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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Review
Oh how Iove missed these characters. I have adored each of these characters since Firelight.
I love Poppy's fierce need to protect those she loves. Everything she tried to keep secret definitely came out after Winston was attacked. Poppy tries to win back his love without making her seem needy. She is a force to be reckoned with, expecially when things don't go her way. I admired the battle that Winston fights with himself. How can he love a woman who has kept so many secrets from him?
The tension between these two is insane. They love each other, and miss each other, but they are both too proud to admit it. I love seeing them have to work togther to solve the mystery of what is coming at them. They have a need to protect each other, but each wants to do it in their own way. There may be some times that they do things the other won't approve of but they do it out of love.
These two definitely have to figure out if they can trust each other. Sometimes love isn't enough, but sometimes it is.
4 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
His eyes had been dark when he looked at her, and in that moment, she felt as though she was his whole world, that no one existed for him but her, just as he was the only thing right and perfect in her life.
Winterblaze is the third installment in the Darkest London series and I was dreading my return to this ominous version of London but also excited to pick up where I left off and discover more of the stories this world has to offer.
The Darkest London series is set in such a darkly lush world during the Victorian era where London is inhabited by many supernatural creatures.
You'd expect glittering ballrooms and fancy outings but here we have dangerous creatures, secret societies, and a chain of murders.
“I met you, I woke to life. You saw me for who I was. And in return, I wanted to live again. You gave my life flavor, color, texture, and I found myself willing to do anything to keep that.”
Winterblaze follows the married pair—Poppy Ellis Lane and Winston Lane. When a secret uncovers itself during the events of Moonlight, Win and Poppy become estranged for months.
Win cannot reconcile with the fact that for most of their 14 years of marriage that Poppy kept a secret that changed everything for him—and that his wife was a very good liar and it almost costed him his life.
Poppy is paying the price for keeping her true identity and an entire different world a secret from Win.
“Regardless of the disappointments that have arisen between us, sweeting, you should understand that I will always care.”
This book more or less is about a second-chance at love, a married pair that are working through their issues and regaining trust, there was so much angst and longing between them.
Each book offers such a gripping plot, atmospheric world-building, and a sizzling hot romance. With every book, the world become more intricate, complex, and darker. More characters and creatures show up and that expands this unique world even more.
I was very glad to have flashbacks of how their relationship blossomed—from courting to the early days of their marriage. I did find it realistic that there wasn't a quick and easy reconciliation between Poppy and Win and they had to work hard to make their marriage work and move on to a new page.
Another thing I liked was the power imbalance between them. Win is extremely protective of Poppy yet Poppy is more powerful than him it seems and this is something that Win had to come to terms with when her true powers came to light. This is one of the things that they had to work around.
I felt that the pacing was off sometimes but it did not ruin my enjoyment of this book. It was nicely action-packed and the characters were multi-layered.
I'm looking forward to Jack Talent and Mary Chase's story in Shadowdance.
His eyes had been dark when he looked at her, and in that moment, she felt as though she was his whole world, that no one existed for him but her, just as he was the only thing right and perfect in her life.
Winterblaze is the third installment in the Darkest London series and I was dreading my return to this ominous version of London but also excited to pick up where I left off and discover more of the stories this world has to offer.
The Darkest London series is set in such a darkly lush world during the Victorian era where London is inhabited by many supernatural creatures.
You'd expect glittering ballrooms and fancy outings but here we have dangerous creatures, secret societies, and a chain of murders.
“I met you, I woke to life. You saw me for who I was. And in return, I wanted to live again. You gave my life flavor, color, texture, and I found myself willing to do anything to keep that.”
Winterblaze follows the married pair—Poppy Ellis Lane and Winston Lane. When a secret uncovers itself during the events of Moonlight, Win and Poppy become estranged for months.
Win cannot reconcile with the fact that for most of their 14 years of marriage that Poppy kept a secret that changed everything for him—and that his wife was a very good liar and it almost costed him his life.
Poppy is paying the price for keeping her true identity and an entire different world a secret from Win.
“Regardless of the disappointments that have arisen between us, sweeting, you should understand that I will always care.”
This book more or less is about a second-chance at love, a married pair that are working through their issues and regaining trust, there was so much angst and longing between them.
Each book offers such a gripping plot, atmospheric world-building, and a sizzling hot romance. With every book, the world become more intricate, complex, and darker. More characters and creatures show up and that expands this unique world even more.
I was very glad to have flashbacks of how their relationship blossomed—from courting to the early days of their marriage. I did find it realistic that there wasn't a quick and easy reconciliation between Poppy and Win and they had to work hard to make their marriage work and move on to a new page.
Another thing I liked was the power imbalance between them. Win is extremely protective of Poppy yet Poppy is more powerful than him it seems and this is something that Win had to come to terms with when her true powers came to light. This is one of the things that they had to work around.
I felt that the pacing was off sometimes but it did not ruin my enjoyment of this book. It was nicely action-packed and the characters were multi-layered.
I'm looking forward to Jack Talent and Mary Chase's story in Shadowdance.
It's yummy Paul Marron(aka Lothaire) on cover, I think!
God, I love this author's covers!
God, I love this author's covers!
The story of Poppy and her estranged husband Winston.
Poppy has had to keep secrets from everyone in her family and when the truth came out in the previous book, Winston did not take it very well. This story picks up a short while after the events of the previous book and shows how the couple reunites once again.
Poppy is a lot more kickass than we were led to believe, and so is Winston. The two of them work together to find a way to defeat a demon that is after them, and get to know each other again, this time without secrets in their way.
While I normally enjoy the estranged married couple trope, for some reason I just wasn't particularly invested in their story, through no fault of their own. I suppose I just wasn't in the mood for this book at the time.
I am curious to see how things progress between Jack Talent and Mary Chase, however, especially since they seemed to rub each other the wrong way in this book. Their story comes after the novella [b:Entwined|17861762|Entwined (Darkest London, #3.5)|Kristen Callihan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374726024s/17861762.jpg|25008078] about, in [b:Shadowdance|15787204|Shadowdance (Darkest London, #4)|Kristen Callihan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1368136774s/15787204.jpg|21506941].
Previous book reviews:
✦ Moonglow (Darkest London #2)
✦ Firelight (Darkest London #1)
Poppy has had to keep secrets from everyone in her family and when the truth came out in the previous book, Winston did not take it very well. This story picks up a short while after the events of the previous book and shows how the couple reunites once again.
Poppy is a lot more kickass than we were led to believe, and so is Winston. The two of them work together to find a way to defeat a demon that is after them, and get to know each other again, this time without secrets in their way.
While I normally enjoy the estranged married couple trope, for some reason I just wasn't particularly invested in their story, through no fault of their own. I suppose I just wasn't in the mood for this book at the time.
I am curious to see how things progress between Jack Talent and Mary Chase, however, especially since they seemed to rub each other the wrong way in this book. Their story comes after the novella [b:Entwined|17861762|Entwined (Darkest London, #3.5)|Kristen Callihan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1374726024s/17861762.jpg|25008078] about
Spoiler
Poppy's newly discovered younger brotherPrevious book reviews:
✦ Moonglow (Darkest London #2)
✦ Firelight (Darkest London #1)
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Torture
Characters: bookseller/agent, former inspector
World Building: agency, demons
Plot: Race against time to stop nefarious plot and reveal critical information, marriage in trouble and then re-formed
Sex: Medium, with lots of tension
Read another: Yes.
Callihan has created an interesting world. Now that the sisters are paired off, what will happen next?
World Building: agency, demons
Plot: Race against time to stop nefarious plot and reveal critical information, marriage in trouble and then re-formed
Sex: Medium, with lots of tension
Read another: Yes.
Callihan has created an interesting world. Now that the sisters are paired off, what will happen next?
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I sincerely haven't been enthralled with a series like Kristen Callihan's "Darkest London" in a long, long time. "Winterblaze" just continues to trailblaze the series with a unique blend of historical romance, supernatural elements, and a charming blend of action, humor, and tense stakes.
I think the one element that worked against this book might've had to do with pacing, especially considering the frequent trades of flashbacks that peppered the early part of the book. While I understood the motive, I think that made this particular book much harder to get through, for frequency. Other than that factor, this book was made of win, as it builds the tension higher with respect to the overarching story surrounding the Elemental sisters, with Poppy taking the reins in this particular story.
Winston Lane has left his wife, Poppy, of 14 years after being brutally injured in "Moonglow" and learning that his wife has kept a significant secret from him about her supernatural powers and respective roles. But it turns out that Winston's not without secrets of his own as a demon chases after him to collect, and Poppy proceeds to persue him in order to save her husband. The tensions rise between them off and on with a number of revelations, but the narrative also shows them reconciling in some very steamy ways. There's another parallel story running between this as Jack Talent and Mary Chase join up to assist Poppy and Winston, but end up in a crossfire of their own (especially with respect to what happens to Jack in this book - yikes. No doubt that'll have significant bearings for the book to follow this.)
Despite some points where the narrative drags a little, the payoff for the revelations is well worth seeing unfold, and I'll admit I was surprised by a number of them, as well as reading eagerly as the novel ran at full throttle towards its climax. Very nice touch of action and outwitting smarts in the conclusion of events, and it does bring together some important threads established in this series thus far. Poppy and Winston were fun to watch in lighter moments, and there were more than enough "cool" scenes to watch in the supernatural side of this narrative.
Overall, I really enjoyed the ride, and look forward to more from Callihan's narratives here, especially in the upcoming "Shadowdance" to see Jack and Mary's story.
Overall score: 4/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Forever/Grand Central Publishing.
I think the one element that worked against this book might've had to do with pacing, especially considering the frequent trades of flashbacks that peppered the early part of the book. While I understood the motive, I think that made this particular book much harder to get through, for frequency. Other than that factor, this book was made of win, as it builds the tension higher with respect to the overarching story surrounding the Elemental sisters, with Poppy taking the reins in this particular story.
Winston Lane has left his wife, Poppy, of 14 years after being brutally injured in "Moonglow" and learning that his wife has kept a significant secret from him about her supernatural powers and respective roles. But it turns out that Winston's not without secrets of his own as a demon chases after him to collect, and Poppy proceeds to persue him in order to save her husband. The tensions rise between them off and on with a number of revelations, but the narrative also shows them reconciling in some very steamy ways. There's another parallel story running between this as Jack Talent and Mary Chase join up to assist Poppy and Winston, but end up in a crossfire of their own (especially with respect to what happens to Jack in this book - yikes. No doubt that'll have significant bearings for the book to follow this.)
Despite some points where the narrative drags a little, the payoff for the revelations is well worth seeing unfold, and I'll admit I was surprised by a number of them, as well as reading eagerly as the novel ran at full throttle towards its climax. Very nice touch of action and outwitting smarts in the conclusion of events, and it does bring together some important threads established in this series thus far. Poppy and Winston were fun to watch in lighter moments, and there were more than enough "cool" scenes to watch in the supernatural side of this narrative.
Overall, I really enjoyed the ride, and look forward to more from Callihan's narratives here, especially in the upcoming "Shadowdance" to see Jack and Mary's story.
Overall score: 4/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Forever/Grand Central Publishing.
The struggle was real in this one. I LOVED how they couldn't stay away from each other but got frustrated because they didn't admit to things they were thinking about hence not bridging the gap sooner. But the end! The end made up for everything. I loved Win, he is a genius and very devoted to Poppy. Loved her as well. She was too devoted to Win and a badass. Overall a very great read.