After Dark with the Duke

This book, by Julie Anne Long, is also from her Palace of Rogues series. It is also a great example of layering. However, it is also a subtle allegory about celebrity and the power of attraction.

The hero is a man of great renown who has escaped to the hotel for peace and quiet in order to write his memoirs. He is high profile and has a pristine reputation for morality. The heroine is also well known in her own, less pristine circles and is not necessarily known for the better. She is an utter scandal and the last sort… show more.

I love how words can be woven together to create images and emotions and to bring characters to life. Julie Anne Long has a lyrical way of writing that always carries me deeply into the story. I find once I start reading one of her books, I can’t stop until I’ve finished it, even if it means staying up all night. In After Dark With the Duke, the heroine has left the safety of home to become an opera singer, facing the challenges of a society that enjoys the art but finds the artist scandalous. I came away with… show more.