Elizabeth Wyndham is indeed the black-eyed daughter of an innkeeper, but she's also the author of best-selling gothic romances in 18th-century England. Strong and opinionated, she's a woman before her time. Rand Remington, tall, dark and handsome, is a disillusioned English soldier. He plays gentleman by day and highwayman by night, stealing from the rich to help the poor much as Robin Hood did. Having met Rand at a party to celebrate one of her books, Elizabeth comes to see him as the representation of the 13th-century hero in her books who died in battle. The two of them are not only drawn to each other, but to their 13th-century counterparts. Part of their journey is to discover the reason and part is their adventurous romance.

Walter Stafford has coveted Elizabeth for a long time, but she wants nothing to do with him, much to her step-mother's chagrin. Her stepmother wants the riches Stafford has to offer more than anything to do with Elizabeth though. Stafford, a former Bow Street runner and thief taker, plots to have her by any means but he always seems to get out- maneuvered and Elizabeth have means and love on her side.

Eighteenth-century England comes to life under Mary Ellen Dennis hand. Her vivid descriptions make it easy to picture London and the countryside as they were in reality. For those of us who have fallen for the bad boys, it's easy to see how Elizabeth can fall for Rand, but on some level, their relationship didn't work for me. I'm having a hard time putting my finger on why, and it could be me and not the story. Filled with adventure, action, suspense, treachery and ingenuity, it's definitely an exciting read. I've loved Alfred Noyes' poem, The Highwayman, and Loreena McKennitt's rendition, and this is what drew me to the story in the first place. While the poem is more of a backbone and not a foundation, it holds true with some of the ideas in the poem if not the entire thing.