The Darlings of the Asylum

To marry is madness. To escape is impossible. 'The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O'Reilly grips like a vice' Nicola Cornick I must pull myself together. I had to find Dr Rastrick and demand my immediate release. My stomach knotted at the prospect, but I knew I was perfectly sane and that he must see reason. In 1886, a respectable young woman must acquire a husband. But Violet Pring does not want to marry. She longs to be a professional artist and live on her own terms. When her scheming mother secures a desirable marriage proposal from an eligible Brighton gentleman for her, Violet protests. Her family believes she is deranged and deluded, so she is locked away in Hillwood Grange Lunatic Asylum against her will. In her new cage, Violet faces an even greater challenge: she must escape the clutches of a sinister and formidable doctor and set herself free. This tantalizing Gothic novel from Noel O'Reilly tells a thrilling story of duty and desire, madness and sanity, truth and delusion from within a Victorian asylum. Praise for Noel O'Reilly: 'Wow! I have been on the edge of my seat with this one! The Darlings of the Asylum by Noel O'Reilly grips like a vice. I was totally invested in Violet's struggle in this chilling Gothic novel' Nicola Cornick, author of The Winter Garden 'Written with a blazing energy and a Gothic edge' Daily Mail 'Full of secrets, suspicions and rumour' Woman & Home 'Perfect prose, a fast-paced, intricate plot' My Weekly 'A gripping historical tale ... I loved it' Liz Fenwick, author of The River Between Us 'Noel O'Reilly's lyrical writing brilliantly evokes the struggles of life in such a dramatic setting, as well as the hypocrisy and jealousy of society' Sunday Express 'Compelling' Sunday Times 'With echoes of Du Maurier, this compelling Cornish drama weaves a tangled web of fallen faiths, of sins, seductions and deceits' Essie Fox, author of The Last Days of Leda Grey