London, 1865
Vera Sorokina loves reading the Penny Dreadfuls and immersing herself in tales of adventure, mystery, and romance. Her own days are filled with the often-mundane work of running the book and print shop she owns with her father. The shop offers her the freedom and income to employ and protect the poverty-stricken Londoners she's come to care about, and it gives her father something to do other than long for their hometown of St. Petersburg. She is grateful for the stability in their lives, but she often feels lonely.
Brogan Donnelly was born and raised in Ireland, but has lived in London for several years, where he's built a career as a Penny Dreadful writer. He has dedicated himself to the plight of the poor with the help of his sister. His membership in the secretive Dread Penny Society allows him to feel he isn't entirely wasting his life, yet he feels dissatisfied. With no one to share his life with but his sister, he fears London will never truly feel like home.
Brogan and Vera's paths cross, and the attraction is both immediate and ill-advised. Vera knows from experience that writers are never to be trusted, and Brogan has reason to suspect not everything at her print shop is aboveboard. When the growing criminal enterprise run by the elusive and violent Mastiff begins targeting their area of London, Brogan and Vera must work together to protect the community they've both grown to love. But that means they'll need to learn to trust each other with dangerous secrets that have followed both of them from their home countries.
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It's always a good day when a new Sarah Eden book hits the world. This new installment in The Dread Penny Society series is a good one and everything you have come to expect from this author. I would highly recommend reading this series in order. The characters are all interwoven and connecting and the overarching story is growing with each book.
This story is gentle all the way around. Even in the midst of a climactic ending, the book still feels gentle. The story starts slowly, building with each chapter as we get to know Brogan and Vera better. Author Sarah Eden excels at writing believable characters that are well defined and purposeful. I can always root for them and that feels good. Brogan is a kind man and honestly? I think that might be a trait I am most attracted to. Kindness is underrated. Both Brogan and Vera are kind and strive to help those around them, actively. I adored them both.
As per usual in this series, the story is actually two stories because the men who star in this series are authors! It's a fun concept and also a unique one.
Content: mild peril, mild violence
- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Sarah M.
Eden is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning Proper
Romance series novels including The Lady and the Highwayman and Ashes
on the Moor. Combining her passion for history and an affinity for love stories,
Sarah crafts smart, witty characters and heartfelt romances. She happily spends
hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library and dreams of one day
traveling to all the places she reads about.
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Lovely review, Aimee. I am glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. I am hoping for another book in this series.
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