In this Gothic Regency romance Rebecca fears she has developed feelings for the man she swore to see hanged, her brother's murderer.
After her brother’s mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible: Mr. Lewis Browning—known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian.
Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation among the darkened corridors of the mysterious Greybourne Hall. Yet Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca’s restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother’s prior descent into madness and wondering if she, too, will follow the same heartbreaking path.
Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Mr. Browning, Rebecca can’t ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she fallen for the man she swore would pay for her brother’s death? And moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future?
After her brother’s mysterious death, Rebecca Hunter vows to expose the man she believes responsible: Mr. Lewis Browning—known by the locals as the Midnight Devil and by Rebecca as her new guardian.
Summoned to his reclusive country estate to await her London season, Rebecca plans her own secret investigation among the darkened corridors of the mysterious Greybourne Hall. Yet Lewis Browning is not as she once imagined, and his motivation is horribly unclear. Recurrent nightmares and Rebecca’s restless feelings are further complicated by the shadow of her mother’s prior descent into madness and wondering if she, too, will follow the same heartbreaking path.
Even as midnight rides, strange injuries, and further murders lead back to Mr. Browning, Rebecca can’t ignore the subtle turn of her heart. Has she fallen for the man she swore would pay for her brother’s death? And moreover, can she trust him with her uncertain future?
MY THOUGHTS
The characters were great. Lewis had me so intrigued. He had such a horrible reputation. The townspeople avoided him at all costs, yet he was so sweet and charming whenever he appeared on the page. Were the rumors about him true? I was very curious about where that bad reputation came from.
Rebecca was feisty, courageous, and stubborn. I will say that there were a few times I got really frustrated with her, though. She'd stubbornly not listen to the wise advice from those around her and would actually do the exact opposite, which, inevitably, led to her finding herself in dangerous situations. I wanted to shake some sense into her sometimes.
My favorite characters were probably Aunt Jo and Sophie. Aunt Jo was loving and such a great companion and Sophie was pretty much the best kind of dog you could ask for.
This first book I've read by Abigail Wilson certainly won't be my last. I'm very much looking forward to reading more from her. If you're a fan of mystery-filled historical romances that feature a slow-building romance, I highly recommend this novel.
FOUR STARS
I don't love it when characters act stubbornly stupid like it sounds like Rebecca did in this one, but if they only do it one or two times in a book I try to look past it. ;D
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's one of my biggest pet peeves. It'll take me right out of the story. Thankfully, Rebecca didn't act like that the whole story, just a few times. It got frustrating, though, that's for sure.
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