"Claremont debuts with an intensely emotional, powerful novel that explores the darkest corners of Victorian society. With the first in the Mad Passions trilogy, Claremont establishes herself as a force in the genre — to be kept on readers’ shelves alongside Anne Stuart, Anna Campbell and Jennifer Ashley. That lush darkness, like a black widow spider, lures you in until it’s too late to turn back."

~  RT Book Review 

​The Dark Lady
​

The Victorian era was full of majestic beauty and scandalous secrets—a time when corsets were the least of a woman’s restrictions, and men could kill or be killed in the name of honor....

Lord Ian Blake has returned from India a broken man. Years ago, he pledged to Lady Eva Carin—his childhood companion and " first love—that he would bring her husband back alive. His failure haunts him. But even his jade soul can’t anticipate the shocking sight of beautiful, independent Eva confined in a madhouse....

Locked in an asylum, forgotten by society, Eva is adrift in both body and mind. For Ian to break her free, they must cross a powerful enemy—and prove her sanity to England’s unforgiving aristocracy. But the biggest danger of all may come when the secrets of Eva’s tragic past are finally unlocked....


 

A Novel of Mad Passions Book 1
Signet (February 5, 2013)​
ISBN: ISBN-10: 0451417992​
ISBN-13: 978-0451417992

The Dark Lady is filled with action, drama, heartbreak, elation, and of course, romance. It grabbed me right from page one. I would recommend that you not start it unless you have time to read for a little while as my heart raced while reading the first five chapters and I did not want to put it down!

~The Romance Dish  ★★★★1/2

It was so angsty and dark.  I really enjoyed the vast majority of the book.

~  Jen from Red Hot Books Rating: B

This is a story about characters overcoming tragedy and their own self-doubts to beat the odds and find true love. It will make readers think and make them feel (often it will be uncomfortable). But, it is worth being uncomfortable to experience Ian and Eva’s unforgettable love story.

~ Jennifer at Romance Novel News  Recommended Read

I liked the progression of their [Ian and Eva] relationship, and I always enjoy a story that gives us characters that have known each other for years, were kept apart by circumstance and then find their way to each other.

~  Jess from Happily Ever After Reads  Rating: B+

Please consider reading this book -- it will be a very satisfying read in that it will trouble us and jar our awareness of that era, but I think it will help us balance how we see that society as a whole.  I hope it will also make every woman who reads this book incredibly grateful for the freedoms we enjoy and help us to always do everything in our power to protect them for ourselves, our daughters and granddaughters.

~  Judith at The Book Binge ★★★★1/2

Beside being well written and plotted, aced to perfection with many moments of hair-raising action,  this is without a doubt, one of the best haunting, poignant and heart wrenching stories of love I’ve read in a while.

~ Melanie at bookworm2bookworm  ★★★★★

If you are looking for something different away from the glitz of the ton, The Dark Lady is the romance for you as it delivers angst, depression, betrayal, and action as it leads up to a true love so strong, nothing will hold it back. Well done Ms Claremont. Well done.

~ Lisa at Rogues Under the Covers  ★★★★1/2

From the beginning, this book gripped tight and held on. I didn't want to put it down, and if not for the fear that some government entity would take my children away if I didn't feed and clothe them, I might not have. The characters and their demons were compelling, and I was desperate to find how they'd grow and change over the course of the book.

~ Noelle Pierce  (Goodreads) ★★★★

For a great love story, peppered with some action, addictions, a little betrayal, and just a dash of sex, The Dark Lady by Máire Claremont is the book for you! I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely be recommending it to my friends!

~Jovon at Book2Buzz  ★★★★★

Dark Lady grabbed me on page one and kept me riveted through the end. The writing is gorgeous, the heroine strong and very sympathetic, and the hero honorable and sigh-worthy through the darkest moments.

~ Wendy La Capra  (Goodreads) ★★★★★

I was seriously impressed and I can honestly say that I haven't read anything like this. With so many romance novels out there it is truly amazing to find a unique story.

~ Melody at What I'm Reading ★★★★★

THE DARK LADY is magnificent in its darkness. It is richly detailed and the characters and storyline are unforgettable. I can honestly say that I do not think I have ever read a romance that has kept me quite as involved in as THE DARK LADY.

~ Pamela Lynne at Romance Junkies Reviews  ★★★★★

Romance novels sometimes get a little predictable. They're all about balls and parties and paying calls and illicit stolen kisses. NOT THIS ONE. It is different, in a wonderful way.

~ Julie Sharon Dater (Amazon) ★★★★★