Published by St Martin's Press in New York and Piatkus in London in 1989, An Innocent Woman attracted the following notices:
* A carefully wrought novel of character. Macdonald pens a delicate, almost dreamy tale of a woman who is determined to find her own way while still maintaining an accepted place in a society that keeps "respectable" women on a tight rein — Publishers Weekly
* Admirers of Macdonald's portly, likable historical romances [will find this] a solid romance, rich in delightful young women, a bitter-sweet humor, scenes of Cornish coasts, gossipy drawing rooms and boudoirs, and an enchanting heroine — Kirkus
And—of Macdonald himself:
*He is every bit as bad as Dickens – Martin Seymour-Smith
