The Music of the Night

Lydia Joyce drives home a winner with THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT and presents her reader with a story far above the average. Brilliantly, Ms. Joyce unwraps a dramatic, bold, and very sexy `affaire de coeur'. Sarah Connolly lives in the shadows. She lives among the gentry, but in the background. She is one of the ordinary souls who attend and pamper the elite. Sarah Connolly is a lady's companion; she is a servant. Sarah Connolly will never belong. Still, she wants. Yet, she does not deceive herself. Sarah knows her place in life. She is aware of her plain, scarred face and her wretched background, but still she wants - she wants someone to desire her, not her femininity, but her person - her ugly, scarred body. Sebastian Grimsthorpe, the Earl of Wortham will have his day. He will make the person pay, the person who brutally raped and battered his daughter. Such revenge will take planning and timing, but vengeance will be his. Sarah Connolly is nothing but a means to an end. Sarah Connolly is nothing more than . . . admirable? What was this unsettling feeling flickering through Sebastian? Was it guilt? Never! He felt nothing. Sarah Connolly was nothing more than a common trollop. Sarah Connolly was a harlot of the lowest form. So what was this feeling? THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT is intense, ambitious, and extremely adult. Ms. Joyce grabs her reader and forces them to see the ugliness of mankind. Wisely, the author shoves stark realism into the foreground and presents her reader with grim reality - reality based on poverty, disease, and class distinction. THE MUSIC OF THE NIGHT is a first-class journey. Be mindful, it is not an easy journey, it is not a comfortable journey, but it is a first-class journey! So why not the perfect grade, because Joyce's ending slipped. Sebastian and Sarah deserved better than the shallow climax the author delivered. Lydia Joyce wrote a gem, but her glorious story deserved a big solid finale, not something bordering on normal! Grade: A- MaryGrace Meloche.

"The Music of the Night" is a refreshingly idiosyncratic and well-written historical romance set in Venice during the Victorian era. The story is basically a revenge tale with a very unique and interesting heroine caught between two feuding aristocratic rakes. There is so much to admire about this book--particularly the unusual, evocative setting and the very unconventional, flawed heroine, but unfortunately the story runs out of gas with half of the book left to go. The good news is that the first half of the book is so good that it *almost* makes up for the relatively flat second half. The heroine of the story is Sarah Connolly, base-born and gutter-bred, she has managed to fight her way out of the slums of London and gain enough polish and education to become a lady's companion. But Sarah cannot hide the history of her low-birth since it is written on her face in the form of smallpox scars (which any middle or upper-class child apparently would have been vaccinated against during that era.) Sarah is a compelling character--worldly and intelligent, but vulnerable to the malevolent attentions of the hero and his rival due to her status as a servant and her own lack of self-esteem. The hero of the story, Sebastian Grimsthorpe, the Earl of Wortham, is a less developed (and therefore, less interesting) character, IMO. Sebastian is a typical gorgeous, decadent, hedonist nobleman until a personal crisis forces him to re-examine his life and his priorities. When his 12-year old illegitimate daughter is raped during one of his own debauched house parties, Sebastian is devastated and has her attacker (his former friend, Bertrand de Lint) brought to trial. When de Lint is acquitted of the crime and an attempt is made on Sebastian's life, Sebastian fakes his own death and heads off to Venice after Bertrand for some serious *revenge*. Unfortunately, Sarah gets caught in the middle of all this when she signs on to the Venice trip as a companion for Bertrand's mother, Lady Merrill. The plot during the first half of the book is *so* compelling, with Sarah being lured into a romance with Sebastian despite her conviction that his intentions are suspect (to say the least), while at the same time fighting off the unwanted attentions of de Lint. Unfortunately, the story loses a lot of its momentum (and dramatic tension) during the second half of the book, although Sebastian continues to press forward with his convoluted revenge plot against de Lint. The conventional storybook ending seems rather mismatched with the darker, more mature tone of the rest of the book. In summary, this is very original and richly written historical romance with a marvelously unusual setting and a heroine who definitely breaks out of the traditional "historical romance formula". The story is not flawless and there are some serious pacing problems with the plot, but it is refreshing to see an author who is willing to take some chances with her characters and setting

I enjoyed Ms Joyce's first book THE VEIL OF THE NIGHT, but this her second, I found absolutely fabulous. Dark, rich, compelling and sensual it's a nice meaty read to tuck yourself into. If you're looking for a light, quick read look elsewhere. Sarah Connolly was born and raised on the mean streets of the St Giles rookery. She's seen much ugliness in her short life and has the scars, both physical and emotional, to prove it. She "wears her life story in her face" in the form of scars left from smallpox. Scars that brand her as of the lower classes as by Victorian times, anyone of the mid-upper classes would have had access to innoculations and other treatments. She's pulled herself out of her do-anything-to-survive life with the help of her friend Maggie who married a gentleman. With Maggie's support, Sarah enrolled in a school for young ladies where she acquired an education and a level of refinement. Now she has taken a position as a companion to Lady Merrill and looks forward to a nice quiet life of servitude. However, when she accompanies Lady Merrill and her party to Venice, her life is about to be turned upside down. For one thing, she feels uncomfortable in the presence of Lady Merrill's rather malevolent son, Mr de Lint who seems bent on seduction or worse. Second, she seems to have attracted the attention of very handsome stranger who invites her to a masquerade! Though she questions his motives, suspecting he has a nefarious purpose, she cannot resist the opportunity to attend the ball, wear the lavish costume and mask he provides and enjoy the beauty of the evening. But what price will she pay for her weakness? Sebastian Grimsthorpe, Earl of Wortham had lived a life of privilege and, for the last decade or so, debauchery. Often his partner in such revels was Bertrand de Lint, but de Lint betrayed Sebastian's friendship in a violent and ugly attack on Sebastian's illegitimate twelve-year-old daughter. Though de Lint denies his guilt, Sebastian just cannot let it go and simmers with impotent rage at the injustice of it all. An accident in his gig that nearly kills him gives him the idea to allow the world to think him dead so that he can pursue his revenge against de Lint unencumbered. He follows de Lint and party to Venice and notices in their company a compelling young woman with scars on her face. He recalls that a pock-marked woman was involved in the assault on Adela and assumes that this woman is de Lint's mistress. And now yet another target of Sebastian's pitiless revenge. Unfortunately, while he plans to use her, he is also drawn to her in a way he cannot fully understand. From their first encounter, Sebastian and Sarah are very much attracted to one another though each is wary of the other. Why would such a handsome man pay such attentions to a scarred woman obviously below him in class? What is he up to and how does it involve her? As for Sebastian, he knows he should loathe her, but at the same time,

Sarah's early life had been one of survival on the less than fashionable streets of London in whatever capacity she could. Growing up poor she'd survived smallpox but for the scars. Through the generosity of a good friend she had been sent to school and now there was a light shining at the end of the tunnel. She had a chance at a new life, as companion to an elderly and kind woman. On a trip to Venice, she discovered that not all of the family was as kindly as her employer. Upon arriving Sarah also sensed then spied a watcher that kept to the shadows, a man who seemed to be able to see beyond her scars. The air of mystery surrounding him would compel her to follow, and the passion he aroused would make her doubt the paths she knew she should take. Sebastian Grimsthorpe, Earl of Wortham had led a privileged carefree life, as most men of his class did -- taking his pleasure whenever and wherever - with one caveat of never really hurting anyone. Unfortunately all good things come to an end, and in one night, an incident so vile in nature, and of such a supreme betrayal of trust would forever change Sebastian. Now, he lives and breathes in shadows, hiding behind masks in order to exact revenge against a man he once called friend. Only, one thing stands in his way - a woman whose beautiful eyes seem to see through him and his nefarious plans; a woman he would soon betray, yet it would be her that would save both his life and his soul before he made a most horrific mistake in his plan of revenge. -- This was a very compelling and thoughtful read that conveyed both mystery, danger and a deep sensuality. Sarah was drawn with strength and character as a woman embarking on a new life of quiet servitude. A life that she had fought hard to attain, yet because of something she sensed in Sebastian, she took chances that in the end would cause her downfall from the life she so dearly wanted. One phrase stood out that I thought clearly exemplified Sarah's motivations and why she took a `chance' with the man of mystery - "Because you, this night, everything - it is a kind of dream of beauty. And there is so little, that is beautiful in my life." Those words unmanned Sebastian yet his thirst for revenge even as he sensed that Sarah might be an innocent, was greater and so he still went ahead with plans that jeopardized her livelihood. This story was powerful, sensual, extremely well-written, AND I never saw the surprise twist ending coming! I won't tell, so read it yourself to find out!! This was a total read and one I can highly recommend. Very well done Ms. Joyce!

Sarah Connolly barely survived the poverty of the worst slums of London when an opportunity through a caring friend arises that enabled her to attend school. Now a new chance to improve her lot in life occurs when she is offered the position of companion to an elderly woman in Venice; feeling the woman is kind she accepts. Earl Sebastian Grimsthorpe had lived a hedonistic life until a betrayal by a friend Bertand de Lint and an explosion while driving his coach destroyed more than his visage; it ripped asunder his soul. Now he hides behind shadowy masks living for vengeance only waiting for the right moment. That is until he meets Sarah; she somehow sees behind the mask and begins to heal his heart. Will love be enough to prevent a second tragedy or will his festering anger overwhelm their relationship before she mends his soul? In some ways this powerful romantic suspense that grips the reader from the moment the lead couple meet and never slows down feels like a gothic thriller as the innocent heroine falls in love with the brooding male protagonist. The action-packed story line is character driven especially by Sarah, who expects a life of tranquility as a servant, which is all she wants as a street urchin cannot expect to achieve more until she encounters the enigmatic Earl. As she risks everything that she worked so hard to obtain to reach out to the man she loves, fans will hope she succeeds knowing that Sebastian lives for revenge not love. A final twist will shock the audience though afterward this subplot will seem obvious leaving fans to rejoice for having read a wonderful historical. Harriet Klausner