When We Touch (A Graham Novel) by Heather Graham ~Review in English~

When We Touch by Heather Graham  

 Blurb: 

Queen Victoria's London is a teeming metropolis of pageantry, forbidden desire, and danger—especially in the East End, a hotbed of vice, witchcraft, and murder. What widow Lady Maggie Graham does there more than greases the rumor mill. When she agrees to wed the Viscount Langdon, there are those who would act upon their suspicions . . .
Experience has taught Lord Jamie well. He has seen his fair share of women behave inappropriately—enjoying risqué amusements in secret theatres, running about disguised in the seediest parts of the city—and then they call you vile names for coming to their rescue. And no woman is more shameless, more cunning, more intoxicating than Lady Maggie . . .


Wow, I must admit that this book was even better than I expected. I was prepared for a hopefully well written and enjoyable story about a widow and a viscount falling in love despite everything indicating that such a union might not be the wisest choice. What I got was far more.
It was a thrilling, captivating and suspenseful story about friendship and love, about murder and choices. It was a story of love lost and love found, of despair and content - and in the end it was also a story about happiness to come.

This story is set in the time of Jack the Ripper, with all that this entails.
Unfortunately Lady Maggie Graham has a certain tendency to walk around the East End, helping those in need with no real sense of self-preservation, at least Lord Jamie considers this as rather unfortunate as it takes a certain amount of nerves and determination on his side to keep her out of harm's reach. Again and again. Well, at least until the moment, where he is not on time and can't keep her out of harm's reach.....

Once again this was a book that I just couldn't put down once I had started it. I was shocked, when Maggie got married, I felt with her, when she felt humiliated by everything that happened after the wedding, hoping with her for a way out and, well.
Despite everything that happened, I always hoped that she'd find real love again because she is a wonderful person and has earned love and happiness. She cares for everyone around her and you just can't help feeling that somebody should care for her as well, really care for her.
Oh, and I was furious with her brother for wasting his time and his money the way he did but I was even more furious with her uncle, this conniving....argh.

I was a bit irritated at the end because I felt that it was rather sudden and something was missing but perhaps it was just my reluctance to let them go. Apart from that, I was really surprised by the complex and intriguing story that was much more than just a simple love story. This was the first but definitely not the last book by Heather Graham that I have read.

★★★★