⋆⋆⋆⋆
Content Warning: violence, death, child abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault.
Temperance Dews knows the streets of St. Giles well. She's grown up amongst the rabble and poverty, and now that she is a widow, she finds herself working at her family's orphanage, alongside her duty-conscious brother, Winter. But Temperance and Winter find themselves in a difficult situation: there is no funding for the home, and without a wealthy patron, it is only a matter of time before the doors are closed. Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is just as desperate as Temperance is -- but his desperation comes from something else: the hunt for a murderer. Caire makes Temperance an offer: if she will act as his guide in St. Giles, he will do his best to help her find the foundling home a patron. As the two of them get closer to the truth, however, they also find themselves drawn together, attracted to one another despite their secrets and dark pasts, and Temperance is faced with a temptation she vowed to never give into again.
This is something a little different for me! I used to read a lot of romance novels, and while I still find them fun, my interest has waned over the years. My sister just read this, and she recommended it highly, so I thought I might give it a go myself -- and I wasn't disappointed. Hoyt's writing is simple and to the point, but she has a masterful way of conveying emotions that is pretty much a requirement for me to enjoy a romance novel.
I very much liked the setting for this one -- St. Giles, in the West End of London. Known for its roughness, it played a pivotal role during the Gin Craze, which Hoyt incorporates into her story. The time period caught my eye as well: the very early 18th century, which I feel is often neglected in romance novels, particularly in favor of Victorian or Regency era settings. Hoyt does a fantastic job of transporting us to time and place, although there were occasions where I wished she would have elaborated a bit more on the surroundings of the foundling home and perhaps gone a bit deeper with regards to the lives of those in St. Giles.
The plot is pretty thin, but I think that's often the case in romance novels, as the focus is more on the characters and their emotional development, so I didn't mind it too much. I did question Lazarus's motivations, and while there is an explanation on them, I found it a little weak. It often seemed that it was nothing more than an excuse to have Lazarus and Temperance forced into working with one another, which I guess isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I never felt fully convinced by Lazarus's part of the story.
The romance itself is excellent, and I loved both Temperance and Lazarus, individually and together. I often find the heroes to be overly cruel or rude to their heroines, but Lazarus struck a perfect balance, managing to anger Temperance and calm her in equal measure. I liked their interplay, and thought the dialogue between them was fantastic. They have a way of balancing each other out, playing off of one another's strengths and weaknesses. The intimacy scenes are also brilliantly written, with what I like most in them: emotional depth. Hoyt is the kind of writer that makes sex scenes feel integral to the story and its characters, and there's a beauty to the way she fits them into the narrative.
Speaking plainly, I think this is an excellent book and, more specifically, an excellent example of its genre -- serious, but without ever losing its playfulness, and with a heroine and hero who both feel fully realized in their characterization, emotions, and pasts.
The only element that didn't have a satisfactory conclusion has to do with Lazarus's aversion to touch. I can't speak on it too freely without spoiling much of the book, but I found it rushed and a bit too perfectly wrapped up. I wish Hoyt had dealt more seriously with some of Lazarus's issues, and that he and Temperance had discussed them more extensively.
Aside from that, I highly recommend this book! It's a great romance, and I'll definitely be reading some more of Hoyt's works!
No comments:
Post a Comment