Calcutta, 1813. Lady Daphne St. Clair, who as an Extraordinary Bounder is capable of transporting herself anywhere in the world with a thought, has longed to serve in the Army for years. But an unexpected weakness at the sight of blood makes her responsible for a good man’s death in battle. Unable to serve on the battlefield, Daphne is sent to India to be transportation for the Governor-General’s … Governor-General’s wife and children. In disgrace, Daphne fears she will never achieve the fame and glory she has worked so hard for.
A chance encounter with Captain Phineas Fletcher, attached to the Honourable East India Company as a troubleshooter and investigator, leads to Daphne being given a new opportunity: help Captain Fletcher discover the truth behind a series of strange occurrences in the town of Madhyapatnam. Daphne is willing to do anything to restore her reputation, even something as small as Captain Fletcher’s investigation. As the days progress, her attachment to the members of the team grows deeper, as does her growing attraction to the captain.
But as Daphne and Captain Fletcher dig deeper into the mystery, the truth turns out to be much more sinister than anyone imagined. Dark currents run deep beneath the pleasant surface of Madhyapatnam, and the echoes of a twenty-year-old story threaten not only the Company’s rule over the town, but the safety and well-being of everyone in it. Soon only Daphne’s talent and courage stand between Madhyapatnam and the evil that threatens to overwhelm it.
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Lady Daphne was an enthusiastic and effervescent character in the previous story of The Extraordinaries series and I was boundless with excitement to get her story. Her raw youthfulness and joy was the heart of this third installment of an engaging historical fantasy romance series.
As I just noted, Abounding Might is book three in the series. It works much better in order, but also has the distinction of also allowing for a reader to get it out of order. Fair warning, the world of The Extraordinaries is considered to be already introduced and understood by this point.
So, this is Lady Daphne’s story. It begins on a solemn low note for her. For all her powerful ability and her drive to be the best and have amazing adventures, she has a flaw. Well, two, but who’s counting. Her physical handicap of fainting at the sight of blood gets an officer killed and has her, tail tucked between her legs, ignominiously packed off to India away from the battlefront to serve the Governor-General’s wife.
Daphne isn’t down for long and finds adventure and intrigue in an unexpected place. She wanted to wallow a bit, but her natural personality takes over and has her making a friend in a fellow female magic user, Bess, who is a ‘Speaker’ (she can broadcast thoughts into other minds and exchange thoughts with fellow Speakers). Daphne’s own magic as an Extraordinaire Bounder (one who can travel between two points with just a thought or with effort carry others with her) gets her assigned to the attractive Captain Fletcher’s unit along with her more mundane duties.
With Fletcher, who has a rather sensitive magic that allows him to know a person’s emotions, she gets some of her own back. She is conflicted between shunning the attraction between them out of fear that she will lose out on future adventure or seeing love as its own adventure. But, the romance is often secondary to the conflicts around them. I enjoyed the suspense plot of figuring out who was fomenting the rebellion in the Indian province and how to stop them. Daphne, like the other heroines before her in the series, has some great action scenes and is a hero in her own right rescuing the men included.
The blends of history, romance, fantasy elements and even mystery make this a riveting story for action, but also has lovely depth and development for the heroine as she comes into her own. I can highly recommend the series even as I settle back to anticipate the next book’s release.
I loved this book!! I really enjoy the fantasy twist on the Regency Era. Now add characters that are interesting and easy to love, an intriguing story line and great romance, and I’m hooked! It’s the third book in the series. It does standalone, but the whole series is fantastic! So read all of them!
I already loved Lady Daphne when I started this book. I was so excited to get to know her better and see if she got the adventure she always wanted. Daphne is so kind and genuine. She is full of life. She has a great desire to prove herself and gain fame as a Bounder for the War Office. I admired her determination to work hard to make that happen. But a weakness undermines her plans and gets her sent to India. I really ached for her, and was so glad that Captain Fletcher saw her worth and gave her a chance to see India and find adventure.
Captain Fletcher is an incredible man! He has strong convictions and cares about others. His love for the people and the culture of India is evident in his actions. It was wonderful to see the way he fought for what was best for them. He is a great leader, which is shown by the respect and loyalty he garnered from his men. I loved his admiration for Daphne. He is the perfect man for her! He doesn’t want to keep her from adventure, but wants to be there with her. I loved watching their relationship develop!!
The story is great!! It is full of mystery, intrigue, adventure and danger. There are many twists and turns that kept me guessing and turning pages. Once again, I stayed up too late reading one of Melissa McShane’s books. But that doesn’t surprise me anymore. 🙂
At the end of the book, the different Talents are listed, including what being an Extraordinary in each Talent means. I suggest reading through that part first, especially if you haven’t read the other books in the series. But even if you have. It is all so interesting. I’m not sure which Talent I would want most, but it’s fun to consider. 🙂
I received a copy of the book, which I voluntarily reviewed. I have given my honest opinion.