"Wicked After Midnight"
by Delilah S. Dawson
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: Jan 28, 2014
Source: sent by publisher
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
A contortionist
and a rakish brigand navigate the cabarets of Paris to rescue a girl
taken by slavers in the third steampunk-tinged romance of the Blud
series.
Life as a contortionist in Criminy’s Clockwork
Caravan should be the height of exotic adventure, but for Demi Ward,
it’s total dullsville. Until her best friend, Cherie, is stolen by
slavers outside of Paris, and Demi is determined to find her.
On
the run from his own past, Vale Hildebrand, a dashing rogue of a
highwayman, hides Demi from the slavers…but why? He pledges to help her
explore the glittering cabarets of Paris to find her friend, but much to
Vale’s frustration, Demi soon attracts a host of wealthy admirers. The
pleasures of music, blood, and absinthe could turn anyone’s head, and it
would be all too easy to accept Cherie’s disappearance as
inevitable—but with Vale’s ferocious will and Demi’s drive to find her
friend, they soon have a lead on a depraved society of Parisian notables
with a taste for beautiful lost girls. Can Demi wind her way through
the seedy underbelly of Paris and save her best friend before she, too,
is lost?
My Review:
This book was really enjoyable and also unique. I think I am starving for these paranormal historical romance books, with a dash of steampunk. I can't get enough of them, and there are so few to pick from. If you haven't read this type of book before, this would be great for something new and different.
I read the first book in this series, "Wicked as They Come," and while I enjoyed it, I didn't care for all the time/world hopping that the heroine did. This time around, I was much happier, because while Demi is from our world, she has permanently crossed over into the alternate world. It's nice because the reader has the same frame of reference as Demi, she will say modern slang, etc., but we get to totally immerse ourselves in the new world.
At first, I absolutely loved Demi. She was so youthful and fresh. She was very much like a stubborn, spunky teenager. It did get a little old when she started to be too stubborn for her own good though, getting her best friend and herself into trouble because she refused to see any type of reason. Vale was a great hero. I really liked the fact that he was somewhat of the black sheep of the family. I definitely liked that he wasn't the typical paranormal alpha male, he was much more three dimensional than that.
Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Cover: 5+++/5
Writing: 4/5
Bottom Line: This is a fun paranormal historical, but it does have a bit of a dark side. I love the world that the author has built and her characters show a lot of depth as well.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Disney-Hyperion
