Before I went to England for the first time my mother gave me a copy of Georgette Heyer’s Black Sheep to read. I devoured the Regency romance and adored the witty confrontations between Abigail Wendover and the delicious Miles Calverly. The historical details set a glittering spectacle of balls, dinner parties, and nights at Vauxhall Gardens, or horseback riding on Rotten Row.
The Dark Days Club is spot on it its tone and sense of place as a classic Regency romance with one exception: there are demons and demon hunters mixed into all levels of society.
Lady Helen Wrexhall is just about to have her coming out. She is eighteen and the “season” is about to start: a round of parties, balls, and dinners that will introduce this newly available young lady to the most eligible bachelors London has to offer. She is praying the scandal of her mother’s treason so many years ago does not taint her chances for finding a good husband.
After the laborious preparations for her entrance into society and presentation to Queen Charlotte at Court, Lady Helen finds that her whirlwind social calendar is darkened by an unexpected presence. The Earl of Carlston, rumored to have murdered his wife, is back from the Continent and has taken an interest in her. But what is even more surprising and upsetting are the strong new energies stirring within her, giving her strange abilities.
Then Lord Carlston finally reveals the truth: she is a Reclaimer, a rare human with lightning-quick reflexes and unbelievable strength that can stop a hidden demon race from draining ordinary people of their life force. But can she choose a life of daring impropriety or will her desire for the tamer pursuits of polite society win her over?
Oh my gosh this was an absolute delight. A perfect mashup: the tone was so completely Regency, and yet the introduction of demons did not clash nor detract from the historical details. The plot had everything: intrigue, royalty, a kick ass heroine, and a perfectly flawed love interest. It is a bit long, but the pacing never lagged–there was always a new twist waiting in the next chapter. I gobbled this one up and eagerly await the next Lady Helen novel.
Just a Reading Fool 