Title: Through the Smoke
Author: Brenda Novak
Narrator: Justine Eyre
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Brilliance Audio (October 15, 2013 )
Source: Library Find in Audio (NetGalley for the ebook)
Rating: ☕☕☕
Synopsis: A shocking betrayal...
Riches. Power. An ancient heritage of pride. The Earl of Druridge wanted only for an heir. So when he learned that his wife was carrying another man's child, he was filled with a thirst for vengeance. But he wasn't the one who caused Katherine's death. Or was he? To his horror, he remembers nothing of that dreadful night, when their last shocking confrontation ended in scorching flame and cold blood.
A forbidden love...
Rachel McTavish, the beautiful daughter of a coal miner, knows something about the fire that took Lady Katherine's life. In secret, the strong-willed girl strikes a bargain with the desperate earl: He must send his physician to help her dying mother or he may go to the scaffold - and the devil. The earl agrees, but Rachel is still unsure that her revelation will be enough to save him when so many wish him dead.
Passionately drawn to the nobleman, despite all the doubt and mystery that shroud him, Rachel wonders if he can really be a murderer. Or if he is the only man who will ever own her heart....
My Thoughts: A good book with an Ok romance but a stellar suspenseful mystery with a slight gothic feel.
The Good, The Bad, and Everything Else: While this definitely does sit in the genre of historical romances what I really loved was the mystery of who set the fire that killed the earl's wife. I love suspenseful situations in historical romances and Brenda Novak knows her way around suspense. The mystery was easily solved and it was a little annoying the hero took so long to figure it out. In addition, Rachel ran headlong into danger in a feeble attempt to save her man and if you've read any of my reviews heroines who do TSTL things but the crap out of me.
I did enjoy the relationship blooming between a wealthy titled peer and a poor shopkeeper's daughter and of course the hero blew off what is expected and married her despite the backlash that would happen. However, I really wasn't won over by the romance completely. Mostly because of my inability to fully like Truman. I like my heroes to be more Alpha than he was, more decisive than he was, and a lot more, well, everything.
There was also an incident involving the first time they had sex which I would consider borderline rape. Don't get me wrong, the hero isn't blatantly a rapist but he should have noticed something wrong and the entire situation was just swept under the rug. I feel a big deal should have been made about this and there was no deal made about it at all. This pissed me off and set the rest of the book in a bad light to me.
The narration was Ok but I don't think it enhanced the reading experience for me. Justine Eyre is a new narrator to me and her British accent and voice pitch had me slowing the speed down. I normally listen at close to 2X but I could only listen between 1.25X and 1.5X otherwise I had a hard time understanding. I would listen to another narration by her but I wouldn't purposely seek one out because of her.
In a Nutshell: I've read better books by Brenda Novak but this one wasn't terrible. It's my first historical by her and I'm not sure if I think that is where her writing sweet spot is. She has done some great contemporaries and excellent romantic suspenseful thrillers. If a reader is new to Novak I'd steer them to the Whiskey Creek contemporary romance series or the Evelyn Talbot thriller series rather than this one.
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