Book Review: Moonglow by Kristen Callihan

Finally free of her suffocating marriage, widow Daisy Ellis Craigmore is ready to embrace the pleasures of life that have long been denied her. Yet her new-found freedom is short lived. A string of unexplained murders has brought danger to Daisy's door, forcing her to turn to the most unlikely of saviors.

Ian Ranulf, the Marquis of Northrup, has spent lifetimes hiding his primal nature from London society. But now a vicious killer threatens to expose his secrets. Ian must step out of the shadows and protect the beautiful, fearless Daisy, who awakens in him desires he thought long dead. As their quest to unmask the villain draws them closer together, Daisy has no choice but to reveal her own startling secret, and Ian must face the undeniable truth: Losing his heart to Daisy may be the only way to save his soul.

 “We are all imperfect creatures, love. I don't want perfect. I just want you.”

Moonglow by Kristen Callihan has a lot to live up to. No one could have known the first book in the Darkest London series (Firelight) would do so well. I eagerly waited for my chance to read the sequel. I needed to know if Callihan could do it again and oh boy she most certainly did. There is no need to be concerned or nervous because Moonglow does not disappoint. 

I really loved this book. It was grim and grimy as Victorian London should be. It was full of suspense, humour and swoon worthy romance. There is even a very welcome touch of steampunk in there. The story lines and plot weave together perfectly the book as a whole is well paced and well put together.

The characters are quite simply amazing. Daisy is the type of girl I want to be. She is smart and strong but has a soft and vulnerable side as well. She is funny, witty and terribly quick. She is passionate and caring and is without doubt impossible to dislike.

Ian, however in the beginning at least is dislikeable. In fact at first I wasn’t sure how I was going to get behind him at all. He is sarcastic, big headed and at times horrible. He is the type of man that women should actively avoid. Yet despite all that I very quickly found myself liking him. He is infuriatingly attractive and brilliant. Also he is trying to hide a history that is full of pain, he has a soft side and when that was unleashed neither poor Daisy nor me stood a chance.

Without a doubt the best thing about this book is the romance. It is a slow burner that is full of UST that gets under your skin. So often characters are just thrown together, they just fall in love and we, the reader, just accept that. In Moonglow you can see why Ian and Daisy fall in love. They match one another perfectly. The chemistry between them sizzles and despite a few moments of uncertainty and frustration they seem to understand one another and instinctively know what the other needs. It makes you rush through the pages in a state of anticipation just waiting for them to get together, because you know that when they do it will be right and it will be oh so good.

I would love to give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating but I can’t. It was a little predictable and I would have liked there to be a little more time dedicating to Daisy and her powers. Also the end felt a little rushed (but it was a great ending so I forgive it completely.)

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was spooky, funny, engaging and full of swoon worthy moments. It is without doubt the best PNR book I have read this year. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.  

4 stars

Published July 31st 2012 by Forever. A free copy was provided for review. Image courtesy of Goodreads

Review by Kate Phillips