It tells the story of three sisters, the eldest, Ariane, who has inherited the Faire Isle, struggles with her position as Lady of Faire Isle, a rather stubborn suitor that doesn't take no for an answer, two sisters who have issues of their own, a father who hasn't come back yet, and a dark threatening Queen Catherine who plots from afar.

There is enough history and politics here to keep you very intrigued. France is in religious upheaval, Queen Catherine plots from behind the scenes and of course, you have witch hunters. At first, I was a little skeptical as the book certainly starts off looking like a bodice ripping romance novel. Guy wants girl, girl can't stand him, guy gets persistent..yeah you get the usual romance plot idea. However Susan Carroll adds a good amount of magic (magic being more of a wise woman sense not your fantastical kind..well sort of) and political plotting to keep you distracted enough to give the book a fair chance if you're not a romance novel fan (like I am). There is a good amount of everything here in this book. Romance, action, fantasy, intrigue, and drama. I wouldn't say there is much fantasy in it. Although the younger sister does talk to animals so I suppose you could say that's fantasy wouldn't you? In any case, there is enough of all the genres mentioned previously to keep you satisfied.

Renard and Ariane are a couple that just "look" good together. I think it's their personalities that make them both suit each other so well that you can't help but just read on and hope they'll work out their differences for that lovely happy ending. Each of the Cheney sisters have a romantic involvement, however that's as far as I'll go without going too much into detail. It's Gabrielle I feel for the most though. As she went through a lot as explained in the beginning of the story.

There is an explicit scene or two (romance wise) but nothing to really be bothered about it. Action wise, I don't really see too many gory details but I have to admit the mysogyny displayed in Le Vis just makes you want to wring his neck until it breaks like a chicken. However I'm sure the sort of behavior displayed by the witch hunter is probably very real and frightening and it makes you learn how much people went through just because they were perceived as different. There will be other books following after this and I will be picking them up. There are some unanswered questions I would like answered!

I will definitely be reading the second book (The Courtesan) which will be featuring Gabrielle's story. This is a book to pick up if you're wanting a book with a little bit of everything but if you're a romance lover yes, grab it. Renard and Ariane are perfect.

At first I was unsure if I should purchase this book but I am forever grateful that I did. You will be enchanted by Ariane the strong heroine and drawn to her dark suitor the comte de Renard. Filled with passion, betrayal, seduction with just the right amount of magic, Susan Carroll has once again proved master storyteller and this book should be on everyone's must-read list.

This book is amazing! It is one of those books that once you start you simply can't put it back down. I spent eight hours straight just reading the book trying to guess how it might end and what would happen to all the characters. The characters in this book are written brilliantly, they are witty, charming, and the kind of characters that make you wish they were real people just so you could get to know them. All and all this is a fantastically written book and I would reccomend it to anyone, who loves to read.