Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 1/26/2024 + 1223 more book reviews

Interesting paranormal/historical/romance tale involving werewolves, vampires, and touches of steampunk including dirigibles and a nasty automaton. The novel takes place in Victorian era London and revolves around Alexia Tarabotti, a spinster with half Italian blood who is considered by her half-sisters and mother to be less than desirable. But Alexia is also a preternatural, a being with no soul who is able to counter supernaturals including werewolves and vampires by merely touching them. This comes in handy near the beginning of the novel when she is attacked by a vampire who she accidentally kills after rendering him normal and then using her parasol weighted with brass to drive a wooden hairpin through its heart. This leads to an investigation by the BUR, the Bureau of Unnatural Registry, and its emissary, Lord Maccon, an Alpha werewolf. All of this turns out to be related to unexpected vampires appearing and other known ones disappearing. So what is actually happening? Is it a nefarious plot to rid the land of supernaturals?

I'm not a big fan of modern vampire literature where the vampires are less than gruesome but I did find this novel to be engaging and somewhat fun. I also don't really care for romance novels and this can definitely be considered one with Alexia and Lord Maccon being the involved parties. But it did include a lot of humor and the antics of Alexia and the supernatural cast were quite entertaining. Overall, a mild recommendation and I will probably be reading more in this series.

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