The Dutch Maiden

"Addictive (...) Janna’s plight is that of Jane Eyre and the narrator of du Maurier’s “Rebecca.” She is a young woman who falls in love with an older man so damaged he cannot possibly be good for her. Fencing and love. Battle and desire. The combination transforms Janna’s attempts at love into a match of skill, a game that leaves one bloody and scarred, giving the novel a cruel beauty. (...) One of the most delicious novels I've read in ages" ...