“You were right, Mommy. He’s an angel. God did touch him with his finger! Look at the beautiful scars …” – Line from Suzanne Smith’s Lilah’s Limit
Was there ever any doubt that Suzanne Smith is the Queen of Dark Romance?
Well, in case you missed the memo … yeah, she kinda is. https://virginiawallace.com/2021/03/03/a-chat-with-suzanne-smith/
This is the epitome of dark romance, a gothic masterpiece reminiscent of Mary Shelley and Anne Rice with a dash of Daphne du Maurier thrown in.
Taking place in New Orleans in eighteen seventy-one, Lilah’s Limit is set in the world of New Orleans’ brothel scene. It’s unnerving to think that—in the United States, of all places—there would be human trafficking organizations operating in broad daylight. But, yes, that was actually the case.
What makes Lilah’s Limit fascinating, though, is not the evil setting of the tale. What makes it truly shine in the amazing characters blossoming within said setting—the good, the bad, and the morally ambiguous.
And, if I had to describe Suzanne Smith’s characters –all of them—with simple phrases, it would be these: ‘morally ambiguous’ and also ‘scarred.’ It is very, very difficult to separate her characters from the wickedness that molded them. Some rise above their pasts, and some wallow in them. One of the most vile characters I’ve ever read is the calculating, diabolical Madame Cheney—a sociopath who traffics in the flesh of women less fortunate than herself. Her introduction is positively chilling: (Renault) looked at her incredulously. It was obvious she had no qualms about her immoral role as a flesh peddler. She talked about her girls as if they were unfeeling, mindless horses she was trying to sell rather than sentient human beings. While her dehumanizing and solicitous manner irritated him it also made him a little envious. How he wished he could be like her and shove his conscience aside. Take pleasure in his sinful behavior without feeling an ounce of guilt.
Renault, the leading man, is fascinating character. It was no small task, turning a common whoremonger into a romance hero. He’s the perfect counterbalance to the incredibly damaged Lilah, a woman of birth and breeding forced into a life of prostitution.
The book also raises this question: is murder always a crime? Should the law always remain immutable, unbreakable … or are some people just so evil that the law only serves to aid and abet their heinous deeds? The French Revolutionaries once said that ‘the more wrong that has been done, the more blood it takes to set it right.’
Is that true? It was unlawful for the Revolutionaries to behead Marie Antoinette, but given her sins against her people, History doesn’t seem to judge the Revolutionaries all that harshly. Perhaps sometimes—just sometimes—Civil Law is an impediment to the exercise of the simple Law of Good and Evil.
I will say that this book has a happy ending. I kinda feel like I have to say that, because everything I’ve written thus far is pretty dark. But, mind you, I won’t tell you how the story arrives at said happy ending. That’s the fun part, so I’ll just say that it does.
That having been said, I must also add that this book isn’t for everyone; Suzanne’s books generally aren’t. I’d rather be honest about what’s in a book than have the wrong reader find it, and then pan it. Suzanne is too talented to suffer such embarrassment. So I will point out that this story brutally portrays the realities of human trafficking, from the cold-blooded selling of virginity to outright pedophilia, although this is all written as tastefully as possible given the subject matter.
But, nevertheless, it’s the setting that makes the dark hero and heroine truly memorable. Our scars often define who we are, but sometimes we find the strength to rise above them. That is the overarching point of this tale: that oftentimes incredibly flawed people will surprise you. Not always, but often.
This truly is a five-star read, and I give it my hearty endorsement! https://www.amazon.com/Lilahs-Limit-Suzanne-Smith/dp/B0D1JKGNZM
Enjoy! – V