“You do strange things to me, Dell Turner. Tell me I am not alone in what I feel.”
His voice was low and rough. His eyes burned. “You are not alone,” he said.
Portia Chadwick knows she’ll never have a life of adventure. But when a dangerous moneylender kidnaps her sister, Portia seeks help from a man known only as Nightshade. Soon she finds herself charging headfirst into his world of intrigue and danger―and unexpected passion.
Dell Turner grew up in London’s back alleys and gin lanes. Vowing to escape his low beginnings, he hires himself out to society’s elite. When he accepts a job from a beautiful young lady, he doesn’t anticipate her relentless determination to join his mad occupation…or her unnerving ability to inspire emotions he thought long buried. She’s as dangerous to him as his world is to her, and yet Dell can’t bring himself to turn Portia away… even if it means risking her life.
The Meta Details:
Source: Netgalley
Format: eBook
Length: 416 pages
Publication Date: July 1st, 2017
Genre: Historical Romance
Content Level: Adult
Pearl Clutching Content: sex, deceit, scandals, and brothels
Trigger Warnings: Human trafficking
Featuring: Dell-dly nightshade, antagonism between romantic leads, and mystery
Scorecard:
Recommended for: People looking for a fun fast and not entirely accurate historical romance
Rating: This was great
Ginny Lurcock’s Thoughts: I should not have enjoyed this title. The odds were stacked against it. They skirt around the edges of “not like other girls.” Saying it without using those precise words (and giving me an out to ignore what they were implying.) The sex scene was implausible. (How long was her vagina?) There was no concern for pregnancy. There were mentions of the possibility of scandal, but I counted at least seventeen different situations in which all the sisters would have been totally ruined…
And I’m not even gonna start on Hale’s redemption arc… (He stole a woman and sold her into sexual slavery…) Or that it’s basically white girl fantasy at it’s most dangerous. (I can save the world because I’m special and not like other girls…) There’s just too much for me to unpack there…
And if I do I’ll feel guilty about my rating. Because this book should not work. I should be saving this to post with my mediocre to bad book round up. But I’m not.
I can’t.
Because I totally enjoyed this book.
From the very first page, the story gripped me and refused to let me go. It was fast paced, fun, and engaging enough to have me overlooking those previously mentioned flaws.Dell and Portia had obvious chemistry. Both characters were quick-witted and highly entertaining. The scene from Hale’s perspective where they were arguing before, during, and after a fight was pure gold.
And I still feel like I should hate Hale…
As much as I hate to use the term “guilty pleasure,” that’s what this book is. Pure, cracky, imperfect fun that’s just waiting to help you disconnect from our clusterfuck of a world for a few hours.
I look forward to seeing where Amy Sandas goes from here, and cannot help but think that given the right editor, she could be the next big thing.
A complimentary copy of this book was provided in exchange for a fair and honest review via Netgalley.
Ginny Lurcock 