Showing posts with label kristin callihan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kristin callihan. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

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.*

Beauty In the Firelight


Published: January 31st, 2012
Firelight (Darkest London # 1)
By: Kristin Callihan
Forever
ISBN-13: 9781455508594

Once the flames are ignited . . .

Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

They will burn for eternity . . .

Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.


Review

   Miranda Ellis has been dealing with a strange gift since she was a child.  It allows her to call forth fire with her mind.  It resulted in the accidental and tragic destruction of the warehouse that was her family's livelihood.  Now her Father is bitter and plans to wed her to the infamous Lord Benjamin Archer so he can pay off the family debts.  Lord Archer is trying to break a curse that has left him disfigured, almost completely alone and on the fringe of polite society.  He has been drawn to Miranda's beauty and spirit since he met her three years before while she was disguised a boy and a street urchin.  Upon their marriage, Miranda and Archer manage to find passion and are swiftly headed towards being completely in love with each other.  She sees beyond the mask he wears, to the man within and he doesn't revile her for her fiery ability.  But when people begin to turn up dead, Archer is called into suspicion as the possible murderer.  It's up to Miranda to clear his name, help him figure out who the murderer is and break his curse before he's lost to her forever.  Will Miranda and Archer be able to have their happily ever after?  I enjoyed the Victorian era with a hint of supernatural thrown into it.  I was a big fan of Archer from the very beginning of the novel and greatly admired Miranda for her spirit and independence.  The slow-build of their romance into something lasting and true was something wondrous to find in a historical romance.  That said, the mystery seemed very convoluted for most of the novel, throwing the reader directly into the thick of it with no prior knowledge of the secret club that Archer belonged to, what their goal was or why he was cursed.  With absolutely NO backstory, that plotline became somewhat frustrating very quickly.  I did appreciate the resolution's creativity and the freshness of Callihan's take on a mashup of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera.  One of my favorite side characters was Miranda's sister Daisy, who is totally encouragable.  I am looking forward to the rest of the series and recommend this to fans of historical romance and supernatural fiction.

VERDICT:  4.25/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*