here are very few authors that I’m truly rabid about. These are the authors where I go through the bookstore and face out copies of their work. I make sure there are plenty of copies on the new release table on the day it’s released. If I see someone browsing the section, I might just slip them a copy and say, “try this one!” High on that list of authors is Julie Anne Long, who writes with a vivacious good humor that is coupled with one of the most dazzling descriptive talents in the historical market.I was lucky enough to get an ARC of the Perils of Pleasure, and I have to say this: those of you who have not yet read it, are in for a pleasurable (but perilous!) ride. First things first. Madeleine is probably the strongest Julie Anne Long heroine yet, and for those of you who are familiar with JAL’s heroines, that is saying a lot. JAL doesn’t write wimpy women. Madeleine isn’t one of those “I’m so strong I’m brittle” girls, either–she has her moments of brittleness (don’t we all?) but she’s clever, capable, and she doesn’t ever fold, no matter how tough the going is.

And the going is really tough in this one. This isn’t your typical Regency, where the strong (headstrong) girl captures the heart of a rake with her heartwarming antics. It’s not a book where the woman wields the power of love to save the dour Lord. Nope; Madeleine makes her appearance on the stage with a literal bang, when she whisks Colin away from a crowd of thousands of people, swarming around the gallows where he is intended to hang. You’d think he’d be grateful, right? Perhaps–if she wasn’t planning on tying him up and handing him to a stranger in exchange for a tremendous sum of money.

And that’s only the beginning. Matters get worse and worse as the story progresses, covering terrain ranging from dark to darker yet, and touching on family secrets that might inspire a murder. Madeleine never takes a back seat to Colin, and yet she never has to be anything other than the competent woman she is. That’s typical for JAL, but this book is a real departure from her other works in one prominent way–there’s a lot more suspense. And even though her last trilogy touched on spies and treason, it did so with a much lighter touch than this book. Throughout it all, I found JAL’s characterization to be very strong. One of the overarching themes of this book is that despite the dark deeds being done, there are no real villains. Most of the people responsible for the darkness are those motivated to achieve goals that are essentially good. But they act without regards to the consequences, which are often horrific.

In that sense, this is also a louder book than any of the ones JAL has ever written. The message of caring about the path that you take, rather then the goal in mind, is one that her hero and heroine both need to learn for themselves if they ever expect to find love with each other.

This is a very different book than JAL has ever produced before. It’s wonderful to see authors–especially the ones I most adore–branching out and trying something new. It’s even better when I see them producing something I’ve never seen in a Regency-set historical–something that’s cold without being angsty, and suspenseful without invoking the Napoleonic war. And it’s best of all when it’s coupled with JAL’s delicious description.

So the real question is this: Do I like it as much as I liked my favorites of her other books? I wish I could say. This book has the most powerful setting, the most powerful plot, and the most powerful message out of any book she’s delivered. But I don’t think it’s as emotionally powerful as some of her other masterpieces–like Ways to be Wicked, for instance. I’m not sure if that’s a function of the darkness of the plot, or whether it’s something that will get woven back in as she experiments with this new setting.

In any event, this book is a must-read. Over the last few months, I’ve heard–over and over–that the historical is back. I’m pretty sure that’s right–but I don’t think it’ll ever be “back” in precisely the same way that it was in the good old days. It’s authors like Julie Anne Long who will be shaping the face of the new historical market, and books like this that will help do so.