Review: The Veil of Night by Lydia Joyce

Title: The Veil of Night
Author: Lydia Joyce
Genre: Historical Romance
Grade: B
Reason for Reading: Joyce is the author of the month at my favorite romance related Yahoo group.

Synopsis: Byron Stratford, Duke of Raeburn, walks in shadow. Spoken of only in whispers, he lives alone in his crumbling manor, a cold, enigmatic recluse who does not abide visitors, lest they discover his secret shame.This is the man Lady Victoria Wakefield must confront to save her family. Little does she suspect that she will emerge from her journey as his shining sun-or that their passion will be the only defense against the true darkness threatening to destroy them both.

Summary: Lady Victoria Wakefield is irritated to receive a terse, dismissive letter from the Duke of Raeburn, to whom her brother Jack owes a lot of money. He says there’s nothing he can do for Victoria and Jack, but that he’ll discuss the matter with her if she comes to Raeburn Manor. Victoria does so, and agrees to stay there with the Duke for a week as his whore, after which time, if she fulfills her part of their bargain, he will forgive Jack’s debts. The week is a life-changing experience for both of them, as they each become fascinated with the other. But Byron, the reclusive duke, has a secret that could shatter Victoria’s growing affection for him.

My Thoughts: This book hearkens back to some of the first romance type books I ever read. I went through a phase in late elementary school when I devoured Phyllis Whitney books by the truckloads. Often, these involved women going to exotic locales and living in dark, crumbling homes, surrounded by people they couldn’t trust. I really liked the Gothic atmosphere I found in this book.

It was also a very character-driven book, which I appreciated. There wasn’t a suspense subplot, the characters didn’t have to solve any mysteries, and the conflicts they had to overcome were very much internal. I really liked that, and I had a good sense of who Byron and Victoria were by the end of the book.

What I liked about the characters of Byron and Victoria was that, though we’ve seen their type before–the dried-up spinster and the cynical rake with an OMGMYSTERIOUSPAST!!!11, they were very well developed. Victoria has a compelling reason for remaining a spinster, and it’s by choice. It’s even a fairly sensible choice, in my opinion, and not just out of some silly notion of waiting until she can marry for love. (Not that marrying for love is silly, I just think that it’s often presented that way in some of the more wallpaper historicals I’ve read.) Byron, on the other hand, is the type of character that certain other historical romance heroes only wish that they were. He is reclusive, and with good reason, and he’s cultivated rumors that make him out to be more of a shady figure than he is. Joyce could have made him silly in his broodiness, but she didn’t, and I understood why he would hesitate to reveal his big secret.

The big secret, though, is the one major flaw that I saw in the book. Byron held out just a bit too long for me, since I had it figured out way before Victoria did, and way before it got spelled out to us, the readers. I also thought that Victoria’s acceptance of the secret didn’t have the emotional punch it could have had, which was disappointing.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book, even though it didn’t really wow me. In fact, I set it aside several times and it probably took me twice as long to read than it could have had I been into it. But of course, that’s a purely subjective reaction, and I know readers who absolutely adore this book unto distraction. I’m not one of them, though I’m definitely intrigued enough to read another Lydia Joyce book.