|
Lady Anne Addison is not what you’d call beautiful, but she is rational, loyal and courageous. When her good friend Lydia wrote to her pleading for her help Lady Anne wasted no time in hastening to Lydia’s side at Darkefell Castle knowing full well Lydia’s penchant for over dramatizing. Lydia claims a werewolf is present in her neighborhood – nonsense! Lady Anne arrives just in time to stumble over a freshly killed body; finds her friend Lydia quite uncommunicative; and meets the Marquess of Darkefell to be an infuriating stubborn man who makes no bones about not wanting Anne’s interference in investigating this latest murder, but more importantly sticking her nose in his family’s business. However, there is something about Anne that seems to appeal to him and winning her over seems to be foremost on his agenda. *** On the plus side this historical romance appears to have everything going for it. It is historical in nature giving a lot of imagery of the Yorkshire countryside; modes of travel; hints of paranormal happenings; a gothic feel and some humorous moments. What it did not do was excite my imagination or create a strong hero, though some of the dialogs could be construed humorous. In short I found it to be a bit boring and difficult to finish because I couldn’t really get into the story which at times felt a bit disjointed. Lady Anne was very outspoken, and for someone who came such a great distance to help and support her friend didn’t spend too much time with her at all – in fact, Anne came off as a busybody know-it-all and a bit snobbish. As far as the Marquess goes, I didn’t feel he was fully fleshed out and so how he came to pursue Anne wasn’t quite believable. Their dialogs and interactions were not what I’d call passionate or soul searching. I would have to say that the most interesting character was the Marquess’ secretary, an ex-slave, who provided a good amount of the clues, which were not easily brought forth, that helped convince the reader of the identity of the murderer. Although I will say that the identity of the murderer was kept secret right up to the end. Bottom Line: The title of the book had me intrigued but in my opinion, the story didn’t deliver and left a big loose end regarding the romantic element.
Reviewed by Marilyn Rondeau for CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
|
LADY ANNE AND THE HOWL IN THE DARK
|
|
