One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Darkest London, Book 2
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 384 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Forever publisher Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




With the obligatory year of mourning for a husband she despised now behind her, widow Daisy Ellis Craigmore finally feels free to slip the last lingering shackles of her abusive marriage. She yearns to live a little, feel a little, and experience...more than a little. That's how she finds herself in the alley beside the home of a friend, on the arm of an amorous young gentleman intent on showing her the sort of pleasure she's spent long, painful years without.

Instead, Daisy finds only horror.

Her friend, the host of the party she was attending, lies on the ground like a shattered doll, broken and bloody, and the...thing responsible is still bent over her. Eating. The scream that rips from her throat can do nothing to help her dead friend, but it does draw the attention of the monster that killed her.

Disenfranchised with his long, lonely life, lycan Ian Randulf is running the streets of London when he first catches the scent of blood, then smells the werewolf responsible for it. Before he can process either, he's goaded into action by the screams piercing the air and the sound of flesh being torn. By the time he reaches the source it's too late. A man and woman lay savaged, but a young woman hidden beneath one of the bodies is still alive.

And her scent tantalizes him in ways he hadn't felt in far too long.

Getting her away from that nightmare and into his home is his only thought, but when he finds out who she is and what she saw, Ian fears that a rogue werewolf may be the least of his problems. Saving the delightful Daisy Ellis may very well end up being the very death of him. Then again, there were worse ways to go.


I was pretty blown away by Firelight, Callihan's first book in the Darkest London series. It was so utterly original, with a deftly-woven and unique story that captivated me. It appealed to me to such a degree that I prepared myself for the likelihood that the second book in the series wouldn't have quite the same impact, and in truth it didn't, but it did provide a hell of a good read and a couple of characters I really enjoyed.

I loved Ian. In fact, I adored him. He was so deliciously burdened by his past and wounded by his present, yet he had a solid, good, and decent heart. He was even a bit of a helpless git at times, poor thing, especially when he was being disconcerted by Daisy's unpredictable nature. He was a great romantic hero.

Daisy wasn't quite so universally appealing to me. I liked her, and I did love her pert attitude when dealing with Ian, but she was fairly traditional for the genre. Her character lacked a bit of the devastating charm that Ian managed so effortlessly. I did like them together, though, and the arc of their romance was very nicely done.

I wasn't thrilled with the plot line of the werewolf, but that may have been more an issue of my expectations. I was so thoroughly impressed with the mythos and storyline of the first book that a second installment featuring werewolves and lycan just seemed a bit pedestrian in comparison. It wasn't bad, and without a doubt, Callihan weaves a complex and satisfying external conflict, but it lacked a bit of that wow factor.

The end of the book, however, was a real problem for me. The climax and subsequent resolution had elements that just seemed a bit too convenient, and the ending depressed me. I truly wish there had been another road chosen for Daisy's character. I won't give away spoilers, but it just didn't sit well with me. Combined with the epilogue, which was also a pretty big downer, the book ended on a lower note than it began.

Still, I love the Gothic tone of this world and Callihan crafts a truly authentic-feeling historical with three dimensional characters and a dark, edgy narrative. Despite the few issues I had, I still enjoyed the bulk of the read and Ian handily supplanted Archer as my favorite character of the series. I'm looking forward to the next installment.


The Darkest London Series:

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Englefield, Book 2
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 346 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Sourcebooks Casablanca publisher Sourcebooks via NetGalley. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




Olivia Brightmore needed this teaching job and was desperately hoping she wouldn't get turned away at the door when she showed up at Englefield. The new school was special, important, and highly secretive. She was offered the position by the couple who had started this incredible venture and with so few options, Olivia knew she had to keep it if she had any hope of staying out of the poorhouse.

There was tragically little money left after all the bills from her now-deceased husband's care had been settled, and Olivia was far beyond being able to pose as a medium as she did when she was younger. Especially given what she now knows about real magic, and how she wields it.

Englefield, the school for specially gifted children who will one day serve as a force against an army of darkness and evil, is an opportunity and a chance to take an active role in saving humanity from things it is unprepared to handle. It meant everything to her, so if the school's doctor and fellow educator, Gareth St. John, looks at her with silent scorn and a challenge in his eyes, well, she'll deal with it. She isn't the same woman she was when their paths crossed so long ago, and she has earned her position. She's not responsible for his derision and disdain.

The searing weight of it only hurts a little.

Wounded serving crown and country, Gareth is a staid and steady man of quiet intensity, one with a unique gift for healing that serves him well in his role as a doctor. He knows exactly who Olivia is, or was, and is vocally opposed to her position at the school. No doubt a woman such as her will taint the children in her care. If his generous friends and benefactors can't see her for the morally bankrupt charlatan she is, then Gareth will assume the duty of watching her like a hawk. All the better to swoop down and snatch her away from her charges before she causes the trouble he knows is unavoidable.

The problem with that plan, however, is twofold. One, no matter how many of her classes he observes, or how narrow his focus on her every move, even Gareth can't argue her dedication to responsible teaching principles both magic and mundane, and her grasp on the paranormal. And two...well...he's oddly and irrevocably attracted to the woman, a fact that gains greater and greater significance the longer he observes her. Of course, allowing her to become aware of either of those problems would serve no purpose, and could very well end up coming back to bite him.

And given his surroundings and the gifted nature of the children and teachers there, that could very well be literal.


Without having read the first book in this interesting historical paranormal romance series, No Proper Lady, I can't say how well this serves as a followup. I can, though, say it read just fine for me as a stand-alone. And it came with its fair share of pleasant surprises.

With a subtle style and the feel of historical authenticity, this slow-moving but character-driven story had its share of delightful moments. The plot, however, doesn't have much in the way of significant external conflict, and the romance is the sort of low key that sparks and slowly builds in the shadowy conversational corners of dialogue subtext. I know that style can frustrate and even bore readers. There were parts of the narrative that bored me, and I'm not a huge fan of subtext (that's mostly because a lot of it goes over my head). Still, the romance worked for me in a way that reminded me of my favorite Victorian romance classics.

The narrative has plenty of dialogue and a fair amount of exposition, but there just never seemed to be much solid information clearly and plainly offered in it. I felt a little at a loss when it came to the world-building and mythos for the series. Not enough to cripple my ability to understand the events that occur in this story, or to hamper me from slotting the secondary and ancillary characters, as well as their abilities, into substantive roles, but enough that I did feel a loss of context for the idea and purpose of the school in the big picture.

The romantic dance between Gareth and Olivia, though, was delicate and deftly handled. I would have enjoyed a more thorough backstory for each character, but they both held a lot of appeal as individuals and the chemistry between them had a finely wrought, understated intensity. Both characters were wonderfully individual and had a force of personality unique to them. Olivia was the more flexible of the two, with a nurturing and caring nature, while Gareth tended to silently stew in his ideological passions, passions hidden behind of wall of steely control. They tiptoed around each other as their initial animosity churned to grudging, then mutual respect, slowly building to admiration neither would admit to, which steadily grew into affection despite themselves. It was quite lovely to read and provided my favorite moments of the story.

Parts of this book struck me as being purposely and frustratingly obtuse. Intelligently written, in some places brilliantly written, but occasionally hard to understand. The romance amused and delighted me, though, as Gareth and Olivia so politely danced around each other, and that's what made this read a winner for me.

I intend to continue with future books in the series, but the combination of my contentment with this book as a stand-alone and my anal obsession with reading in series timeline order prevents me from having any motivation to go back and read the first book. I do hope, however, that future books in the series provide a clearer understanding of the forces of darkness that the students of Englefield are being trained to battle and a greater explanation of the world of magic around them all.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Darkest London, Book 1
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Length: 400 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided to me by Forever books publisher Grand Central Publishing. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




Miranda Ellis doesn't want to marry a stranger, nor is she fond of the idea of being sold into matrimony for the money it would bring her father. For that matter, she has no idea why a man of wealth and status such as Lord Benjamin Aldo Fitzwilliam Wallace Archer, third Baron Archer of Umberslade, would have any interest in her for a wife. Regardless, her options are limited. She can either accept Lord Archer as a husband or be kicked out of her family home and forced into a life worse than that which she'd been living. Continue life as a thief - and less pleasant things - to barely scrape by or be able to eat regular meals and hold her head up in society as a peer.

Miranda is not a stupid woman. She agrees to marry the mysterious Lord Archer. And then she sees the man she has agreed to wed. Tall, strongly built, and completely covered from head to toe. Not an inch of hair or skin showing. Over his face is a hard, painted mask that reveals nothing but the color of his eyes. It seems the mysterious Lord Archer has secrets to keep.

Then again, Miranda has her own dark, desperate secret. One she has no intention of sharing any more than her new husband appears to have any intention of sharing his. She does wonder though, what it is about Archer that stirs her blood and tightens her stomach, making her yearn for something she can't name and doesn't understand.

He's a selfish bastard. He knows it. Still, for the three years since he first met Miranda, not a day went by that he didn't dream of her, think of her, and ache to be with her. He'd hoped to meet her without the mask but couldn't bear to wait any longer for a cure that may never come. He needed her near him too desperately for that.

It's an impossible situation, though. He is not worthy of her, cursed as he is. Still, something in Lord Benjamin Archer refuses to quench the glimmer of hope he has left - to find a cure, to be free of the mask, and to be with the woman he's loved since the moment he laid eyes on her. And he has every intention of taking as much joy as he can in her presence while he races for the answers.

The game changes drastically, though, when the first victim of a vicious killer turns up. An old friend of Archer is butchered gruesomely and Archer is named as the alleged villain. Suddenly finding a cure isn't nearly as important as keeping Miranda safe from a deranged lunatic and out of the line of fire. Unfortunately for his peace of mind, Miranda seems to think the exact thing about him, and she's woefully unprepared to handle what his past has finally, after all these years, brought to his door. In truth, even with all his abilities, Archer may not be prepared for it either.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: The Regency Draculia, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 380 Pages
Formats: Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: This book was provided to me through the Amazon.com Vine program for the purpose of an honest review. The rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




One hundred and forty-eight years ago, Lucifer slid into the dreams of a young nobleman named Voss, now Viscount Dewhurst, and put forth an offer Voss had no interest in refusing. In so doing, he, like other descendants of Vlad Tempest, accepted Lucifer's Mark and stepped from a life of pampered privilege into a life of blood, desire, and unending salacious indulgence. Barring a grievous beheading or a splinter in the heart, Voss was immortal, and never being one to live within boundaries when he was human, the additional freedoms of being a vampire suited him just fine.

He is a self-involved, insouciant narcissist who revels in his debauchery and devises grand plans to uncover the weaknesses of every other of his kind. Disregarding the chasm that exists in the Draculia, he plays his mind games with both the contingent who choose to live among humans without killing and those who see humans as nothing but food, killing indiscriminately as they satisfy their hungers for blood and sex. Independent of both, beholden to no one but himself...and perhaps Lucifer...he dances between the two, giving neither side his fealty. He personally doesn't kill his food...but it's not out of any sort of loyalty. He's just too busy sexing them up to bother.

Having just returned from an unholy sabbatical in the rustic colonies, he's reveling in his return to civility and to the opportunity to machinate some more intrigue. As tensions between the English and French rise and Bonaparte continues to pose a greater and greater threat, Voss is on the hunt for the sort of information that is his stock in trade. The trail of rumor and innuendo leads him to a young socialite named Angelica Woodmore. She's the sister of a famous vampire hunter, but her value to Voss is as a Seer, one reputed to be able to ascertain when and how a person dies, and he intends to make use of her skill.

He hadn't intended to be so affected by the incomparable woman. She stirs things in him he'd never, in all his long existence, felt before, and it leaves him confused and shaken, and so very hungry for her. Angelica sees death, lives with that macabre knowledge daily, and doesn't let it ruin her. Voss is terrified of death, for all his immortality, and hides that deep secret behind decades of licentious depravity. The two of them have a burning need for each other, but the divide between them is wide and the danger high. And a young human in Voss' world tends to end up exactly one way...one way or another.

Colleen Gleason kicks off The Regency Draculia trilogy with a fine eye for historic detail and a fresh take on vampire mythos that is both dark and seductive. Set in Regency England among the social and restrictive ton, vampires seem a surprisingly good fit, and Gleason weaves their backstory into a rich and plausible yarn. Adding legitimacy to the story and the era in which it is based, there's an enticing bit of politico about Napoleon's conflict with England shortly following his rise to emperor in 1804 that winds through the plotline surrounding the antagonist of the story, a hideous Dracule with delusions of grandeur and a penchant for the blood of children.

Characters in the book are well written and fully realized, including secondary and ancillary characters, and I especially appreciated the way in which Angelica's character was created and evolved through the book. It's very rare that I feel a female lead in a historical novel is both realistic for the era she's being written and likable to me, as women's true roles and freedoms at familiar points in the past were very limited. Gleason maintained an air of respect for the propriety that was lived and breathed in Regency England, yet gave her ingénue enough inner strength to balance out her lack of worldliness. I found Angelica's youthful enthusiasm refreshing instead of cloying and her naivety understandable instead of annoying. And she was a much-needed source of light to balance out the darkness of Voss.

It's also rare that I have a greater fondness for a female romantic lead than the male, but liking Voss was no easy feat. I thought he was tremendously original as a character, and I admired how he was developed and written. He was definitely three dimensional and very real. He just wasn't a nice guy. Had this been a different book, I would have considered him a brilliant creation. The shades of gray he lived and breathed were intriguing, the personality behind the vampire was forceful, and the narcissism and disregard for others were in tune with his character's history as well as being fascinating to watch while he was manipulating things and the people around him. The ramifications and effects of his Mark were also unique and provided great insight into his character.

As a male romantic lead in a romance novel, however, he fell far short. And that's where the book stumbled for me, because without a believable male romantic lead, the entire romantic arc failed. I loved the initial attraction between Voss and Angelica, I even loved how confused he got by the odd impulses she made him feel, and his annoyance at her referring to him as Dewhurst instead of by his given name was priceless. As for the rest of the book, I loved how the plot was woven, how the bare bones of the trilogy arc were laid out, how vampires were explained, how secondary characters were included. True, I wasn't fond of one scene with Angelica's brother and Narcise, as it seemed an abrupt and out-of-place inclusion at the time, but I loved the constant battles between Angelica's sister and Dimitri, and I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the past in which the relationship between Dimitri and Voss fell apart.

Those aspects of the book and all the myriad of others were completely satisfying. All except the romance. I don't find it at all romantic when the male lead is debauching his way through the human population for most of the book, gleefully soaking in blood and sex at every opportunity, even if it's a result of the hunger Angelica stirs, while his maneuverings seem to stay solely focused on the information he wants from her, not being with her. Redemption for Voss...and the romance...came too late for my tastes in this case. It wasn't even until the last chapter that I was saw proof that Voss had more than lustful feelings for Angelica. In the meantime, he was entirely too comfortable sopping up the perks of his species to work for me as the romantic lead.

When the romance doesn't work for me in a book that is supposed to feature it as the main purpose (even if it's not the only purpose), than it's hard to truly embrace the book and the characters, no matter how much you love the rest of it.

Still, my discontent with the romance isn't enough to make me dislike the book, and I have to give credit for Gleason for one more thing. At the end of this book is a plot twist and outcome that is rarely seen in vampire fiction. I've only seen it twice before, in fact, which is saying something considering how very many books I've read that feature the fanged masses. It's not a twist I particularly like in theory, and in both of those previous instances, I actively disliked when it happened and felt it seriously impacted my enjoyment of the books and series in which they occurred. Not so here. In fact, not only did I really enjoy it in this case, but I think it was a perfect fit to the story and the characters, and I absolutely loved how it developed and was revealed. I don't actually think it could have been handled any better in any aspect and it was a true treat to read.

I almost wish that the book wasn't intended as a romance, and instead it had stuck to the blend of paranormal and historical intrigue. It would have been extremely successful for me in that case. As it stands, it falters a little on its main goal but still provides a wealth of complex reading and a lot of enjoyment. With The Vampire Dimitri set as the second book in the trilogy, I sincerely hope that the romantic thread is better developed, because I was really intrigued by Dimitri in this book and am anxious to get a closer look at him, his motivations, and his inner demons. Both metaphorically and otherwise.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Westfield Brothers, Book 1
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 384 Pages, 4084 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Infuriated over the Duke of Blackmoor's flagrant disregard for his ward after several attempts to contact the blackguard via letter, Lily Ruttledge, the Aunt of the twelve-year-old Oliver, is left with no option but to track the man down. She will force him to pay attention to the rising crisis of a boy who is changing in ways that are starting to scare the normally unflappable Lily. One conversation with Your Grace Simon Westfield, however, and all she wants to do is wring his neck. And if he didn't kick her out of his home and shove her back into the carriage that brought her without hearing a word she said, she would have done just that.

It was far too close to the full moon for Simon to have a delectable little morsel like Lily in his arms. The beast inside him was wild enough as it is. When his highly observant butler mentions that Lily's fears over the changes with her nephew sounded quite similar to Simon's particular history, however, the Duke is horrified that he'd let the child's development go untended for so long. He races after Lily's coach...and if he's just as interested in seeing the tall beauty again as he is in bringing Oliver to heel, well...it's not like he plans to bed her or anything.

Except everything about Lily stirs the man and calms the beast, and the longer she's in his house, the more he can't imagine her ever leaving. When a meddlesome neighbor intent on some pot stirring does what she does best, Lily ends up ruined and Simon - who swore long ago never to marry - assumes the blame for Lily's dismal future and takes her as his wife. And if the thought of Lily belonging to anyone else enrages him and the notion of any other woman but her in his bed leaves the former rakehell cold...well...it's not like he plans to make her his Lycan mate or anything. Really.

Lily knows Simon is keeping something from her. A secret so mysterious every attempt to discover it leads her in frustrating but widening circles. She may love her new husband, but she's determined to be done with secrets once and for all. Simon is doubly intent on keeping her from ever finding out. After all, if Lily were to find out that he is a werewolf, either she'd leave or he'd hurt her when she tried to stay, and above all else, that he definitely will not do.

Not without its own wolfish charms, A Certain Wolfish Charm is a light, easy read that had some genuinely entertaining moments. I'm particularly fond of growly wolves who act all surly and pouty when, in getting what they want, they realize they wanted something else entirely, so pretty much any scene about or surrounding the ball was a truly humorous delight. So were several other scenes, most notably whenever Simon's brother Will decided to poke at him, or when Lily went toe to toe with Simon.

I liked the characters, and though the tone of the book didn't lend to a lot of complex character development, I found there to be enough to enjoy. I think Simon started to get a little too bullheaded and was a bit too obtuse as things progressed later in the book, but sometimes he was just such an adorable little troglodyte I couldn't hold it against him.

I didn't care for the conflict of the book at all, though, and that does tie into Simon's actions throughout the story. The main conflict in the book is the secret that Simon is keeping from Lily. It's a secret almost everyone else, including the reader, knows, so it caused a few problems for me on several different levels. In fact, I never felt like it was a plausible conflict to begin with. Simon lies and hides the truth from Lily again and again because he was supposedly so paralyzed by the fear of ending up like his cousin Daniel (a man he acknowledged never had the training and control Simon did) despite Simon's lifetime experience of having parents as roll models who had a long, loving, and fully Lycan relationship. I didn't buy that at any point in the book. Nor do I find that sort of conflict in a plot arc to be compelling, original, or interesting enough to be the driving force in the book. It's a secret, so it's a foregone conclusion that the secret will be revealed, and because the book is a romance, there's not even a question of how it'll be resolved at the end. Then, when it finally was resolved, the actual resolution was nowhere near as ominous, dangerous, or threatening as it had been set up, warned about, and feared throughout the whole book. That's sort of the antithesis of climactic.

Other than the conflict not working for me, I wish the narrative had been developed differently. The story progresses quickly - too quickly, I felt, and instead of a gradual evolution of emotion and a natural progression of the relationship between Lily and Simon, their story read more like a Reader's Digest condensed version of a much longer and more involved book. The major points of transition in Simon's feelings for Lily, as well as his intentions towards their relationship, were leaped over and advanced without warning or set up, so the profligate who dipped his wick into every light skirt, cheating wife, and merry widow in the nation at the start of the book...a man who resolutely would not marry...became a fully committed and devoted, not to mention thoroughly monogamous lover of Lily, in astoundingly short order without much in the way of actual story to describe or note the change.

Still, I can't deny that several parts of the book were entertaining and enjoyable. Not everything worked for me, some things less than others, but other parts worked nicely. It's a Regency era romance, which normally doesn't hold much appeal for me, but in this case those aspects were tempered nicely by Lily's independent nature and fighting spirit. I also appreciated the glimpse into Will's future book as he and Prisca locked horns and traded barbs to my amused delight. That bodes well for his installment in the series.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Immortal Brotherhood, Book 1
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 352 Pages, 6373 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Kindle


Sir Ivo de Vassy was once known as the Norse warrior Ivar and he, along with eight fellow warriors, was cursed by the powerful sorceress Cwen when her son was slain in a long-ago battle. Forced to suffer endless days in the form of an eagle, only allowed human form at night, he was made immortal. Now working for the Norman King William, his service to the crown awards him a boon, and feeling the need to settle, even for a little while, and taste a sliver of normalcy for however long it lasts, he requests and is granted land and the title of Lord of Alnwick and is given the granddaughter of the former Lord to wed, Lady of Alnwick, Alaida.

Alaida doesn't much care for the king who imprisoned her grandfather, and she's less pleased with the idea of the political marriage. Duty bound, she follows the letter of the king's law and marries Ivo, but spirited and smart, she rebels in her own way and goes toe to toe with the imposing warrior. Instead of a tyrant and an oaf, however, Ivo proves to be a generous and thoughtful Lord, and Alaida finds herself attracted to her new husband, even though his odd habit of disappearing before the sun rises each day causes her pain and embarassment.

Before Ivo can relish the warming of his new wife's temperament, fellow cursed warrior Ari, by day a man and by night a raven, tells Ivo of the vision he's seen, a vision in which Ivo's progeny bears their curse. No matter how much his body and heart crave his wife, he is damned to never again lie with her as husband or risk getting her with a child that will be just as tortured as he.

What he wants most, he can't have. What he cares about most deeply can never be his. And even as living amongst men threatens his secret, and living with his wife threatens his fortitude, any chance at love may quickly turn to horror and death if Alaida ever finds out the truth of her husband's nature.

Despite the fact that historical romance isn't a preferred genre of mine, I was both impressed and pleased with the genuine feeling of historical accuracy that Lisa Hendrix brought to this series debut. I know little of medieval history, so I can't speak with authority about technical accuracy, but with deft descriptions of the people and the lives they live, the influence and power of the church, the nature of the workings of the homestead, and the substance of the dialogue, Hendrix infused an air of authenticity into Immortal Warrior that I have found severely lacking in other historical-themed books. Frankly, it just felt like Hendrix did a fair amount of research into the nature of medieval life and replicated it well, even as she blended in the magical nature of the characters. From a reader's perspective, I appreciated the attempt, and as someone not intimately familiar with historical accuracy, I found it very successful.

Ivo and Alaida were well formed characters, and Alaida in particular really appealed to me. One of the reasons I tend to stay away from historical romance is that the female protagonists tend to fall into one of two basic categories, either they're too progressive for the era in which they're being written and the book stumbles on technical merits, or they're too simpering/submissive/innocent, and the book stumbles on story merits. I was very impressed with Hendrix for creating a female lead of her era, aware of her duties and her responsibilities, knowledgeable of her restrictions, and still fiery and independent within those rigid strictures, and despite her innocence of men. It was a deft and intelligent bit of writing to maneuver that particular tightrope and I applaud Hendrix for it.

Immortal Warrior is a fast read, quickly paced, and I practically flew through it. Well rounded secondary and ancillary characters supported the story nicely, adding depth, and I very much enjoyed the mythos and backstory for the warriors. Hendrix went so far as to introduce readers to Brand, who spends his days as a bear, and Ari, the nightly raven, and both are appealing enough to instill a desire to see them reach their happily ever after. Smart move, really, and it set this book up nicely as a very strong starting point for what could truly be an impressive and original series.

There were a few minor cliched aspects, and a bit of formula in the developing romance between Ivo and Alaida. I'm pretty tired of romances in which the lack of communication, regardless of the reason, is the sole or major conflict between the romantic pairing. My reading preferences lie elsewhere, and again, is another reason why I tend to stay away from historical romance. The inherent nature of the historical era seems predisposed to communication issues between the man and woman. I would have preferred a more external conflict to drive the plot.

I was slightly disappointed that so little of the eagle was included in the story. Despite Ivo's dual nature, little of his animal side, or of the animal sides of Brand and Ari, were significant to the plot beyond the fact that they exist. When they were included, I found their differences and unique natures fascinating and would have liked to see more. On a brighter note, a very subtly-written ancillary plot thread that featured Brand and the healer Merewyn was appealing on a couple of different levels and I hope that we will see them again in the future.

There was a plot twist that I didn't see coming, and it certainly took me by surprise, but it was also the only part of the book that was more plot-driven than character-driven, so it didn't blend as well as all the other aspects of the story. It teetered a bit over the line into cliche and took a dance with overly convenient plot devices, but to expound on that would provide way too many spoilers and I was taken off guard to such an extent, I'm loathe to ruin that surprise for anyone else. Coupled with what I felt was a slightly odd conclusion that was far too...populated...for my tastes, the book didn't end quite the way I would have preferred.

Between being thoroughly impressed with the genuine historical feel, though, and admiring of the originality and scope of the mythos and backstory, as well as being truly fond of Ivo and Alaida, there was much to enjoy. The characters, various conflicts, and plot threads wove together to create a balanced and emotionally substantial reading experience.

I've purchased the second book in the series, Immortal Outlaw. One of the more tantalizing aspects of this series is the scope of historical times and various eras this series can feature. Given the research and attention to detail Hendrix offered here, I look forward to seeing if Hendrix intends to make use of a wide range of eras and the myriad of opportunities that range provides.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Nvengaria, Book 1
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Length: 373 Pages, 5520 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Practical Penelope Trask was resolved to spinsterhood after jilting two fiances whose habits and desires she found...objectionable. She's quite happy with accepting that lot in life, until Prince Damien of Nvengaria shows up in her quiet little hamlet and claims she's the prophesied princess of his country and destined to be his wife. Prince Damien doesn't particularly believe in prophecies, but he needs to take control of his country after his evil father had run it into the ground and exiled him. Now that his father is dead, his country is being run by Grand Duke Alexander, who keeps sending assassins after him. Knowing his passionate people and understanding their love of magic, he's determined to woo Penelope and bring her back to his people in time for Midsummer - or risk being executed after seeing his people turn against him.

When he meets her, sees her, touches her for the very first time, however, the power of the prophecy is realized and his desire for her is unimaginable. As is hers for him. But there are requirements to fulfill the prophecy first, and Regency England has its own requirements for appropriate behavior. Then there's the assassination attempts and the ticking clock and a myriad of other things pressing down on Penelope and Damien, threatening to keep them apart. Who knew fairy tale romances could be so darn complicated?

Jennifer Ashley had some nifty ideas for Penelope & Prince Charming, but for me, there were more misses than hits. The story premise was okay, with a bit of originality in the prophecy and fairy tale feeling of the piece, but the pacing of the story was inconsistent, most notably with a slow and laborious beginning and a conclusion that felt rushed and perfunctory. The lead characters were more like caricatures, exaggerated personalities in exaggerated situations, and I found neither Penelope nor Damien all that likable for the first half of the book. Sometime after that, both the story and the characters smoothed out a bit, Damien and his group of Nvengarians becoming far more realistic and fully realized, and more depth or personality was given to Damien and Penelope both. The difference, though, from one part of the book to the next, was peculiar, even though it improved my appreciation of them as characters.

That being said, there were also several things that I liked very much about the book. The antagonist Alexander was a complex "villain," with his only motivation being his concern for his country and his unyielding belief in his own ability to govern it. He was flawed, but he wasn't some evil bad guy with nefarious world domination on his mind, and while his actions were questionable, I could respect his motivations. I liked how he was with his wife and loved his affection for his son. He was the most pleasantly surprising aspect of the book as a whole. I also grew quite fond of several of the secondary and ancillary characters, and I liked Damien's steadfast devotion to Penelope after his roguish past, even after the prophecy plot line reached its conclusion.

The prophecy itself seemed little more than a handy excuse to shovel a lot of sexual situations into the plot, and those situations did nothing to add to the story or characters, nor did it add any believability. It was, too, a part of the overall inconsistency of the book, as the relationship between Damien and Penelope had a more serious bent with some legitimate depth and complexity towards the end that was absent in the beginning. The sexuality in the book was a bit more unconventional than I'm used to in this genre of romance (in places, not in every sex scene) and while I think there was an effort made to provide plausibility, it just didn't quite work for me. And wow...suddenly I sound like a prude. That's a little personally distressing, actually, so moving on...

I'm glad this wasn't the first Jennifer Ashley book I've read, as I don't know that it would have motivated me to try others titles. Instead, I have read a several other Ashley books and liked them very much. This just wasn't one of my favorites. I still admire her as an author and look forward to more of her work.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Relics of Merlin, Book 1
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Length: 304 Pages, 2761 Locations
Formats: Paperback, Kindle


In London in 1882, peerage is decided based on magical ability, and shape-shifters, immune to magic because they are magic, guard the royal family and serve as baronets to His Highness Prince Albert. Terrence Blackwell, one such baronet, is a spy for the crown and is on a quest to search out and destroy all relic-magic, a dark and insidious magic imbued into thirteen stones by Merlin centuries before. Relic-magic is the only true threat to the magical power of the royal family and is responsible for Terrance's brother's death so he's ever-vigilant against it.

Duchess-of-Honor Felicity Stonehaven has a problem. Her magical trial is today and she's painfully aware she has no magic - or so little magic that she won't be able to hold onto her family's land and title. Her powerfully magical parents died at sea years ago and since their death she's been the ward of her Aunt and Uncle, but if she can't hold onto the Duchy, they will all be cast out. Most of the time no one even seems to see her, few remember her within moments of meeting her, and fewer still give her any thought at all, so mousy is she, and yet she's got all this responsibility weighing painfully heavy on her shoulders. It doesn't really seem quite fair to Felicity when all she wants to do is lead a private little life, perhaps marry, and be responsible only for herself.

When Terrence sees Felicity, he's bowled over by her beauty and rocked by the scent of relic-magic clinging to her. The beast in his heart just roars 'Mine!' and keeps wanting to rub himself against her. Which can actually be a little dicey when in public, but still. Despite the instantaneous and nearly feral reaction to Felicity, Terrence must get close to her, must court her, until he discovers if she is wielding relic-magic, and if so, find the relic and destroy it. He is, of course, strictly doing his part for crown and country. Truly. It has nothing at all to do with the irresistible pull of her gorgeous eyes or the charming nature of her winsome smile or the sharp, humorous crack of her intrepid wit. Really.


So begins the start of the Relics of Merlin series, and with a mix of gentle humor and a bit of angst with a touch of mystery and intrigue thrown in, Kennedy has taken historical romance and tossed it with some unique, fresh ideas to come up with a...well...enchanting read.

I liked the spin, actually, and thought the magical aspects fit surprisingly well into the age of Victorian England. The issues of class are touchstones in the genre, and here speciesism is added into the mix, as none of the magical lords and ladies are too comfortable with shape-shifters immune to the spells that would protect them should the shape-shifter population run amok.

I enjoyed Terrence and his manservant Bentley, and was particularly pleased with the almost befuddled helplessness against Felicity's charms that tripped Terrence up time and again. I was less fond of Felicity, as she is truly a lady of her time, and lacked the sort of fierce independence and self awareness that I admire most in heroines. Her nature was far more go-with-the-flow, no matter how bad her situation got, than rally-and-fight-injustice, and more than once she was a damsel in distress. Her character was well drawn, fully fleshed out and three dimensional, but simply wasn't to my personal taste.

The plot was a bit predictable but well-paced and though there was little surprise by the time of the climax and big reveal, the journey to it was pleasant and really allowed for some neat scenes between Terrence and Felicity. That's where the book really shined for me, actually. I got a kick out of them. Felicity is utterly oblivious to her worth and beauty and Terrence is struck dumb by them. The back and forth between them charmed me.

There were a few familiar historical romance cliches and a couple of characters' actions and decisions that I found to be questionable, but overall, the story unfolded nicely and had a nice balance of action and description. The historical romance genre isn't a favorite of mine and yet I definitely enjoyed enough of what I've read so far in this historical paranormal romance to continue the series, so I'm glad I picked it up while it's being offered as a free Kindle download.

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: The Brotherhood of The Blood, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 384 Pages, 4200 Locations
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


Ivy Dearing is a modern woman of twenty-seven and there isn't much in life that surprises her, certainly nothing regarding relations between a man and a woman. As the daughter of the madam of Maison Rouge, an eminent house of prostitution in London, she's grown up knowing more than the average young lady about what goes on between the genders. As the daughter of a woman cast aside by a married lover and forced to rely on the good nature of the vampire Saint, she's familiar with the vampires that the Maison Rouge protects and provides for - in every way - and disbelieving in the concept of love. Lust she understands. Love is a farce perpetrated on the feeble minded.

The year is 1899 and Ivy has lost two dear friends to the blade of a butcher who did unspeakable things to them...took unspeakable things from them. She's desperate for help to catch a killer, as the coppers of London don't put themselves out much for a couple of dead prostitutes. When Saint shows up at the Maison Rouge for the first time in a decade, Ivy takes it upon herself to remind him of all the house has done for him and his brethren over the years and demand his help to stop a madman before more fall under his blade.

For over six hundred years Saint has been thief, reprobate, killer, and lover of women, but his actions have toned down considerably since the death of his beloved Marta twenty-five years ago. He goes to Maison Rouge to visit old friends and to rest for a bit. He's poleaxed by the vision that is Ivy Dearing, the challenging and impertinent chit. Feeling all of his immortal years bearing heavily on him as he realizes the child of seventeen he'd last seen a decade ago is a child no more, he can't stop thinking about her...wanting her. She challenges his honor and he vows to catch a killer for her. She challenges the notion of love...and he vows to love her forever. And forever for his kind is a very long time indeed.

Despite not being the biggest fan of historical fiction of any sort, I have to admit, Kathryn Smith's Brotherhood of The Blood series has really grown on me. I wasn't overly fond of the first, but I enjoyed the second very much, and with Saint and Ivy's story, I'm firmly a fan...even though I preferred the characters in the previous book just a bit more.

I can't speak intelligently on the historical accuracy of the dialogue or the settings, but I can say that Smith can blend a gruesome murder mystery with a sensual romance and grace her readers with a well-paced plot that's ripe with style and full of emotion. I enjoyed the sense of history, regardless of whether it was historically accurate, and I really loved how Smith not only addressed the parallels between the murderer in the book and the infamous killer Jack the Ripper, but incorporated those parallels into the backstory and plot. I thought that was particularly well done. So too Smith's vampire mythos, which I've enjoyed from the beginning of the series. There's a plethora of vampire-themed series out there, and I've read lots of them, and I think the history of the Brotherhood of The Blood combined with the historical setting and the evolution of the individual characters in each book has provided just enough of a twist to the mythos to give it a unique, imaginative, and fresh feel.

I can't say I was totally thrilled with Ivy as a character. I appreciated her independence and intelligence, and I loved her profession/art, but found her personality grating when things didn't go her way and frustratingly obtuse when it came to her feelings. Saint, on the other hand, was very appealing. I liked the turnabout of having Saint as the romantic and believer in love and Ivy the doubter who is willing to embrace her lust but keeps her heart disengaged, but I found Ivy's belligerent refusal to even entertain the notion of love wore on my patience after a while, and the resolution of that seemed oddly placed and a bit peculiar.

There was an odd time jump towards the conclusion of the book that I wish had developed differently, but I was very pleased with the tie-in to the events of and conclusion in Night of the Huntress and very much look forward to seeing where the series goes from here. I'm a fan of this series, a fan of Kathryn Smith's unique and stylistic writing, and a huge fan of the brothers themselves. I hope to see a book that puts all the brothers and their women together to deal with the Order of the Silver Palm. That's just a personal dream, though. I'm sure I'll enjoy however this series develops.

Brotherhood of The Blood Series: 

       

Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance
Series: Brotherhood of The Blood, Book 2
Rating: 4 Stars
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle


After having given up on historical romances quite a few years ago for various reasons, I'm almost reluctant to admit that a few very pleasurable reads in the historical paranormal romance/fantasy genres have dragged me back into the fold of late, despite myself. The blame lands partial on Kathryn Smith's shoulders, as her Brotherhood of Blood series is one of those responsible for my return. I found Night of the Huntress, the second book in this series, to be even better than the first, with more a far more enjoyable female lead, the Huntress Marika Korzha than the one in Be Mine Tonight, Prudence Ryland, who I found to be a bit too whiney and too much a lady of her age. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed Marika so much more, actually, for although the series is set just before the turn of the 19th century, Marika is a woman far ahead of her time. She's a dhampyr - half human, half vampire - and on a mission to hunt vampires and track down the murderous monster responsible for her mother's death, the elusive Saint. The job offer to track and catch his longtime friend and brother in blood, Bishop, comes at a fortuitous time, and she takes the job...then manages to capture the vampire...but before turning him over to the people who hired her, she's got to get whatever information Bishop has about Saint's whereabouts from him. As Bishop is more than reluctant to betray a friend, she'll do whatever necessary to...convince him - after all, he's a bloodthirsty killer. A vicious murdering monster. A soulless fiend.

Or is he?

That question starts to torment her as a lifetime of prejudice smacks up against six centuries of strength and honor, and Bishop starts to get under her skin before worming his way into his heart. Unfortunately, when you're blind to the prejudice of monsters in vampire form, you miss the machinations of monsters far more humanly cloaked. Marika and Bishop become hunted by the very people who originally hired her, and the conspiracy goes far deeper and is far more wide spread than either are aware. It'll take both of them - their strength and intelligence - just to keep themselves alive.

Night of the Huntress is cleverly plotted and after a bit of a slow start, where Marika's clinging to prejudice and spouting groundless vitriol started to wear on me, it really took off nicely. The development of the relationship between Bishop and Marika was well done and the depth of each character surprisingly nuanced and realistic. There's a wealth of subtly spectacular world building in this series, because not only does the author have to write a convincing paranormal romance, but she has to blend in realistic historical cultural issues relevant to the time to really make the plot work - and she does so quite deftly. The deepening conspiracy and danger of the group out to bring down the Brotherhood of Blood is also well told, and manages to threaten and entice without overwhelming the romantic aspects. Very nicely balanced. This book and this series will be a huge hit for fans of historical and paranormal romance genres and even for those not so fond of historical romances...if they're fans enough of contemporary paranormal romance, this book in particular and the series as a whole is well worth your time (trust me, I'm one of you).