Callie Rivers is an outspoken leader of the women’s suffrage movement, one whose morals are above reproach. After a handsome stranger bumps into her, scattering her speech papers, Callie can’t get the photographer off her mind. Then he suddenly shows up at one of her speeches, bearing a forged letter, stating he has been hired to photograph her. Callie is hesitant, for her ex-fiancés remarks about her lack of beauty have left her camera shy. The letter, however, is from Callie’s mentor and President of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, so Callie can’t possibly refuse.

Callie arrives at his photography studio and Hadrian proposes to take photographs over several days, hoping to charm his way into completing his assignment. That evening, he suffers a nightmare from his youth and swears he’ll do anything to prevent going back to the old life. Yet the more he gets to know Callie, the more he yearns to find another means of paying off his debt without destroying an innocent woman - one who just might vanquish him.

Hope Tarr’s Vanquished is an outstanding historical novel, one that paints a vivid picture of the shadier side of life in London during the 1890s. Delightfully sensual, with characters who will touch any reader’s heart; I was so entranced that I couldn’t put this book down. The secondary characters are loveable as well, and I can’t wait to read about them in her next two books. If you love sensual historical novels, you’ll adore Vanquished.