stories were a fun addition to the story as a whole.
I absolutely love Sarah Eden’s books.. When I started this story, I wasn’t quite sure if I could get interested in it. It is a different twist from her regency romances. Set in the Victorian era, with a touch of fantasy and just a wee bit of romance. It is centered around the middle to lower class of London. It is as if there were three stories in one. The more I read the more intrigued I became. Ms. Eden is very talented, her attention to detail and history is outstanding. Her characters come to life right off the page. And her stories are so defined you are sucked right into them. Like I said earlier, the first few chapters I thought I would throw in the towel. Just thinking it was not my style and confusing, jumping from one story to the next. I am so happy I pushed on.
I have probably read 90 to 95% of her books, so I new I couldn’t stop reading. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut, this book pushed me out a bit! Well done Ms. Eden.
So interesting! Very creative story. Loved it!
The Lady and the Highwayman is a well-researched and skillfully woven jaunt through Victorian London from the perspective of two penny dreadful authors with disparate backgrounds, as well as their work-in-progress dramatic penny dreadful stories in realistic periodical format. I was grateful to have read a hard copy of this book because I loved the small touches that made it stand out, such as speckled gray paper to visually differentiate the penny dreadful episodes, as well as identifying the authors’ names and their serial titles at the top of the pages. It all made for a more immersive experience. This was a clever and truly unique stories-within-a-story format that I’ve never seen before. And it took the sure hand of a master storyteller such as Sarah M. Eden to successfully pull it off. She managed to weave subtle details into the penny dreadfuls that merely hinted at the main storyline yet also illustrated how writers’ experiences find a way into their stories. I am highly anticipating the next book in this new series.
While few authors can tell two stories simultaneously in a story, Sarah Eden succeeds in writing three cohesive stories that draw the reader in. With two Penny Dreadful novels told at the beginning of each chapter as a replica of the time period, the mood is set. While Elizabeth Black purports to be a proper lady and female author of books for the elite, she is THE author of the famous dreadful novels by Mr. King. On the other hand, Fletcher Walker advertises himself as the most successful dreadful author while keeping his charitable acts hidden. These two characters work well together, keeping their secrets hidden despite growing closer as a couple.
With a setting that takes the reader to the streets of London and a plot line that keeps the reader wanting more, this story reflects the skill that Sarah Eden uses in all of her books while adding a level of adventure and suspense that is not common among her writing. The romance, the intrigue, and the adventure make this novel more than just a simple Penny Dreadful or three, but a full-length treat to be enjoyed.
Fan-girling right now, hold on….
Elizabeth Black holds a somewhat precarious position in society as a lady. She is headmistress of a girl’s school and a traditional author, but moonlights as one Mr. King, writing penny dreadfuls to raise money for her students’ needs.
Fletcher Walker is of a lower class and once-upon-a-time street urchin. Through his own resourcefulness, he has raised himself from the gutters and does all he can to take others out of the same predicament.
The penny dreadfuls, by Mr. King and Fletcher Walker, are completely enjoyable and, for me, make this an easy five star read! The parallels between the penny dreadfuls and the storyline for Elizabeth and Fletcher is a unique twist for a clean romance. I especially love how Sarah’s plot and character development are as much of a focus as the relationships that come through. I cannot wait for The Gentleman and the Thief to release this Fall.
I almost passed this up, thinking by the title and cover it was a retelling of the famous poem/song, but fortunately I turned it over and read the back copy. As it is, I enjoyed this more than I expected, 3.5 stars, but the episodic nature of weaving three stories into one book made it easy for me to put it down between chapters. While each Penny Dreadful chapter ends in something of a hook, the hooks didn’t do enough to compel me to devour the next chapter in the way most mystery books do. In fact, the hooks set in the Elizabeth/Fletcher romance don’t really ramp up the tension until well into the book. It’s the Penny Dreadful chapters that provide the impetus until then.
This was an unusual way to tell a story, but it works for the most part. I very much enjoyed the main characters, their simmering romance and witty banter. Elizabeth is a strong female role model, and Fletcher ‘s character reminds me of something Shana Galen has written, a man who’s pulled himself up from his origins and wants to help those still stuck there. The story has a Robin Hood feel to it, something all three story threads share.
My main quibble is with the quality of the printed book itself. Though this copy is from my local library, the binding is weak. Plus the print in the Penny Dreadful chapters is not as dark or the font as thick as the ink and font in the main story chapters. With the cream, almost recycled paper, the Penny Dreadful stories become harder to read in lower light. This is probably not an issue in the e-book version, but it did affect my reading of the print version.
A witty, delightful tale. I apparently didn’t do my homework when I grabbed this book. I live Sarah M. Eden’s books, so when I saw a new one, I just grabbed it. I anticipated her usual historical romance but was pleasantly surprised at her slight shift. It is still historical and certainly has romance, but the wit, banter, mystery and woven stories throughout truly made it a fun read.
This was a fun and sweet story to read! I love every single one of Sarah M Eden’s novels, and I found this one quite different, but always refreshing and truly enjoyable!
Elizabeth Walker is the headmistress of a girls school in London in early 19th century. But she’s also a well known writer of “silver-fork” novels for upper-class ladies of victorian society. But what nobody knows is that she also secretly writes Penny Dreadful novels, with the pseudonim of Charles King, that are very popular among working-class men. That’s where she really pours her love for adventure and excitement that her ordinary life seems to lack. That is, until she meets Fletcher and her life starts to feel like she stepped right into one of her Dreadful Penny novels.
Fletcher has earned his prestige as the most succesful Dreadful Penny novelist. But then, Charles King becomes quite popular and robs him of his readers. He, along with the Dreadful Penny Society of authors, determine to find out who is Charles King to see if he’s an asset or their worst enemy and competition. So that’s when Fletcher approaches the popular Miss Black, who seems to have connections and may help him discover the real identity of this new best selling author. Elizabeth agrees, if only to throw him off her path, but she never expects that this new relationship will quickly grow into something more. But there’s the chasm between their social standings, and the fear of what he will do when he discovers her true identity… Will love prevail over this mayhem or will it be their undoing?
I was totally engaged by this novel. The plot was fast paced and I was picqued to know how Elizabeth would manage to keep deceiving Fletcher, and how would things turn out when he finally discovers her ruse. He had to right? In fact, it felt like the chase of a cat and a mouse and while there was a touch of intrigue and mystery, the funny moments made it all the more enjoyable and relaxing. I totally fell in love with the characters, and I loved their dialogues and witty banter, always characteristic of Ms Eden’s characters. The romance was sweet, clean and endearing. I was totally rooting for their Happily Ever After, which seemed almost impossible to grasp.
I definitely recommend this novel. I had a wonderful time reading it!
What I liked or found interesting:
• I liked that there were two stories within The Lady and the Highwayman: A story by Charles King and a story by Fletcher Walker. Both stories were penny dreadfuls and captured these dramatic stories of the time.
• Mr. Walker and Miss Black both used their penny dreadful money for charitable purposes. They cared about the less fortunate. Whose charitable purposes were the most important?
• There’s lots of witty banter between all of the characters bringing joy and laughter to the reader.
• What path should Elizabeth’s life take? The easy path within the parameter of proper society or the more riskier rewarding path of protecting the innocent children.
• This was a clean read and I appreciate that.
• This was a book written in an original style. There were lots of twists and turns to the plot, adventure, and romance. I highly recommend this book.
I love adventure and mystery with Romance added in. This makes a perfect combination of both. You will also get a taste of what Penny Dreadfuls were like and a little bit of the Dreadful side of London.
A really enjoyable, different storyline that caught my attention and had me turning the pages. Victorian England and a hero and heroine that both wrote stories and being introduced into the Penny Dreadful serials was amazing!
What was even more intriguing was the inclusion of the actual stories they both wrote which were fascinating! The Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors who worked together to sought to fight for social injustice of their readers.
But to be a woman writer, penning these under a pen name of a gentleman, and being very successful, created a mystery the Society was determined to solve.
Adventure, suspense, intrigue, politics and romance all wound together to create the perfect story that kept me reading late into the night to find out what would happen! This was the first book I have read by this author, but it definitely will not be the last!!
I’m always happy when I get to read a Sarah M. Eden book. You can tell she really does a lot of research for the time period of the book. This is a Victorian, not a Regency, so society rules weren’t quite as strict. This book is like getting three stories in one. There’s the main story of Fletcher Walker and Elizabeth Black and then there are two Penny Dreadful stories told within Fletcher and Elizabeth’s story.
Fletcher Walker has risen above his upbringing and works hard to help the boys and girls who are like he once was–street urchins getting by by their wits and stealing. He truly cares for these children, so when the source of income to help them–the Penny Dreadful stories he writes–is threatened by a new author taking his spot as the #1 author, he’s determined to find and meet this Mr. King.
Elizabeth Black seems to be all that is proper. She runs a school for young ladies and writes “silver-fork” novels that the more educated people read, but we soon find out that Elizabeth as a secret that if exposed would mean the end of her school.
I loved these characters. Fletcher is the best!! He’s extremely caring, yet fun. Because you can take the urchin off of the street, but you can’t always take the street out of the urchin, he’s sometimes not as proper as a “true” gentleman would be, but that’s what makes him such a fun character. He’s got so many wonderful qualities, there’ no doubt Elizabeth would fall for him, I know I would have.
I loved the two Penny Dreadful stories and how they started to mirror what was going on between Fletcher and Elizabeth. And let’s not forget the rest of the men in the Penny Dreadful Society. How cool is it that they dressed up in disguises to tail the people who are out to do harm to the children? The parts telling about the situations of some of the children made me so sad. Did anyone else wonder who the Dread Master is? I haven’t a clue. I loved the ending of the book and look forward to more from the Dread Penny Society.
I should know better than to start a Sarah Eden book at bedtime! By the time 3:30 am rolled around I finished the book with a happy sigh 🙂 This one is unputdownable. (That should totally be a word). Sometimes I find novels set in Victorian times to be a bit stuffy, but this book is the exact opposite of that- the characters find liberation and freedom in their unconventional work and their vibrant personalities jump off the page. I loved that we got to know Fletcher first- he is so compelling with his confidence despite his tragic childhood circumstances. He’s the best sort of person- using the pain of his experiences to improve the lives of others. He’s a bit sassy and flirty which is tempered by his depth of compassion and willingness to sacrifice. Elizabeth has those same qualities, but because of her position as a headmistress, must be above reproach and begins to resent that she must stifle herself so much. The secrets and hidden identities are a fun plot device and the pace of the book is steady as Fletcher and Elizabeth get to know each other and grow in affection, all while rescuing the children of London’s slums one at a time. Their banter and chemistry is entertaining and I loved their dynamic! Highly recommend!
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
It’s author versus author in Sarah m. Eden’s latest Victorian-era release. And what a fun read this one is whenever Fletcher and Elizabeth are in each other’s company. The banter between these two is delightful.
I thoroughly enjoyed how two penny dreadful novels (one from Fletcher and one from Elizabeth) were included and paralleled with the two main characters’ lives. This device works well in The Lady and the Highwayman to partially expose secrets and identities.
As they use their success and situations to help the children of London’s slums avoid even worse situations, Fletcher and Elizabeth endear themselves to readers.
Do yourself a favor and add this one to your TBR.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Oh, man. The book ended. I’m not quite sure I was ready for that. It could have gone on and on, I would have been perfectly content.
In this romance, you get three stories in one. You have the main story of Elizabeth and Fletcher, then there is the “Penny Dreadfuls” – stories that the common folk could purchase that wasn’t considered proper literature. (I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed them.) Fletcher knows that there is an author competing for the top rung of the publishing ladder, he knows it is Mr. King, he just doesn’t know that Mr. King is Elizabeth. It makes for an interesting dynamic. She is aware of who he is, he just doesn’t realize who she is.
The main draw of the book was that both are committed to helping children. Elizabeth runs a school for girls from the middle class and Fletcher removes street urchins from dangerous situations and takes them to a school for the lowest class of people. His work leads to situations that dangerous and tricky. Elizabeth is up to any of the challenges that he throws at her. They are a formidable team.
I can’t say that there is anything that I didn’t love about this book. It is a different writing style for Sarah Eden, I hope to see more of this in the future. I wouldn’t object to some “Penny Dreadfuls” thrown in for good measure.
This book contains kissing and non-graphic violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This story is different from any other Sarah Eden book that I’ve read, and I loved it! Elizabeth was a strong lead character and I was rooting for her “side job” the whole time. Actually, it was the same with Fletcher. They both had their secrets and I was so intrigued to see how things would go once they each discovered what the other one was hiding. Watching their relationship develop was very entertaining.
This was my first time reading stories within a story, and it could have been a nightmare – difficult to keep track of all of the different plots, story lines and characters, but the author did a great job presenting each one. In fact, I found myself so caught up in Elizabeth’s story that I almost didn’t want to switch from that back to the main one! Thankfully, all three tales were equally entertaining and it was fun to switch back and forth.
Yet again, Sarah has a hit on her hands. I love her writing style and always look forward to the stories she creates.
It’s no secret that I love a good historical romance. And Sarah M Eden’s are some of the very best!
I loved everything about this one. It’s got amazing characters, action and adventure and a bit of a mystery. And one of my favorite things about this one is the chapters of the Penny Dreadfuls that are included.
Let’s start with our characters. There’s Fletcher Walker. I loved him! He’s a successful author of Penny Dreadfuls. I loved that he was an orphan as a child and now he writes books for them to read. But things are shifting for him, there’s a new author out there, Mr. King, taking his business. I love the way he helps orphans, he’s constantly helping someone. He’s just a great guy!
Then there’s Elizabeth. She’s amazing! She’s the headmistress of a girl’s school, a celebrated author, and Mr. King. The reader knows this the whole time, so it becomes really funny when Fletcher is trying to figure out who he is, and trying to get Elizabeth to help. And, of course, she has to help in order to keep her secret safe. I loved that Elizabeth is up for almost anything that she thinks will help educate the children. This gets her into a few sticky situations, but she and Fletcher are able to work together and fix things.
This book is so great! Make sure to grab your own copy!
This was a fun read. An assertive heroine who knows what she wants, a hero who’s climbed up out of the gutter but isn’t ashamed to show his non-toff roots, and a delightful book-within-a-book tale featuring two “penny dreadfuls”…which happen to have been written by the H&H.
Add a secret society of action hero authors(!) and you’ve got the makings of a snappy and fun romance novel with excitement, intrigue, and a delightful ending. In addition, it was a traditional historical in the sense that there was no overt sexual activity, making it accessible to all readers who love a HEA. There’s nothing wrong with adding a touch of sweetness to one’s spicy reading list!
The Lady and the Highwayman is a clever twist on a Proper Romance. Sarah Eden has crafted a tale like none she’s done before. Everything from the characters, setting, and plot are unique and exciting. This is not a Regency Romance but takes place during the Victorian era in England.
Both of the main characters are authors of the “Penny Dreadfuls” that were the rage among the working-class men. Elizabeth writes under the pseudonym of a Mr. King. As the headmistress of an all girl’s school, she needs to remain in good standing with the upper class of Victorian Society. She meets fellow author, Fletcher Walker, who also writes Penny Dreadfuls. The novel is told from both Elizabeth’s and Fletcher’s POV. I also really loved how we were also able to read the stories written by Mr. King and Fletcher. What an incredible undertaking for Eden to write so many “stories” within the pages of this novel.
I learned so much about the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the social and political causes of their working-class readers. This novel once again shows the incredible work and dedication that Sarah Eden does in researching before she writes a book. I found an article that gave great information about The Dread Penny Society and the Penny Dreadfuls that were written. It was all very interesting.{http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160502-the-shocking-tale-of-the-penny-dreadful}
This new novel is a brilliant combination of mystery, suspense, history, and of course romance. The witty dialogue makes the interaction between Elizabeth and Fletcher a delight to read. If you are a Sarah Eden fan, be prepared for something new and just as well written as her previous books.