by Lydia Dare
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: July 1, 2011 Source: ARC sent by publisher
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Summary from goodreads.com:
Chivalry is far from undead...
Matthew Halkett, Earl of Blodswell, is one of the few men in the ton who can claim to be a knight in shining armor- because that's precisely what he was before being turned into a vampyre. When he spies a damsel in distress in the midst of a storm in Hyde Park, his natural instinct is to rush to her aid...
But not every woman needs to be rescued...
Weather-controlling witch Rhiannon Sinclair isn't caught in a storm-she's the cause of it. She's mortified to have been caught making trouble by the imposing earl, but she doesn't need any man-never has, and is sure she never will...
But when Rhiannon encounters Matthew again, her powers go awry and his supernatural abilities run amok. Between the two of them, the ton is thrown into an uproar. There's never been a more tempestuous scandal...
My Review:
This was my second book by Lydia Dare and I'm really glad I gave this author a second chance. I admit that after reading "It Happened One Bite," I was kind of wondering what all the hubbub was about surrounding the author. But after reading this book, I now understand! This was such a fun historical paranormal with a lot of romance, laughs and nothing too creepy on the paranormal front.
I heard a bit of negativity about the "prose" not being historically accurate enough. So, if you're a stickler for accuracy, you many have some complaints with this one. But I honestly loved the humor, readability, and campy fun that the more modern language brought to the story.
The romance was really cute and sweet-not what you normally see in paranormal romance land. I liked how 'gentlemanly' Matthew behaved. The ultimate ending of their love story was a little over the top, but very satisfying to a happy ending lover like myself.
I really enjoyed the supporting characters, too. Eynsford and Cait, the lead couple from "The Taming of the Wolf", were adorable. I loved that they both were present instead of the female being written out in the sequels so she can have a baby. This is something I see way too often in historical romance series, the lead male returns to the sequels, but the poor female is written is out entirely. Cheers to Lydia Dare for bringing Cait back!
Enysford's brothers were so cute, especially the twins. I'm sure they will get a their own stories somewhere down the line. I kind of felt like Rhi led poor Radbourne on a little at times, though.
Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Bottom Line: Overall, this is such an enjoyable read with enough paranormal elements to keep fans of the genre interested, but not so creepy as to scare off historical romance fans. Campy, romantic fun!