Series: Darkest London #3
Genre: Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance
Published by: Forever on February 26, 2013
Format: eARC
Pages: 400
Source: NetGalley
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Once blissfully in love . . .
Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy's secrets are revealed, leaving Winston's trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . .
Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.
Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy's love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Ms. Callihan has delivered another beautifully written story of sacrifice, intrigue and unequivocal love!
The Darkest London series continues its brilliantly written, gothic supernatural world in WINTERBLAZE. Kristen Callihan has a way of reinventing her world to fit her characters with each new book that is truly special. WINTERBLAZE stands out as the most unique of the stories when it comes to romance, due to the existing relationship between the hero and heroine. Because the couple is already married, the backstory of how their romance began is told through some entertaining flashbacks.
The spotlight is on the oldest of the Ellis sisters, Poppy and her husband Winston Lane in WINTERBLAZE. As a result of a brutal attack that almost ended his life, Inspector Winston Lane is now aware of the supernatural world around him and the secret society (Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals) his wife leads, a truth he cannot bear to deal with and runs from. When a demon threatens to destroy his chances of rekindling his relationship with Poppy, Winston must put his investigative skills to the test in order to outsmart his enemy. To defeat the demon, Winston and Poppy will be forced to choose the path of forgiveness in order to protect their love or risk losing it all.
All of the Ellis sisters are strong and independent women, especially for their time, but Poppy might be the feistiest! She has lead somewhat of a double life, hiding her supernatural abilities and involvement in the SOS for years, carrying the burden of these secrets from her sisters and the man she loves for a very long time. Everyone in her life sees her as this demure proper lady but little do they know she can seriously kick some butt, when the occasion calls for it! There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to this couple and it was fun getting to know them individually as well as at the start of their romance.
I always saw Winston as an uptight Inspector but he took me by surprise with his alpha dominance and sexy charm. Win definitely transforms into quite the hero in Winterblaze, maybe it was the brush with death, whatever it was he had my undivided attention. He tends to wear his heart on his sleeve and it was hard to see him walk away from Poppy, especially when you know he has secrets of his own. When Win’s secret is finally revealed, you can’t help root for this relationship’s HEA. These characters are both flawed in their own way but compliment each other beautifully, they have scorching chemistry whether they’re arguing or flirting, you never doubt they love each other.
Kristen Callihan’s storytelling continues to impress me with each book. The world building is exceptional and the rich details transport you to the dark streets of Victorian London with a supernatural twist that keeps you on edge. WINTERBLAZE is an emotionally charged story that unearths many secrets, revisits the past, introduces evil villains and solidifies the strong bond between our beloved hero and heroine…what more can you ask for?! Winston and Poppy will surely sweep you off your feet!
Yes, I couldn’t agree more. The story was wonderful and beautifully told. She continues to surprise me and I love it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this book! I have to get back to reading this series w/ Moonglow.
I LOVE this series! It’s so hard to pick a fav because they are all just so darned good. Great review! I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed this one as much as I did.