London, 1884.While other twenty-seven-year-old, middle-class women think about rearing children and attending dinner parties, Hazel finds herself unmarried and unemployed.The stuffy barons of the Royal Archaeologic Society don’t believe a woman can be an archaeologist, so they gave her the sack. Having slapped the leader of the society when he groped her breasts might have something to do with … do with losing her job.
With bills to pay and a stomach to fill, she accepts a position as dealer in ancient artefacts. It’d be her dream job except that her new employer, Tyon Sancerre, has more secrets than an Egyptian tomb and is probably involved with the Whitechapel’s mob.
When he says he needs her to find his long-lost fellow crusader knights, she thinks he’s mad, a rich, handsome, but mad man.
Tyon claims to be a sin-eater, a human turned into an immortal to clean people’s souls from their sins. After he and the other sin-eaters—the knights of the White Blade—were cursed, they were separated and scattered around the world. Alone the sin-eaters don’t hold much power, and with their enemies—the sin-breathers—multiplying and causing wars and famine, the only way Tyon has to find his brothers is through a relic Hazel worked with at the museum.
It’s all poppycock, that’s what she says. But when sin-breathers attack them, a ghost appears to her, and she witnesses wounds healing themselves in a moment, she wonders if her beliefs need to be reconsidered.
And the worst thing? She’s falling in love with an immortal, cranky, too-many-centuries-year-old white knight.
*Due to the content of the book, this novel is for adult audience only*
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Loved this “gaslamp” paranormal romance! The love story was scorching hot and compelling. The worldbuilding was very unique, with a clear good vs evil dichotomy that seemed almost a cliche but then the story twists in the best way. Those neat divisions got very messy, very quickly–I loved the shades of gray and depth to the characters.
An amazing story, with a unique and complex storyline, and excellent world building. The characters were well developed and the plot kept my interest throughout reading. I’m anxiously waiting for the next installment in the series.
Just a warning: the book is intended for mature audiences of 18+.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I enjoyed this story of Hazel and Tyon. Hazel has to come to terms that there is supernatural things happen around her when she meets Tyon and Alexander. She meets these men after she gets fired from her job at the museum. There is also a mystery in this story that someone is murdered.
I received a complimentary copy via Booksprout. This is my honest unbiased opinion.
The Classic Fight of Good vs. Evil… and Then Some!
This is the first book that I have read by this author, and oh, what a complex world she weaves. This is definitely a classic story of Good vs. Evil, the sin-eaters vs. the sin-breathers (love those concepts BTW), but the author has given the world an incredible depth and backstory. I appreciated that she allowed the backstory to be woven through the novel instead of being presented as a data dump, as often happens in fantasy. The words are deftly written well. She pulled me right into the book and made me feel as if I were living in this paranormal, alternate universe Victorian England. The first scene was set in the distant past and set the stage for the rest of the novel. I don’t want to give away too much because I just think this book needs to be read to be fully appreciated. I saw one of the reviews which stated that she wasn’t expecting this much sex in the book. Personally, I didn’t think there was a lot of sex. Of course, the main thing that I read is romance, so I am used to rather steamy books. This book did definitely have some steam, but it was character-driven, completely in context, and didn’t overshadow the work. I can definitely agree with the author saying “over 18 only” on the description, which she does on Amazon. But if you don’t mind a bit of steam with your fantasy, this author has provided a detailed, engrossing world that you will find hard to escape until you finish.
I enjoyed reading this book. The story is well written and enjoyed the characters. I’m really looking forward to the next book. I recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Good vs Evil…
The Pact of the White Blade Knights is the first book in The White Order series. This is a great start to a new series! Fast-paced and action-packed, this Victorian paranormal romance is a page-turner. The characters are well developed throughout the story. The storyline is well written and captures your interest from the first. The backstory is spun skilfully throughout to bring the entire story together.
I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
I read and reviewed this book with no obligation.
First of all I was not expecting all the sex, in this book. The descriptions I read on the arc for this book said nothing about it. So be warned, I would say 18 & up only. I can handle some sex in a book, but I usually don’t read this much. Otherwise, the medieval nights that are immortal, so they can cleanse sins from humans was a neat story idea. I do like that they all had different powers on top of that. I also like that you made them more human by each having their own issues that they each struggled with. I love the redeeming qualities she gave Alexander (can’t spell his real name). I love that Tyon found his mate in time to keep him balanced. I hated that Hazel was turned into something she hated. However, it did help balance Tyon more. I am not a huge mystery person myself. I am more into fantasy, supernatural, paranormal, etc. That being said it was an interesting read.
What a surprisingly amazing read!
It has a rich story line and it is wonderfully executed. There is vast amounts of paranormal and romance to keep you hooked from the very start. The characters are real, and with Ms Russell’s writing it is so easy to become them.
I am very much looking forward to reading book 2!