Glowing In the Moonlight

Expected Publication: July 31st, 2012
Moonglow (Darkest London # 2)
By: Kristin Callihan
Forever
ISBN-13: 9781455508587

Once the seeds of desire are sown . . .

Finally free of her suffocating marriage, widow Daisy Ellis Craigmore is ready to embrace the pleasures of life that have long been denied her. Yet her new-found freedom is short lived. A string of unexplained murders has brought danger to Daisy's door, forcing her to turn to the most unlikely of saviors . . .

Their growing passion knows no bounds . . .

Ian Ranulf, the Marquis of Northrup, has spent lifetimes hiding his primal nature from London society. But now a vicious killer threatens to expose his secrets. Ian must step out of the shadows and protect the beautiful, fearless Daisy, who awakens in him desires he thought long dead. As their quest to unmask the villain draws them closer together, Daisy has no choice but to reveal her own startling secret, and Ian must face the undeniable truth: Losing his heart to Daisy may be the only way to save his soul.

Review

   Daisy Ellis Craigmore was not as lucky as her sisters in having a loving, happy marriage.  Hers was full of verbal abuse from a religious, fat old man who refused to touch her in the marriage bed at all after the first time.  Now that Craigmore is dead, Daisy is finally free to be the passionate and loving woman that she was before her marriage to him.  Then her life gets turned upside down after someone is killed outside a party she is attending - while wearing a perfume that is supposed to by hers.  Now the only man who might be able to help her is Marquis Ian Ranulf.  He knows exactly what the beast is thinking and feeling because he is akin to it himself - a werewolf.  However, a rogue is a threat to the entire pack community so Ian has a sacred duty to put an end to the beast.  Helping Daisy becomes part of the equation when he realizes that he can't keep his hands off of her and doesn't even want to.  Could this be the beginning of a love that will last?  But with secrets being kept by Daisy and Ian, the possibility for heartache is just as great as that for love.  I liked that Ian and Daisy were the principal characters in this novel, seeing as they were my two favorite secondaries from Firelight.  Daisy's snarky, loyal and lovable personality reminded me of my favorite cousin, so I couldn't help but fall in love with her as the heroine of the novel.  Ian's wounded spirit, issues with acting responsibly and overall rakishness were a major attraction for me.  I'm a sucker for the wounded, reformable bad boy, what can I say? :)  The fact that the killer was a sick and mentally unstable werewolf (from illness not inherited insanity) added to the interest of things mystery-wise.  One thing I didn't like was the utter predictability of the identity of the mad, syphilitic werewolf.  Also the verging on tragic ending for Daisy and Ian REALLY made me mad.  Daisy's solution was also predicatable, with set-up near the middle of the novel.  I rather liked the way the steampunk was incorporated.  It didn't overwhelm to fantasy or paranormal elements of the novel.  I was happy about the revelation that all of the sisters have elemental powers.  Truly waiting with excitement for oldest sister Poppy's story.  I would recommend this to fans of the first book.  It could be read separately, but I still think readers should go in the sequence of the series.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication is July 31st, 2012.*