I relish the uneasy feeling you get as you try I figure out who the true villain is. Enjoyable read.

Lucy Waring, an orphan living in a Chinese mission, is the only one who can take care of the fifteen children living with her. In order to provide food, she's forced to steal, for which she ends up in the prison, where she meets Nicholas Sabine, a man with only a few hours to live, his execution is coming up shortly.

Inside a prison cell the two struck a strange friendship that culminates with Nick's marriage proposal. Lucy, unable to deny a dying man, accepts. The next day, she's a widow.

She returns to England, attempting to put her life back together, but the shadows of the past quickly catch up with her.


This is a great gothic romantic suspense set against the backdrop of China and England at the turn of the century, culminating in the great Boxer rebellion in China.

The author's narration makes the characters rise to life before the readers eyes, sweeping us into a fascinating tale of romance, intrigue, horror, and mystery.

Lucy is the typical female of that time. Even though she wasn't as sheltered as her contemporaries in England, having grown up in a Chinese orphanage, she's still pretty naive and a little too trusting for her own good.
Her upbringing is more than evident as she returns to her homeland, where she struggles to fit into the "pampered" society, when she's been used to work, gain her own money since she was a babe.

Nicholas Sabine is an intriguing character. Though his looks may liken him to the male leads of nowadays romance, his actions belay the same resemblance. Though we don't comprehend his behavior at the beginning, his motivations and true feelings make complete sense in the end.


Though the plot seemed a little unrealistic at times and the perils kept accumulating, it was a very refreshing read. For a man, the author had quite an uncanny ability to peek into the female psyche, belaying the male protestations that women are a complicated lot no one seems to understand.

I cannot believe how much I loved this book. I have a soft spot for well-written gothic a la 1960's when they had editors and educated writers and this was just more than I could have ever hoped for. At first I was turned off by the idea of China but I'm so glad that this idiocy did not keep me from reading. Holy cow. WHAT A BOOK!!!!!! What I loved most about it was the strength of the female character. I genuinely liked her. REALLY LIKED HER. And that just, well, come on. Doesn't happen. She's resourceful, brilliant, hilarious and practical. Every time I thought the book would fall into some cliched trapping, it surprised me. Lucy is a girl who can handle herself and who wouldn't want to be a "Moonraker's Bride" if it meant ending up with that piece of delicious. Yum! What a beautiful world to realize that Madeleine Brent (yes, I know this is really a man) wrote at least 9 more books! Off to Amazon!

Moonraker's Bride was my first Gothic experience- read it when I was 12. I had enjoyed reading up to that point in my young life, but MB developed a deep and passionate love for books that has stayed with me since. It is THE book for me.

If you want a book that keeps your attention, this is it. I read this book over a weekend and could hardly stand to put it down long enough to eat.

Lucy is an English orphan in China around the turn of the 20th century. She winds up in jail for stealing and meets Nick Sabine, an Englishman condemned to death. After learning about her situation, he marries her in the prison and gets her out, sparing her a brutal punishment. She is then helped out of the country and sent to England, a foreign land to her. Blundering her way through unfamiliar customs, dealing with the family she's been stuck with, and courting a man whose own parents don't seem to trust him, all leads Lucy to unlock a mystery no one else has been able to solve.

This is my absolute favorite Madeleine Brent book. The characters stay with you, the story line is still exciting despite knowing the end, and even the jacket description is awesome. It's the perfect weekend read.

Love this book. Great combination of strength, romance, adventure and mystery!

Lucy Waring has lived all her life in a christian mission in China. Her english parents have both died when she was a child.She finds herself in a dire situation, taking care of 15 orphan girls in the mission, because the lady in charge becomes ill with no hope of recovery.
Without money and any help from other english missions in China, she is forced to steal in order to make ends meat.
One one of this occasions she is caught in act and taken to prisson, where she faces a grim punishment ,probably loosing her arm for the theft.
But help comes in a surprising way, as a fellow inmate, the englishman Nick Sabine, bribes the guards to free and marry her.
As he is to be executed the next day for desacrating the family tomb of a powerful chinese lord, Nick writes his will and leaves all his possesions in England to Lucy.
As Lucy travells to England, due to the upcoming of the Boxer Rebellion, she has to face new challenges, adapt to a new culture with confusing customs and try to solve the riddle of the "tiger's eyes", a chinese treasure searched by many.

I realy liked this novel, most of all the main character Lucy who is witty, determined, kind and altruistic.
She is also direct in speach, which causes hillarious moments in the stiff english conversations.

Highly recommend!

At present I have read 3 books by Madeleine Brent and loved them all.
Somehow, the first read remained number one to me, that being "Stormswift".
Nontheless, this one and "The long masquerade" are also worthy of your time.

This is one of my favorite novels. I first read it as a teenager when my Mom gave it to me. I have read it many times since then. The author's characters come alive for me, the plot moves quickly and is never boring. The novel incorporates historical fiction, mystery, suspense, and romance. The main character, Lucy, is a heroine who never sees herself as one. I completely identify with her emotions and decisions.

So you are likely wondering how I can give 5 stars to an historical romance novel.
Because it's my favorite escape historical romance novel, that's how :-)
Strong heroine growing up in adversity, roguish hero that is changed by meeting her (love of course), wonderful characters and dialogue, and a glimpse into life in China and Britain in the late 1800's.
My original paperback fell to pieces years ago and I had to order another copy.
I reread this book every year, especially if I'm feeling the need for something that will really transport me somewhere else for awhile.
I don't even recall when I first read this book, in my late teens perhaps. One of my grown sons even read it (and liked it!) when he was a young teen.

The heroine made the story but the plot was a little weak. I enjoyed the old-fashioned feel to it.

I like Lucy. She's English but she's grown up Chinese. She thinks like a Chinese and she behaves like one too even though she speaks English well. There's a bit of identity confusion because she's basically a half-breed. Looks English but acts Chinese. I found the added details of the way Lucy's brain works interesting. For instance, she has round eyes, which is ugly to the almond-shaped Asians and so she thinks she is ugly while the English find her big eyes attractive.
Lucy's very brave and responsible. Yet she's so innocent and cute. It's her practicality that gives her courage. Her attitude is, “Well, someone's got to do it.” I am in complete agreement with Nick's assessment of her.

"Lucy, you're as transparent as a pane of glass, and there's not a speck of guile to be seen in you. Yet in a way you're a mystery to me.“

When Lucy goes to England she's a fish out of water but at least she finds friends here and there.

As usual with these sorts of romances, the characters go through a heap of unhappiness which is all resolved satisfactorily with a few pages of pure sunshine at the end.

I read this book before in the mid 1970s and remembered nothing of the plot. I just remembered the title and had a vague good impression of it, enough to seek out an old first edition and read it again. My good impression was confirmed. I thoroughly enjoyed the re-read. Interesting characters and a plot that changes your impression of those characters as the story progresses.

I love Madeleine Brent. However, this book has got to be up there with one of my favorites. It is magnificent- the scope is astounding. I also happen to love stories that incorporate the backdrop of tumultuous events, which, in this case, was the Boxer Rebellion. I cannot recommend it highly enough.