SETTING: England, 1753
HEROINE: Fiona McQuade
HERO: Will Huxley
BODICE RIPPER? No
VIRGIN HEROINE: Yes
RAPED HEROINE: Yes
GRADE: C
FROM PUBLISHER: With dizzying speed, beautiful Fiona McQuade went from shopgirl to protégé of a duke and duchess. Dazzled by the luxurious living, Fiona forgot her lowly origins and even dreamed of marrying Viscount Will Huxley, the duchess's handsome lover. But of course the arrogant duke and duchess had other plans for the lovely Fiona. They all were members of the dreaded Hellfire Club: jaded nobility who satiated their decadent desires on the young and innocent. And so the unawakened Fiona was ravished by many men, the handsome Will Huxley among them. She had been sold into sexual slavery, and Fiona vowed they all would pay, even the man she loved.
This was meant to be a full spoiler summary that I did over ten years ago but I never completed it or wrote an actual review. I've posted it anyway.
PARTIAL SPOILER SUMMARY: Sixteen-year old Fiona McQuade came from Edinburgh. She is a shop assistant at her aunt Eulalia's 'exclusive' millinery shop. Fiona lives above the shop. She's running across the street in the rain to get back to the shop when she was almost run down by a carriage. Will Huxley saved her by pulling her out of the way. Will and his married mistress Sarah came into the shop to pick up Sarah's hats. Sarah likes Fiona's work and hires her on the spot to be her wardrobe maid. She goes to live with Sarah and her husband.
Sarah tells Fiona that she needs to get married so throws a party to introduce her to Sarah's friends. Fiona is attracted to Will. He danced with Fiona and Sarah caught him with his hands on her breast. Sarah plans for Fiona to go to a picnic with Thornton Werington, whom Fiona met at the party the night before. Medmenham Abbey is where they are to picnic and attend a masquerade ball. Before the picnic, a maid that Fiona works with tells her that Sarah's husband is a member of the Hell-Fire Club and that they kidnap virgins and rape them.
Inside there are people wearing costumes. Two women that are dressed like nuns come up to Fiona and Thorton and have Fiona follow them. They tell her to strip down and put on a habit too and give her drugged wine, which she doesn't know is drugged. They lead her into a chapel where there were monks. They laid her on the altar, opened up her robe, spread her legs for her and allowed the men to have their way with her. They didn't know they were raping her because she wasn't protesting. They always have sex with someone, so they think she's there willingly. She doesn't protest either because she's drugged out of her mind. As Will Huxley was about to rape her, the drug started wearing off and she did start to protest and claw at his face but he raped her anyway. Then she passed out.
The next morning, Sarah and her husband got on her case about being at the 'orgy.' Fiona told them she knew they'd arranged it. She packed her things and snuck out of the house. She went back to her aunt's shop to work. Sarah went there and asked about Fiona. The aunt said shw worked there. Sarah said if Fiona continued to work there, Sarah would take her business elsewhere and tell her friends not to shop there. Fiona got a new job. Sarah found out about it and told Fiona's boss that she is a slut who consorts with members of the Hell-Fire Club.
When Fiona found that job, Thorton Werington helped her move into her new place above a greengrocers. When Fiona got fired from her current job, she ran into him again while leaving the shop. He told her he'd get her a room at an inn. She was to become his mistress and he moved her into his home. Once in bed, Thorton wanted to have sex with her but she told him she was tired and he punched her in the jaw. The next day as she was tying his tie, he kept pinching her breasts.
Fiona wanted to know more about Will Huxley. Thor told her he wanted to take her back to the abbey, but not for sex. In hopes of finding out more about Will, who goes to the abbey, Fiona agrees to go. She plans to get revenge on him, Sarah and her husband.
