“The eldest and most sensible of the three Cabot siblings,
Caroline is naturally concerned that her sister Vivienne has lately been
keeping company with the infamous Adrian Kane, Viscount Trevelyan, the
enigmatic nobleman whom most of the ton
firmly believe is…a vampire! Surely, it is nonsense. And yet…
The brooding gentleman inhabits a dark castle and is never seen in the
daylight, embarking nightly on mysterious excursions to who knows where. And from the first moment Caroline encounters
the handsome, hypnotically compelling viscount, she is shaken by a fevered
desire for the man that borders on the unnatural. She must
know Adrian’s secrets! But each step
that draws the inquisitive beauty deeper into his shadowy world pulls her
closer to a sensuous surrender, for the power of his passion is impossible to
resist. Is he man or monster, champion
or villain? And will a yearning heart
lead Caroline to disaster…or to love?”
Here's another May read I've finally managed to review! And it's a re-read! You can find my original (rather horrible) review of this
book from August of 2008 HERE.
Caroline is driven by a fierce determination to see her
younger sisters safe and secure, even if it means sacrificing her own food,
clothing, and happiness. After the death
of their parents, she takes over the care and management of her siblings and
does everything within her meager power to keep them safe and comfortable. Her own dreams and ambitions are put on hold
so that her sisters might have a better chance at making it out in the
world. Vivienne even inherits the
beautiful clothes and adornments that were meant for Caroline’s own
coming-out. While in Town, Vivienne
meets and, apparently, captivates one very mysterious suitor. Viscount Trevelyn has a dark and mysterious
reputation, but this does not seem to deter Vivienne’s aims to marry him. The youngest Cabot sister, however, feels
very differently. Portia has always been
flighty and prone to fantasy. When she
discovers Vivienne is being courted by a man purported to be a vampire…well,
that sets her imagination aflame.
Caroline must juggle keeping Portia in line and ensuring Vivienne is
happy with the match (because, surely, vampires are not real). She doesn’t, however, take into account her
own feelings. The first time she meets
the intensely-handsome, golden-haired viscount, she does not realize to whom
she is speaking. She finds herself
inexplicably drawn to him and his sense of humor. Little does she know, she’s enchanted by the
very man her sister is to wed. As they
grow closer, Caroline and Adrian are playing a very dangerous game. She gets to know Adrian and, rather than have
her questions answered, a Pandora’s Box seems to be opened and she’s swallowed
by his dark, mysterious world. Could her
sanity be slipping, or is there a very real possibility that the rumors about
Adrian could be true? Could he really be
a vampire? Or does he shield darker
secrets from the prying eyes of the ton?
I enjoyed this book very much the first time around almost
11 years ago (wow, I cannot believe it’s been that long!) and I did like it
this go as well; however, perhaps not as much.
I wasn’t as sucked in as I was last time. I don’t know if I should attribute this to
the fact that I knew to expect the twists and turns, or because it’s not as
fantastic as I’d once believed it to be.
Don’t get me wrong, I still very much enjoyed the style of writing and
the characters. I think the difference
probably lies in my tastes. This is a
more traditional vampire story and I tend to stay away from these. If this is something more to your tastes,
then you’ll likely enjoy it more than I did.
Its best qualities are probably the surprises. It’s not as straightforward a plot as you
might first believe! Medeiros is artful
in her stealthy approach, carefully crafting a storyline that will keep you
interested: not everything is as it
seems.
As for the characters, themselves: I feel like we got to know Caroline much more
than Adrian. For me, books of this genre
suffer a bit when this happens. We
female readers are supposed to fall for the male leads. When they’re less-developed, this becomes
more difficult to accomplish. We learn
snippets about Adrian’s past, but the biggest focus is his relationship with
his younger brother, Julian. This
redeemed his development somewhat, but I found it a bit lacking. Most of what we come to know about him is
secondhand rather than from Adrian’s own memories or emotions. I wanted just a bit more from him and I
probably would have been more satisfied had I gotten it. I realize a lot of this had to do with the
fact that Medeiros needed to keep us in the dark about various plot twists, but
I feel like more could have been revealed once these twists finally came to
fruition.
Caroline has a much better-formed backstory. I appreciated her tenacity and
self-sacrifice. She was a young woman
bent on doing whatever it took to take care of her sisters and I definitely
admired this. However, this did not make
her a pure, flawless character, which I appreciated. I don’t like when characters are too perfect,
and I think most of you will agree with me.
There have to be some imperfections or they don’t feel real enough. The fact that she began to fall for her
sister’s intended was certainly a flaw and her struggle made her more likable.
I liked this book and will probably reread the second in the
series as well. If you’re a fan of
vampire romances and period romances, then this one will be right up your
alley.
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