Series: Darkest London, #1
Traits & Tropes: slow burn; damaged hero; secrets/suspense; gothic/steampunk vibes; beauty and the beast
Publication Date: 01.31.12
Genre/Setting: Historical; Victorian/Paranormal, London, England, 1881
Heat Level: 2
Rating: 3/5
Miranda Ellis has an odd and very powerful gift that she doesn’t understand, and she has spent most of her life trying to control it. Unfortunately, one incident in which she failed to do so resulted in the ruination of her father’s fortune and left her little choice but to marry one of the most dreaded peers in London.
Most of society avoids Lord Benjamin Archer thanks to the intimidating mask he wears everywhere to hide his ruined face. Archer knows it is selfish of him to marry Miranda and yet he can’t seem to help himself when she ignites passion in him which he hasn’t felt in many years. But when his friends start being murdered one by one, Archer comes under suspicion of their violent deaths and must give everything he has to defeat the curse he’s been fighting for years. To save his soul, Miranda will have to explore her own powers and a darker world than she ever imagined because only she knows the real man hiding behind Archer’s mask.
I feel like I say this a lot lately, but I have some mixed feelings about this book. This is one that my mom picked up because she thought I’d like it and I’ve had it on my TBR for years at this point, so I figured it was high time to finally read it. It started off fairly slow and much of the book felt more like a mystery than a romance. We know that Benjamin and Miranda have fallen in love because they tell each other so, but we don’t really see much of that playing out on the page. I think the mystery of Benjamin’s curse and disfigurement went on a little too long and I nearly lost interest before the big reveal, though I was happy that I stuck it out in the end because it was not what I was expecting. This plot definitely gets points for originality as I’ve never read anything like it. I was also pleasantly surprised by the emotionality in effect here as Benjamin and Miranda finally opened up to one another. This was an especially big deal for Benjamin, so I found that very gratifying. I also loved that Miranda wound up being Benjamin’s saving grace in a totally unique way, despite how much he resisted her efforts in his attempts to keep her safe. I only wish we had gotten more of that sort of strong relationship development between these two throughout the book instead of it mostly being confined to the last few chapters, otherwise, the first half of the book is a bit too chocked full of murder and dark, gothic tones that made me question if I was in fact reading a romance. All in all, the writing was strong here, as was the imagination, and I’ll likely read more from this author, though I’m not sure if I’ll continue with this series or not, but this was an interesting combination of mystery, steampunk/gothic vibes, and a hint of romance that I don’t regret reading.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4653484798
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/593658084
Comments
Post a Comment