Scan barcode
masquerader888's review
4.0
This review also posted at A Bookish Compulsion
I always enjoy Ms. Dawson’s Blud novellas and The Damsel and the Daggerman was no exception. Returning to Sang and the wonderful caravan of Criminy Stain, this short vignette features two new characters, Marco the “Deadly Daggerman” and Jacinda a fearless journalist. Watching the interplay between these two while also getting some background on the familiar cast at the caravan and a look at the culture at large was the best of both worlds. While I don’t know how well this story would play to those unfamiliar with the Sang universe, for those of us who love this world The Damsel and the Daggerman was an excellent installment brimming with fun, thrilling excitement and steam.
I Give The Damsel and the Daggerman a happy four stars. ★★★★
I always enjoy Ms. Dawson’s Blud novellas and The Damsel and the Daggerman was no exception. Returning to Sang and the wonderful caravan of Criminy Stain, this short vignette features two new characters, Marco the “Deadly Daggerman” and Jacinda a fearless journalist. Watching the interplay between these two while also getting some background on the familiar cast at the caravan and a look at the culture at large was the best of both worlds. While I don’t know how well this story would play to those unfamiliar with the Sang universe, for those of us who love this world The Damsel and the Daggerman was an excellent installment brimming with fun, thrilling excitement and steam.
I Give The Damsel and the Daggerman a happy four stars. ★★★★
beastreader's review
4.0
I really like this series. I had gotten a copy of this book and started reading it back than but put it down. As I was cleaning up my books, I came across this one again and decided to give it a second chance. This time it was different and I read the whole book. I was once again transported into the carnie world. I could see all of the caravans lined up and envision all of the carnies. Marco has a dark aura about him and it does not have to do with the fact that he might be a murder. It has to do with the fact that he is tall, dark, good looking, and has skills with throwing dangerous objects. Thus the reason it was easy to see how Jacinda fell for Marco. "You play with knives and someone might get cut". This story has me excited to revisit this series.
witandsin's review
3.0
My review cross-posted from Wit and Sin: http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-damsel-and-daggerman-by-delilah.html
If you want a taste of Delilah S. Dawson’s marvelous Blud series, The Damsel and the Daggerman is a good place to start. With intrepid reporter Jacinda Harville as your guide, you can experience Sangland’s most intriguing band of carnivalleros. Front and center are Jacinda and Marco, two mature, intelligent protagonists who intrigued me from the beginning. Jacinda’s a widow who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it, even if she has to go toe-to-toe with infamous Bludman Criminy Stain in order get her story. Marco, in turn, is a man with a mysterious past and a talent for handling blades. I loved unwrapping the mystery that was Marco alongside Jacinda, although I did feel that the revelations concerning Marco’s past – and significant exploration into his and Jacinda’s characters – were a bit rushed due to the length of the story. Still, Jacinda and Marco are excellent both on their own and as a pair, and it was delightful getting to see the beginnings of their romance.
The Damsel and the Daggerman takes place between the second and third books in Ms. Dawson’s Blud series, and it certainly fed my craving for Blud – ;) – as I waited for Wicked After Midnight to be released. Fans of the series need not fear missing some of their favorite characters, for Criminy’s carnivalleros all have entertaining cameos. That being said, ringmaster and Blud hero extraordinaire Criminy Stain does steal every scene he’s in, and to a lesser degree so does contortionist Demi Ward. Normally this wouldn’t bother me, but since The Damsel and the Daggerman is a novella and Marco and Jacinda were unknown entities, I would have liked to see them be the stars of their own show. Still, as a bridge between Blud stories or simply as a sample of the world, The Damsel and the Daggerman is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and reading any tale set in Criminy’s world is time well spent.
Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you want a taste of Delilah S. Dawson’s marvelous Blud series, The Damsel and the Daggerman is a good place to start. With intrepid reporter Jacinda Harville as your guide, you can experience Sangland’s most intriguing band of carnivalleros. Front and center are Jacinda and Marco, two mature, intelligent protagonists who intrigued me from the beginning. Jacinda’s a widow who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it, even if she has to go toe-to-toe with infamous Bludman Criminy Stain in order get her story. Marco, in turn, is a man with a mysterious past and a talent for handling blades. I loved unwrapping the mystery that was Marco alongside Jacinda, although I did feel that the revelations concerning Marco’s past – and significant exploration into his and Jacinda’s characters – were a bit rushed due to the length of the story. Still, Jacinda and Marco are excellent both on their own and as a pair, and it was delightful getting to see the beginnings of their romance.
The Damsel and the Daggerman takes place between the second and third books in Ms. Dawson’s Blud series, and it certainly fed my craving for Blud – ;) – as I waited for Wicked After Midnight to be released. Fans of the series need not fear missing some of their favorite characters, for Criminy’s carnivalleros all have entertaining cameos. That being said, ringmaster and Blud hero extraordinaire Criminy Stain does steal every scene he’s in, and to a lesser degree so does contortionist Demi Ward. Normally this wouldn’t bother me, but since The Damsel and the Daggerman is a novella and Marco and Jacinda were unknown entities, I would have liked to see them be the stars of their own show. Still, as a bridge between Blud stories or simply as a sample of the world, The Damsel and the Daggerman is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and reading any tale set in Criminy’s world is time well spent.
Note: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
lilyelement's review
5.0
The Damsel and the Daggerman is the perfect start for 2014. I've read all of the Blud books so far, and the series just seems to get better with each book. This novella is a peek back at the travelling circus life and revolves around a new character, The Deadly Daggerman, Marco Taresque. He's sexy, and his origin is mysterious. His character is one that likes to be in control and he never misses his mark. I wouldn't quite call him shy or antisocial, but he likes to keep to himself.
Jacinda Harville, a journalist, enters the travelling circus with permission by Criminy to interview his people so she can write a book. Instantly intrigued, she focuses in on Marco and won't stop until she finds out the truth. The pacing and world building is spot on, and up to par with DDawson's full length books. I really enjoyed reading Marco's story, and hope to see him and Jacinda in future books. This series is a must read if you enjoy UF/PNR. If you haven't read the Blud series yet, pick up book 1, Wicked as They Come, I highly recommend this series.
Jacinda Harville, a journalist, enters the travelling circus with permission by Criminy to interview his people so she can write a book. Instantly intrigued, she focuses in on Marco and won't stop until she finds out the truth. The pacing and world building is spot on, and up to par with DDawson's full length books. I really enjoyed reading Marco's story, and hope to see him and Jacinda in future books. This series is a must read if you enjoy UF/PNR. If you haven't read the Blud series yet, pick up book 1, Wicked as They Come, I highly recommend this series.
nyxshadow's review
4.0
http://www.nyx-shadow.com/2014/10/blud-t25-damsel-and-daggerman-delilah-s.html
littleread1's review
5.0
As always Dawson spins a tale that renews my love of Sang over and over again. Here we find ourselves back at Criminey's Caravan, and we even get a brief glimpse of the man and Tish themselves, enough that I wondered what was going on with them. Something is up. But alas, it is not their story.
We follow Jacinda, a journalist, who wants to write a story about life as a carnivalleo. Little did she know that she would also find love. Of course, we the reader know this will happen, it's the reason we are here to begin with!
This story follows Dawson's typical format, strong female lead, sexy as hell male lead, someone has a secret, there is danger, and then we all live happily ever after. But the fact that she does it in a novella, and you still feel you know the characters, is an amazing feat. The twist/secret in Daggerman is not one I saw coming, and it is adorable and I love it. I can't say anything else, because I am afraid I will give it away.
The way Dawson can transport us to Sang, no matter how long or short the story is, is a talent not many authors have. She paints such a real picture of a place that is so magical that I feel like I should have a souvenir sitting on my bookshelf. Oh wait, I do, her stories. It's a good thing I have my passport, I plan to revisit Sang time and time again!
We follow Jacinda, a journalist, who wants to write a story about life as a carnivalleo. Little did she know that she would also find love. Of course, we the reader know this will happen, it's the reason we are here to begin with!
This story follows Dawson's typical format, strong female lead, sexy as hell male lead, someone has a secret, there is danger, and then we all live happily ever after. But the fact that she does it in a novella, and you still feel you know the characters, is an amazing feat. The twist/secret in Daggerman is not one I saw coming, and it is adorable and I love it. I can't say anything else, because I am afraid I will give it away.
The way Dawson can transport us to Sang, no matter how long or short the story is, is a talent not many authors have. She paints such a real picture of a place that is so magical that I feel like I should have a souvenir sitting on my bookshelf. Oh wait, I do, her stories. It's a good thing I have my passport, I plan to revisit Sang time and time again!
denizyildiz's review
4.0
LOVE!LOVE!LOVE!
That was my first reaction upon finishing this. That and the warm giddy feeling that spread across my being, materialising itself in a silly happy grin.. and "oh no! wait! it's finished" a slightly panicked run to the laptop and check on amazon. To be disappointed with the knowledge that well, the next book in this series "Wicked after Midnight"will only be published at the end of January 2014. le sigh!
Well the good news is- The Damsel and the Daggerman is going to be published beginning of January- thus sweetening the waiting time a bit. The novella has all the things we have come to expect from Dawson. Great world building, interesting characters and good smut as well.
The story is set in Criminy's Caravan and is a romantic mystery. The plot is interesting and enticing with a big showdown moment and several twists- some of them totally unexpected. Despite being relatively short it didn't feel rushed - except maybe at the end the big showdown bit, was kinda sudden and fast.
The world building oh the world building! - well as you know I adore this series. One of the reasons is the world building. And Dawson didn't slack this time around. She built on the previous books but in such a way that this could be easily read as a stand alone. Her Steampunk world is surprising, dark, dangerous, gritty, full of magic and paranormal beings but also beautiful, surprisingly Victorian, with great Steampunk gadgets and details and leans cleverly onto our real world.
The character building is really well done as well. Many of the characters we got to know in the previous book featured. But it is mainly about new Characters. Mainly Jacinda and Marco.
In this short story I got to know Jacinda- most of this is written in her POV- and connected with her. I understood what drives her and how she became who she was. Given that this is only 100pages long, this is a great feat.
Marco was totally enticing, mysterious and hot. And I might change from camp Criminy ;) Seriously though, he was a puzzle most of the times, he also felt real and interesting. (did i mention he is seriously hot?)
There was also an introduction to Demi, the main female character of Wicked after Midnight. One only got a glimpse of her, but I am the hook and I can't wait to read her story in Blud #3
Dawson's prose is again beautiful, captivating and enticing. She seriously can write steamy scenes like very few other authors I know. But she also captures my imaginations, paints a beautiful, dark and goth world with her words that seeps into my being in some way and stays with me like a wonderful vivid dream.
A great novella that could be easily read as a stand alone. A definite must read for lovers of the series and the genre.
That was my first reaction upon finishing this. That and the warm giddy feeling that spread across my being, materialising itself in a silly happy grin.. and "oh no! wait! it's finished" a slightly panicked run to the laptop and check on amazon. To be disappointed with the knowledge that well, the next book in this series "Wicked after Midnight"will only be published at the end of January 2014. le sigh!
Well the good news is- The Damsel and the Daggerman is going to be published beginning of January- thus sweetening the waiting time a bit. The novella has all the things we have come to expect from Dawson. Great world building, interesting characters and good smut as well.
The story is set in Criminy's Caravan and is a romantic mystery. The plot is interesting and enticing with a big showdown moment and several twists- some of them totally unexpected. Despite being relatively short it didn't feel rushed - except maybe at the end the big showdown bit, was kinda sudden and fast.
The world building oh the world building! - well as you know I adore this series. One of the reasons is the world building. And Dawson didn't slack this time around. She built on the previous books but in such a way that this could be easily read as a stand alone. Her Steampunk world is surprising, dark, dangerous, gritty, full of magic and paranormal beings but also beautiful, surprisingly Victorian, with great Steampunk gadgets and details and leans cleverly onto our real world.
The character building is really well done as well. Many of the characters we got to know in the previous book featured. But it is mainly about new Characters. Mainly Jacinda and Marco.
In this short story I got to know Jacinda- most of this is written in her POV- and connected with her. I understood what drives her and how she became who she was. Given that this is only 100pages long, this is a great feat.
Marco was totally enticing, mysterious and hot. And I might change from camp Criminy ;) Seriously though, he was a puzzle most of the times, he also felt real and interesting. (did i mention he is seriously hot?)
There was also an introduction to Demi, the main female character of Wicked after Midnight. One only got a glimpse of her, but I am the hook and I can't wait to read her story in Blud #3
Dawson's prose is again beautiful, captivating and enticing. She seriously can write steamy scenes like very few other authors I know. But she also captures my imaginations, paints a beautiful, dark and goth world with her words that seeps into my being in some way and stays with me like a wonderful vivid dream.
A great novella that could be easily read as a stand alone. A definite must read for lovers of the series and the genre.
caitlinsn's review
4.0
Another fun novella in the Blud series. I really enjoyed Marco. He was fascinating (and hot which is always a bonus). I liked the main character but she got under my skin. Snoopy journalist who won't leave well enough alone (which is the point but it was enough for me to hiss at her a few times). But the story unraveled well and it was a fun little twist of a thing.