The Black LotusAuthor: Claire Warner
562 Pages | September 15th 2015 | Create Space
....though I would dearly love to play court to you, I would hurt you more than any other.
It is 1752.
The year that will change the life of heiress Melissa De Vire. As she makes her first fumbling steps into society, she meets the handsome young cad Justin Lestrade and his world tears her perceptions apart. For Justin is more than he appears and his secrets and enemies are manifold. Drawn irresistibly to him, she finds herself sinking into a realm of feuds, magic and old curses and her life will never again be the same.
This book was fun, I loved the characters and the story was really well written bringing you completely into a different period of time. It was well written but a little bit long, I think it could have been wrapped up a little bit tighter. I would definitely recommend this read to people who are fans of historical fiction and paranormal romance. It was fun to see an independent streak in the heroine that only grows stronger and more defined as the book carries on.
There is really only one thing that that bothered me. The names. Justin and Melissa. It sounds like the two kids down the street. Justin is an English version of the latin name Iustinus or German name Justus that has been around for ages, however, the English version was not commonly used until the 20th century. Melissa as an English name only BEGAN to be used in the 18th century so the pairing together felt wildly out of place for me. (Sue me, I'm a name nerd) *insert my statistics about 18th century names here* No, I won't.
It just felt odd as I was reading, as though the names just sounded cool so who cares. (The names do sounds cool by the way, I have nothing against the names themselves it's their placement that is bothering me.) This is just me however, because I have an intimate knowledge of these random sorts of facts. I think I would have been more drawn into the story, more lost in this reality if the names had been different. It sounds sort of ridiculous but it is true.
By day I am a boring civil servant, but by night (and at weekends) I write stories. I love fiction, I love the way that words can draw you from your own everyday world.
I love to read. As a child I read all of the Enid Blyton books and devoured Roald Dahl. As a teenager, I discovered LJ Smith, Anne McCaffrey, Tamora Pierce, David Eddings and went through the phase of reading Point Horrors. As an adult, I found Kelley Armstrong, Raymond E Feist, Georgette Heyer, The Brontes, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Sheridan La Fanu and Henry James. I cannot imagine live without books.
So I have began to write for myself. My characters live in my head and from time to time they want to live in other peoples as well. I want to share them with you and I hope you love them as much as I do.
Website - Goodreads - Twitter
a Rafflecopter giveaway
