Moonglow

Darkest London, Book 2

By: Kristen Callihan

Narrated by: Moira Quirk

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Once the seeds of desire are sown....

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....

Their growing passion knows no bounds....

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.

©2012 Kristen Callihan (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Really Good Paranormal Book

I am not usually into Paranormal but this book was very entertaining!
As opposed to Firelight, there is much more action in this book, along with an array of interesting supernatural creatures, mystery, intrigue, some good sex scenes. My expectations grow higher by the minute for this series. Can't wait for Winterblaze!

Terrific Series

Now that I've listened to all three books in this series, I can easily say that I enjoyed Moonglow the most. Kudos to Kristen Callihan for originality and imagination in a saturated PNR market. It's a helluva thing to have to note that she didn't steal bits and pieces from the other eleventy-million series out there and that I'm grateful that I don't have to use the word "derivative." And while I'm at it, let me say that this series is NOT dumbed down. Too bad that has to be said as well.

Beautifully narrated by Moira Quirk.

Moonglow positively swept me away!

Firelight may have knocked my socks off but Moonglow positively swept me away! You don’t just read this book but actually live it thanks to Kristen Callihan’s vivid descriptions, limitless world-building and irresistible characters. Once you enter her Darkest London universe you’ll never want to leave! Moira Quirk’s narration took some getting used to but once I got into the groove I was just as mesmerized by her voice as I was by Callihan’s superb writing.

This book requires your complete intention in order to be able to fully grasp the brilliance of it so don’t start it unless you’re prepared to commit! Darkest London is not just a locale but rather a living, breathing entity; so much so that it felt like a third (albeit welcome) wheel in Ian and Daisy’s adventures. I couldn’t help but marvel at the number of threads that Callihan introduces and then masterfully weaves into this story. Everything has a purpose regardless of how insignificant it may seem and all of them will come into play again before the end.

Daisy’s character is an interesting combination of warmth and steel; I loved her sunny disposition just as much as her immovable will. She’s an empowered woman in a city were social conventions reign supreme and I enjoyed watching her assert her newfound freedom. Kristen does a nice job of redeeming Ian’s character after his less than stellar actions in the previous book. His back-story is heartbreaking and helped to explain his earlier behaviour which went a long way in earning this reader’s forgiveness. The sex is steamy, erotic and memorable, especially the carriage scene!

The werewolf plot line kept me engaged with its politics, history and the intricacies of its subgroups. I also really enjoyed the way in which the author revealed the link between her books; it goes beyond the three sisters and came as quite the surprise! Moira Quirk’s English and brogue accents are well done but difficult to understand at first, especially when paired with the Victorian vocabulary. At times I regretted not having read this book because seeing the words instead of hearing them would have helped. However, once I got over that hurdle it was smooth sailing and I adored her narration.

The ending is unexpected and wonderfully crafted with just the right amount of build-up for the next installment. Moonglow is the perfect book to get lost in!

The second of an enjoyable series.

Setting is England, 1880s.
Like the first in the series, this is a paranormal plot, but well-written enough that I could suspend disbelief. The world building for the series is really well done. The narration was better than average, with enough differentiation between the characters that you're not confused. There are not just male and female characters, but English and Scottish accents as well.
The 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. I got it for a full credit because I enjoyed the first book. I actually liked this one more. 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.

Interesting Moonglow

I think this is a very interesting series. The story is intriguing but the whole gold clock in the chest sucking souls things is ahhh different. The author does present some non conventional creatures and weaves then very cleverly into the framework of the story. The sexual connection between the characters Daisy and Ian is not overwritten or too long. And the author does hint at Ian being something other than a total jerk in book one, so you are not too surprised with his character transformation in this book. If you enjoyed the first book then you will probably enjoy this one. I will be reading or listening to the 3rd book in the series.

Werewolf in London

What would paranormal regency be without werewolves? But, the only thing typical about Callahan is her ability to defy expectations. You will not find the tired vampires vs weres schtick here. Nor the angst of being turned by a bite schtick. Instead, you will find another fresh gothic mystery and forbidden romance, both befitting the Darkest London series label. And, can we take a moment to bow down to the amazing Moira Quick? Those accents! Ach! That Scottish burr had me constantly aquiver.

This worked best for me at 1.5x. As with book 1, this is a slow burn thru several false starts to get to the single scene. The hate-flirting was delicious. Occasional F bombs could have been avoided. As between the romance and mystery, once again the mystery pulls ahead for the win with marvelous twists, whether predictable or not.

This installment doesn't disappoint

Placed a year after the events of the previous book, Daisy Ellis Craigmore is free from the prison of marriage by the death of her husband. She is finally living the life she has always wanted except a string of murders hit too close for comfort, forcing Daisy head-long into the midst of the killings and into the protection of a dangerous man.

Ian Ranulf, the Marquis of Northrup has been denying his true nature for years, but with the slew of murders threatening to unveil the world of the supernatural to the general public, he is forced out of hiding from his duties. Realizing the link between the murdered victims and Daisy Ellis Craigmore, he vows to keep the chit safe, even if she defies him at ever turn.

I loved the interaction between the two main characters. There is so much cheeky dialogue that had me smiling in delight and the tension between the two characters made me ache in such a good way. I love stories that create that need more than just a string of love scenes which can get tedious and this tale definitely delivers the build-up.

Both characters have flaws and both have been betrayed and hurt by someone around them. They carry their scars with them and I liked how, although it was an important factor in their romance, it also didn't completely handicap them to the point where I was frustrated with the speed of the progression in their romance.

Callihan hits this tale and she hits it good knowing just how much to give and take. The story is well balanced with paranormal and historical elements in just the right proportion and an enjoyable tale of romance with an intriguing plot. This series has quickly become a favorite of mine and I really can't download the next book fast enough. A must read for fans of PNR and historical romance genres.

Narration
Narrator: Moira Quirk
Performance: 4/5
Speed: 1.25x
Another great performance by Quirk especially because in this installment, not only are the dialogues shifting with different accents, but there is a character where when his emotions are high, his Irish brogue slips through his proper British accent.

The series even gets better!

I completely loved this book in this 2nd installment of Darkest London the story is about Miranda's middle sister, blonde hair blue eyed Daisy. More information is given about the sisters as it comes to light that Daisy too posses an odd ability. Daisy who is newly widowed has an usual event that lands Daisy in the lap of Miranda's old foe Ian, sparks are flying from both ends as plot twist and turns unfold. Just delicious!
again very credit worthy and I can't wait for the next book!

Fun PNR

This is a fun series. It is sometimes classified as Steampunk, but there aren't a lot of steam elements (basically none in the first) and few in this one.

The romance is there though. It's not necessarily 'instalove' more insta-lust with a growing affection.

Engaging and exciting story

Any additional comments?

I have really enjoyed book 2 in this exciting series. As the first book this one also has a perfect mix of everything. It's thrilling mixed with lust, love, suspense, and much more. Looking forward to the next book :)