Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan Also by this author: Entwined, Shadowdance, Evernight, Soulbound, The Friend Zone, Forevermore
Series: Darkest London #3
Also in this series: Entwined, Shadowdance, Evernight, Soulbound, Forevermore
Published by Grand Central Publishing on February 26th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Urban, Victorian
Pages: 448
Format: eBook
ISBN: 1455520799
Goodreads
Once blissfully in love . . . Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy's secrets are revealed, leaving Winston's trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . . Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy's love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.
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Review
With book one, Firelight, of the Darkest London Series by Kristen Callihan, Poppy Ellis Lane was introduced as the older, married sister of the heroine Miranda. Poppy was a minor character married to Inspector Winston Lane. Neither character seemed that remarkable, which was fine being that they were both secondary characters in the book. Poppy was introduced as a mother-hen bookseller, likable but nothing remarkable.
Then in book two of the series, Moonglow, the book focused on Daisy Ellis Craig more, Miranda’s and Poppy’s flamboyant middle sister. In Moonglow more was revealed about both Winston and Poppy, and both their roles in the series were expanded. Winston’s hunt for the killer in Moonglow and Poppy’s identity were both part of the ongoing story line of the series.
Now in Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan, Poppy and Winston get their own book, and what a book it is. These two characters have emerged as my favorites of the series. In a period of arranged marriages, the couple who went against societies mores and actually married for love, have been torn apart by Poppy’s lies and secrets. Winston, who was attacked by a werewolf in Moonglow, is still healing and has left Poppy. Poppy has been left alone, with only her deceit to keep her warm at night.
What made this such a fun read for me is that author Kristen Callihan takes the reader back to when Poppy and Winston first met, and their love story is explored in both the past and the present of Darkest London. Their love story is a rich tapestry with strong threads of emotional bonds that sucked me into the dilemma of Winston and Poppy’s marriage. With each thread that is pulled by Poppy’s and Winston’s lies, will the tapestry unravel or are their lives more than a few worn and broken bonds? Can a marriage based on multiple lies survive even in Darkest London? Both Winston and Poppy are the most human of all the couples, and it is this fragile humanity that draws the reader to them, as individuals and as a couple. They may be an old married couple but the romance sparks between them, and it held me captivated.
Of course, the urban fantasy aspect of Darkest London is in full swing, as a demon is after Winston, and despite their estrangement, Poppy has arrived to protect him. With each new entry into the series, the world Callihan builds becomes more and more complex and faceted. In her first book, Firelight, the readers and the characters were on the periphery of Darkest London. With Winterblaze the readers are in the bowels of the supernatural world, and I for one delight in the depth of Callihan’s world.
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