The Light in the Darkness

An absolute gem of a book. I was pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this book in the library. Lovers of historical and contemporary romance alike will LOVE this book. Hero and heroine are artfully and skillfully drawn with believable motivations. The determination and guts of the heroine will have you cheering her on from the bleachers. The depth of the secondary character (hero's sister) makes for a fine supporting cast. The depth and development of the romance (after all this is why we're here) is engaging, poignant and powerful. Great PLOT, great ROMANCE and great CHARACTERS - in short a MUST READ. Well done Ellen Fisher!

I loved Ellen Fisher's fantastic debut novel, THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS! The characters were admirable and full of depth, making you feel for them from the very first page. I've always been a big fan of the Pygmalion plot, and Ms. Fisher has done it here with a style all her own. This is a wonderfully detailed, emotional book, by a fresh new talent in historical romance! I've just added another 'automatic buy' to my short list of terrific authors---thanks for a great read, Ms. Fisher! Looking forward to the next!

This novel is far from the average romance novel so many publishers churn out these days. The characters are far from the norm, and don't behave as we often think they should. There were many nice surprises. Just when I thought I could leave our heroine to my nightstand, I would have to read more. Ellen's description of early colonial life is accurate. The attitudes, beliefs, and expectations of their generation breathe through these characters. It wouldn't be hard to imagine these people actually existed and had stepped out of time and into Ellen's beautiful prose. The Light in the Darkness is a rare find--a must read.

Seven years ago, the Virginia aristocracy agreed that Edward Grayson had murdered his spouse, Diana, even though there was no evidence to prove it. Even Edward, who does not remember the events of that day due to a drunken stupor, feels he must have murdered Diana. Since that fatal day, Edward has lived inside a bottle of Madeira. In spite of the rumors and his sordid lifestyle, mothers constantly toss their virgin daughters at him as he is still considered a prize catch.His sister Catherine constantly nags him to remarry and though he does not want a new wife, he heeds her pestering. He barters with a tavern owner, selling his horse in exchange for the man's niece. Edward figures that Jenny Wilton is a filthy, ugly, and moronic individual who would make the perfect spouse for someone like him. She could not demand things like love and family, and he would stop the parade of young ladies being thrown at him. However, underneath all that filth lurks a beautiful, intelligent, and determined young woman, who plans to become his fair lady and perhaps earn his love during the transformation. THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS is a marvelous retelling of George Bernard Shaw's PYGMALIAN, however, this being a historical romance the novel ends much happier for the lead protagonists than the play. The story line is moving and filled with fun and authenticity. The lead characters make a dynamic pair as she struggles to overcome her background while forcing her spouse to confront his demons. Ellen Fisher adds much freshness to the Colonial American romance sub-genre with this winning novel.Harriet Klausner