This is one of my favorite of the Shadows books. If you've never read one before, this is a great place to start. I wanted to disagree with the earlier review. The heroine is not a doormat at all! Everyone around Victoria treats her like trash, and she simply exists above it all. Why bother fighting back? She knows she's a lot better than anyone gives her credit for; why does she need their approval anyway? She displays the kind of inner strength and confidence that I truly admired. She's cool, confident--to heck with all those others! Loved her, but I also loved Noel's reaction to how people treated her. A great book, a great heroine. For a heroine to admire, don't miss this one!