Croft’s homage to the classic Gothic novel follows a plucky heroine’s adventures.

The novel is set in the late-18th-century Regency period and centers on Renna, a confident waif who’s loosely attached to a “cotton house” in York, England. Renna is under the care of Camilla and is befriended by a burly and mysterious fellow named Donovan McGuiness, but she’s romantically drawn to a sailor named Capt. Henry Moore. Soon she and Camilla find themselves elevated to maid status at Harewood House, an estate where Renna loses her virginity (not unwillingly) to Capt. Moore. The book has a number of plot twists and characters, but with Donovan’s help, they escape to Venice, where Camilla’s sister, Danielle (aka “Mother”), grooms Renna to be a courtesan. Renna is not wild about her new occupation, but she’s good at what she does. Much intrigue follows, and by book’s end, as Venice falls to Napoleon’s army, Renna has a choice of three suitors: the young and idealistic Alistair, the buff and honest Donovan, or the aristocratic Capt. Moore. Readers might think she ends up making the worst choice possible, but perhaps the implied moral is that one learns more from bad choices than good. Croft strongly hints at a trilogy, based on the idea of “Maiden, Mother, Crone.” The book is a worthy tribute to Gothic literature, with surprising revelations at every turn, although the numerous surprises toward the end flirt with parody. All the ingredients are here: randy and arrogant aristocrats, grand manors with secret passageways, spunky young heroines, perverted clergy, secret potions, and madness and wretched asylums. The coming-of-age theme involves a young woman trying to make her way in a harsh world, with everything playing out amid the baroque trappings of the late 18th century. The writing can sometimes be eccentric and over-the-top (“Am I doomed to this life of chaos that befalls me?”), but on balance this is an engaging historical novel with plenty of melodrama to hold readers’ interest.

An entertaining romp, with a female protagonist who will constantly subvert readers’ expectations.