Cari Z.

Dark doings!

First up, I felt I was at a huge disadvantage, I know nothing about Lovecraft or the world of Cthulhu.
I thought I was getting a Regency novel with some Gothic aspects thrown in. There’s a bit more than that.
Cassandra Wright, a gentlewoman with a ‘single trunk’ was on her way to Tarryford to find out what she could about the powerful James Fraser and her dead father’s stolen journals.
Cassandra was sure Fraser had something to do with her father’s untimely and disquieting death five years ago.
Cassandra had all but been engaged to Fraser’s son, Gilbert. That had quickly became a non event at that time.
When Cassie arrives at Tarryford she’s shocked to run into Thomas Griffith, a friend of Gilbert’s.
There are dangerous times ahead for her.
The Beast of Avon Vale, as it’s called, has been eviscerating live stock. Humans might be next.
Than Mr. Fraser, and the darkness that surrounds him, comes home. Shiver!
Eldritch happenings and arcane methods are being employed to summon creatures not of this world, and Mr. Fraser is right at the core, supposedly to counter creatures Napoleon has been summoning. He has acolytes, guests at a so called hunting party.
There are some frightening and shocking moments but overall I felt Cassandra and Thomas are too simplistic in their rush to counter evil. Cassandra walking in to face the enemy with a hat pin is more foolish than brave. Their romance is a bit too good to be true, a bit wooden. However it works.
It didn’t take a lot of insight to predict what would happen on the Eldritch and the romance front.

An Aconyte ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.… (mais)