Beverly OAKLEY : Keeping Faith - Fair Cyprians of London #3

Falsely accused of stealing, Faith is given two choices : fend for herself on the streets of London or become indentured to Madame Chambon, the ruthless proprietor of London's most exclusive House of Assignation.
In order to survive, Faith submits to the machinations of a mysterious benefactress and begins a new life under Madame Chambon's roof. However, she does not live like the other girls. Rather, she's taught the theory of how to entrance London's noble gentlemen with her learning in philosophy, politics and art. Her body is to be saved for the greatest enticement of all : revenge. Faith doesn't care what she has to do. She lives only to fulfill a bargain that will set her free.
But when Faith is recruited as the muse of a talented, sensitive painter whose victory in a prestigious art competition turns them both into celebrities overnight, she discovers the reasons behind her mission are very different from what she'd been led to believe.
Now she is complicit in something dark and dangerous while riches, adulation and freedom are hers for the taking.
But what value are these if her heart has become a slave to the honorable man she is required to destroy ? 

It was a freebie, I'd previously read two books by this author, one I loved and one I didn't. The freebie was an opportunity to make up my mind and here's the result : I didn't finish it.
I'm not sure it's the fault of the book in itself, it's an honest historical romance with treason, love, etc, but I could see where it was heading right from the start and it didn't capture my attention. I forced myself to read past the 50%, but I was bored. I think that now that my reading slump is definitely over, I won't read many more historical romances, except those by authors I really appreciated.
Well, we'll see, so many books, so little time !