Set in London in 1865, Fallen is escapism at its best. Justine Elyot tells a wonderful tale with authentic language, and paints a vivid picture of what life would have been like at the time. The story centres around James Stratton, a young man who makes a living by writing erotic stories for anonymous clients, gained via his uncle’s shop, which sells erotic art, amongst other things.
When James receives an intriguing invitation, he is unable to resist. He soon finds himself in a situation where he is frequently encouraged to dominate and punish a blind upper class young woman. Augusta is beautiful, terribly naive, and has led a sheltered life – therefore she finds it easier to allow her employee and companion, Mrs Shaw, to simply take over. But James is no pushover, and when his and Augusta’s relationship develops beyond the physical, drastic action must be taken.
I don’t want to say any more and ruin the surprise, so I’ll just say that this is a wonderfully written, unique book. It’s sexy, seductive and kinky, but is also incredibly romantic. If you enjoy historical erotic romance with lashings (pun intended) of kink, you should definitely check out Fallen.