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A review by sarag19
The Dark Days Deceit by Alison Goodman
4.0
4.5 out of 5 Stars
I have been so highly anticipating this book and to say I was left wanting more is an understatement. And I don't say that in a good way even if I did like the book in the end.
Lady Helen and her crew are in Bath waiting out her wedding to Selburn while still trying to track down the Grand Deceiver. It is clear that the author did a great deal of research on the Regency period. Everything from parties to clothing styles to the gossip of the day is put out in great detail and you can feel how much the author really likes the time period. So I have to give her a great deal of credit for creating such a beautiful crafted world in her book, focusing on the way society works, especially for women with their clothes and gossip. Unfortunately its in these periods that I felt my eyes glaze over and my brain start to tune out. It was great in the first book as the world was established and okay in pieces in the second book but by the third book my interest in gossip and clothing style is gone and I wanted the fight between the Grand Reclaimer and Grand Deceiver. This is what the entire story has been building up to and by the time we get to it, its almost blink and its over.
I still liked the majority of the characters but I feel that this book suffered from what so many other books seem to when they get to the final battle. Characters that are dumbed down and oblivious to what is going on around them just for the sake of the plot. There are so many far to convenient conflicts that rise and neither Helen or Carlston take a step back and think "Hmm... How interesting that these things designed to keep us apart keep popping up once we come together. Maybe we should stay together." I would have been okay if this was a straight period romance but its not.
The fact I didn't pitch my book across the room at that moment is still beyond me. The fact that Helen, who seems to be so observant in the first two books doesn't see the truth before her is maddening. I wanted my strong Helen who stood up to her uncle back, who peeked her head up from time to time throughout the book. Its clear from the beginning what the authors end game is with regards to the marriage but its still frustrating. Carlston and Helen deserved their happiness and while they get it in the end, I would have loved to see maybe a tiny epilogue with them out loving life and kicking ass.
Overall, I still really liked this series and the characters and the world that the author has created. I just wish there had been more with a better paced story.
I have been so highly anticipating this book and to say I was left wanting more is an understatement. And I don't say that in a good way even if I did like the book in the end.
Lady Helen and her crew are in Bath waiting out her wedding to Selburn while still trying to track down the Grand Deceiver. It is clear that the author did a great deal of research on the Regency period. Everything from parties to clothing styles to the gossip of the day is put out in great detail and you can feel how much the author really likes the time period. So I have to give her a great deal of credit for creating such a beautiful crafted world in her book, focusing on the way society works, especially for women with their clothes and gossip. Unfortunately its in these periods that I felt my eyes glaze over and my brain start to tune out. It was great in the first book as the world was established and okay in pieces in the second book but by the third book my interest in gossip and clothing style is gone and I wanted the fight between the Grand Reclaimer and Grand Deceiver. This is what the entire story has been building up to and by the time we get to it, its almost blink and its over.
I still liked the majority of the characters but I feel that this book suffered from what so many other books seem to when they get to the final battle. Characters that are dumbed down and oblivious to what is going on around them just for the sake of the plot. There are so many far to convenient conflicts that rise and neither Helen or Carlston take a step back and think "Hmm... How interesting that these things designed to keep us apart keep popping up once we come together. Maybe we should stay together." I would have been okay if this was a straight period romance but its not.
Spoiler
Its pretty obvious from the first book that Selburn is going to be the main bad guy and I found it actually humorous that the only one that seems to see something wrong is her uncle! He states clearly that Selburn is mad for wanting her and in this society that the author has taken so much time to craft, it makes a lot of sense. Selburn doesn't like who Helen is and will not play second fiddle to a woman, there is even a scene that Selburn declares that he would force himself upon her and Helen, strong Helen, just sits there and says nothing.Overall, I still really liked this series and the characters and the world that the author has created. I just wish there had been more with a better paced story.