A review by yourbookishbff
The Lady Sparks a Flame by Elizabeth Everett

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

My favorite of Everett's books to date, Phoebe's story is everything I could have hoped for her. A Villainess of Majestic Proportions, Phoebe is given a character arc we see often in historical romance but almost never for women. I can think of a hundred romances with deeply scarred and traumatized male main characters who have acted violently out of misplaced rage, but it wasn't until reading Phoebe's story that I realized how rarely we allow women to be vengeful, angry, violent and wrong on page. Phoebe's decisions hurt people she cared deeply about and the violence she engineered did not achieve the ends she hoped for. There is nothing glamorous about her actions and no moment of catharsis, and this feels so unique to this story. 

To understand Phoebe, we have to return to where she came from, and the first half of the book takes us to her definitely-haunted childhood home. It's unsettling and dark and reflective and the perfect gothic backdrop for our black cat x golden retriever pairing in Phoebe and Sam. And as the story moves back out and welcomes back our larger cast (all of our faves from the first series!), the trust they've carefully built through extended time together becomes pivotal. I loved every beat in this, and I'm going to be thinking of Phoebe and Sam for a long time. 
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