Nocturnal Book Reviews

I admit I was seduced by this gorgeous cover straight away. It had this Gothic Victorian feeling about it. Well, it's totally unrelated to the book. Also, it's not a paranormal romance, more like urban fantasy but with less fighting and more walking *grinning*.

Oh yes, the main characters - Katherine, Chris and Jonathan walk miles and miles along the green and idyllic British countryside. There are passages like this...

The merriment was contagious. The locals seemed to accept us as one of their own — at least Chris and I. They sensed Jonathan’s reticence to interact and seemed to leave him to his own devices. I wasn’t sure what was going on with him. He smiled and drank only water. Other than that, he would make his way to the window from time to time. What he was looking for I wasn’t sure.
Chris and I both drank beer — the locals plying us with free rounds.
We managed to get cornered by an older gentleman with a few missing teeth. With his Lundberg stetson perched upon his head and pipe in his hand, he looked all the part of old English charm. He shared with us a tale. Chris and I hung off his every word.
“Now, the men of Shropshire in the west were well acquainted with the fey folk, or so it is said. And hundreds of years ago, such encounters were commonplace. One such man was Edric the Wild.

...which amused me to no end. Excuse me for rolling my eyes, but this is way too idyllic for me.

It's an entertaining book, but I wasn't sure quite what to make out of it. Katherine, Chris and Jonathan weren't there enough for me to get to know and like their characters. The book felt too short for the story to develop; the plot is slow until halfway through the book, when Chris and Katherine fly to UK to talk to her aunt Marigold, then everything is rushed, rushed, rushed! The end comes too soon.

Love triangle was awkward. I couldn't get the devotion Katherine was receiving from the guys, although they both were quite interesting on their own. The villain was murky. I mean, you do get to feel sorry for her right in the end, otherwise she just pops in and out.

What struck me as very amusing was how the scene of seduction is always different from a man or a woman's point of view.

If you read a female author, 9 times out of 10 the man is a seducer and an instigator. This is not the first paranormal romance by a male author I've read where the sex scene (which is very hot, by the way) introduces the woman as an instigator and someone who takes charge.
All I'm saying, food for thought, ladies. An interesting psychological insight.

All in all, I did enjoy this book. It just wasn't what I expected.