4 TO 4.5 STARS!Ever since reading the Hook Up, I knew KC was an author I needed to read, and this second book in the Darkest London series was fantastic, even better than the first, Firelight. This book was about Daisy, Miranda's sister, now widowed and ready to finally shed her fear and captivity from being in a cruel Union. A werewolf attack amidst the streets of London puts Daisy on the beasts radar. She survives his attack but must now contend with Ian Ranulf, a man whose mysterious past has the ability to shed light on the vicious incident.Ian was the rake who attempted to lure Miranda away from Ben Archer in firelight. He came across as a selfish and conniving man intent on stealing another mans woman. But here, let's just say first impressions aren't always right.Rescuing Daisy from the streets of London sets in motion a seductive and compelling attraction. He wants her, but his secret threatens to tear any semblance of happiness. Daisy is at once enamored by Ian but his past with archer and Miranda keep her at bay. It was quite obvious Ian's feelings for her were true and I loved seeing how Ian actually felt about the huge misunderstanding with her sister.Ian and this book actually reminded me of my most favorite HR hero, Sebastian St. Vincent from Devil in Winter, by Lisa Kleypas. His altercation with an old friend over a woman, then falling for someone who literally sweeps him off his feet. He was a man lost to the despair of his situation and through the unconditional love of another finally found redemption and a love he never believed possible. I love seeing a man fall from such heights for the right woman, gets me every time. Ian was lovely and I never imagined his past was so traumatic.This was filled with mystery and suspense, sexy steam and beautiful romance. It was an intelligent tale that featured lycans and werewolves, something I love and it still maintained its hold on magic as in the first book. KC writes wonderful heroines. I can't say enough how important that is to me. I love authors that show us why a woman steals a mans heart, and Daisy was compassionate, loyal, intelligent and caring. She supported Ian at a very vulnerable time and showed him her love had no bounds. She saved him, from himself and the despair taking over his life. The sexual tension was as usual with KC, hot and perfectly done. The epilogue was sweet and tied up the story leaving us a taste of the next book, Winterblaze, about Poppy, the eldest sister and her fallout with her husband after some unfortunate discoveries. This is a great paranormal series that so far, gets better and better, loved it. Setting is England, 1880s.Genre: Steampunk, paranormal, romanceThe heroine is likable, though she doesn't see value in herself. She is a very beautiful widow out to have a good time after a horrible marriage. As far as she knows, she has no powers, like the sister in the first book. But she finds out differently during a particularly harrowing scene. The hero is the gorgeous brooding type. He is outcast from his clan. He was introduced in the first book in which he was kind of devious, which causes the characters in this book to distrust him in the beginning. You find out why he was the way he was in this book, and you will change your mind about him. Both the lead characters experience emotional growth, which I expect in a good story.The plot revolves around a mad werewolf who, for some reason (don't worry, we find out why relatively early in the book), is after the heroine. Our hero is there to protect her because his former clan, whose responsibility it is to deal with rogue werewolves in London, doesn't take care of the problem.Secondary characters from the first book show up as part of the plot, which contributes to the world building, and that is excellent. It is consistent across the series. I actually liked this book better than the first. There is a definite cliff-hanger for the 3rd book toward the end of this one, but it didn't interest me enough that I was waiting with bated breath.You are the author of this
What do You think about Im Bann Des Mondes (2014)?
I am so glad I discovered this author. Each of her books have been a joy to read.
—harm
Amazing! Read it in almost one go. Callihan's writing is very fun to read!
—Annabell
