The amorous adventures of a celebrated English courtesan come to life in a novel rich with the pageantry of history—and with the notorious desires of the men and women who helped to define it.
Overnight she became a star. Over many nights she became a legend.
At only fifteen, Mary Robinson was married off to an unfaithful wastrel. During the next seven years, her spellbinding talent, beauty, and drive would lead her from the denigration of debtors’ prison to the London stages, where a star was born. With the heart of a poet and face of an angel she was sold as society’s darling. Though dubbed “the priestess of taste” for her dashing style, her unabashed exploits made her the queen of scandal, envied by women worldwide, and desired by every man within reach.
From Mary Robinson’s shocking affair with the Prince of Wales and the fortuitous liaisons that titillated the country, to heartbreaking betrayals and a restless pursuit of true romance, this breathtaking novel paints a vivid portrait of a woman who changed history by doing as she pleased—for money, for fame, for pleasure, and above all, for love.
Praise for Amanda Elyot’s novels:
“Fresh and wickedly clever.”—Mary Jo Putney, author of Angel Rogue
“Rippingly bawdy.”—Publishers Weekly
“A fresh take on a legendary woman.”—Library Journal
“Sweeping, emotionally intense.”—Historical Novels Review
