The Black Angel

The story moves, the characters are complex not contrived, and the "romance" is integral instead of tacked on. Great job, Barbara Samuel! Best of all, this is obviously just the first of a many-part series featuring the members of this remarkable family. Is this RITA #4 for this talented and acclaimed author?

This is my first time to read Barbara Samuel, but it certainly won't be the last. I would say that The Black Angel is probably the best historical romance of 1999. The writer's prose is clean, but lyrical, and this romance is about grown-ups. Nothing silly here. I especially enjoyed that her characters were flawed, that the romance was one of passion and longing, and that Ms. Samuel added secondary characters of deep feelings. Don't miss this book. It's a wonderful read that you will enjoy over and over again. Highly recommended.

This book has the most amazing heroine, young and naive in so many ways, struggling to do the right thing, tempted beyond imagination by her gloriously beautiful and sexy new husband, the BLACK ANGEL. I loved her spirit and seeing her grow and change and fall in love.

Only a gifted writer like Barbara Samuel can tell a story of a man like this. He was so wild and sexy, I just WANTED him the whole time. There is both a fairy tale quality to this story that makes it timeless, and an earthiness that gives it immediacy. Every expectation was fulfilled for this reader!