The Lover (2000), a work of erotic historical fiction by Robin Schone, is the first book in The Lover series. A rich spinster hooks up with a male prostitute for three very illuminating days. The Lover was generally well-received by critics and erotica readers, topping the 2001 All About Romance Annual Reader Poll for Most Tortured Hero. Schone is a USA Today bestselling romance author who writes historical romances and erotica. Fans appreciate Schone’s tendency to choose older-than-average female protagonists because romance and sensuality should be for all ages. The Lover is erotica, containing sexually explicit language and prolonged sexual scenes. Thirty-year-old spinster Anne Aimes lives in Victorian London. She isn’t very attractive, and she has never had a sexual relationship. For most of her adult life, she has cared for her frail and elderly parents. She has never had the chance to meet men, and she has never had anything to draw men to her—that is until her parents die and leave her their estate. When the book begins, Anne is wealthy. She has inherited hundreds of thousands of pounds, but it doesn’t make her happy because she has no one to share it with. She knows that men won’t marry her now because, by Victorian standards, she is too old for childbearing. However, she knows that men love money, and she has lots of money to go around. She decides to spend it on sexual indulgences. Sexual freedom is virtually non-existent in Victorian England, but brothels do exist. One such place is the House of Gabriel. At the House of Gabriel, Anne offers the proprietors £10,000 to sleep with the most attractive male prostitute. Planning to get her money’s worth, she will pay what it takes to have the best experience. The man she wants is Michel. Anne met Michel eighteen years ago at a high society ball, and she has thought about him ever since. Michel isn’t the prostitute he used to be, and he doesn’t look like Anne expects. Five years ago, Michel suffered serious burns to his face and body. He doesn’t work as a prostitute anymore because women don’t want him. He comes out of retirement especially for Anne, although he can’t understand why she chose him since the young prostitutes are infinitely more beautiful. Before Michel will have sex with Anne, she must visit a gynecologist to get fit with a diaphragm. This is an intensely embarrassing experience for Anne, because she has never seen a speculum or spoken about contraception before. The procedure is very uncomfortable, but Anne believes that it is worth it. What Anne doesn’t know is that Michel is a tortured man. He can’t get over his dead girlfriend, Diane, who died in the fire that injured him. Michel compares every woman he meets to Diane; Anne can’t possibly measure up. Anne is surprised that Michel is capable of love, because she assumed prostitutes don’t know how to love. Michel, on the other hand, envies Anne, because she has never experienced the agony of love. For three days, Anne and Michel share intimate and wide-ranging sexual experiences. Anne finally learns what it is like to be touched and admired, even if Michel is only pretending to worship her body. However, captivated by Anne’s innocence, Michel feels responsible for her sexual wellbeing. The problem is, Anne is in danger. Whoever killed Diane is after Anne, too. The murderer kills Anne’s attorney and sends the body to Michel. Michel doesn’t tell Anne because he doesn’t want to worry her. He wants to find the culprit and kill them himself without sullying Anne’s innocence. He feels that she is too pure to corrupt with murder and evil things. Although Anne sheds her sexual innocence, she feels something is still missing. No matter how many times she sleeps with Michel, she knows it is not love. Realizing she will never find love is more painful now than it was while she was a virgin. Moreover, while Michel pities her, he doesn’t fall in love with her. He keeps seeing her because she is paying him, but also because it might lure the murderer into the open. When the novel opens, Anne has no one—no family, friends, job, or children to make her happy. At the novel’s end, she is still lonely, but she has confidence and self-assurance she didn’t have before. Michel’s character arc is equally complex. Michel starts the novel depressed and withdrawn, and he ends the book feeling incomplete and used. Still, he is quietly confident that he will find love again, and he has his revenge on the murderer. It is unclear whether Michel and Anne will continue seeing each other, and whether they will fall in love. Their story continues in book two. The Lover is not a typical romantic love story, and the characters must learn to make the best of bad situations. Many Schone fans appreciate this honesty, because real-life relationships are rarely straightforward.

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