London 1887
My name is Asia Quicksilver, and my life has never been a bed of roses. Well, I spent a lot of time in a bed, but not to sleep. As a whore of the luxurious brothel De Luna House, I’ve seen a lot of action in the bedsheets . Not that I’m planning to whore myself forever. Once I set aside enough pounds to move out of London, I’ll start afresh.
My little plan goes out of the window when … when a handsome and menacing man asks to be my exclusive client. I can’t refuse. The pay is too good.
Except that he doesn’t just want to tell me his name, but he doesn’t want to touch me. He doesn’t undress me. He doesn’t even want to see me naked. It’s the first time I meet a man who pays good money to watch me read a book.
Apparently, he’s interested only in sitting in my bedroom for the whole night. When he claims that an incubus is after me, I don’t believe him. He must be another one of those opium addicts that cram London’s streets.
But after a man with uncanny strength, speed, and charm attacks me, I wonder if my new, dark client is right.
Paranormal romance for adults. It contains sex scenes. This is the first book of The Royal Occult Bureau series and it ends with a tiny cliff-hanger (not a dead or alive situation) and a HFN
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Mysterious, gorgeous Evander works for the R.O.B. Royal Occult Bureau. Beautiful Asia is a lady of the night who was taken off the streets, along with her friend Charlotte, to work in a brothel so she can eat. Incubus. Succubus. An incubus has taken a fancy to Asia and wants to feed from her. Now her friend is missing after being under his spell. What a fabulous story and I really do look forward to reading the next one. A highly recommended story.
Really fun read. Love the cover. The story is very intriguing and plot keeps your interest. I like how its not the typical heroine type.
Her bed is used an awful lot but not just for sleeping in. She works in a brothel and has many clients until one wants to be with her without her seeing any others. She agrees as the pay is good but he just sits andnread. He tells her someone is after her and she believes he has taken too many drugs. What will happen when she is attacked? Is it an one off? Can the state man kept her safe? See if he can
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A steampunk romance with a Sherlock Holmes style flair. Perfect. Intriguing and action packed. A Jack the Ripper tone sets this story up for a twist you don’t see coming. This book like all I have read of this author so far is a pleasure to read and a definite page turner.
Sexy and dangerous with plenty of supernaturals. Intrigue with lots of twists to keep you interested. A story that proves that your station in life doesn’t define who you are as a person or what you can do. Stubborn characters that can make it a frustrating read, but you wouldn’t want it any other way. Interested to see who falls in love next!
Our heroine has seen many men in the brothel, but none are quite like the man who hired her for the week and yet doesn’t want to use her. But this is just the start of the strange things surrounding this man and she is about to learn many new things.
This is book one of an urban fantasy series with a steampunk setting. And that is why I was drawn to this book from the start as I am a sucker for both those genres. As it turns out, my exploration was well rewarded as the story is very well written, the setting is detailed and gritty, and the characters are deep and mysterious. Think that description is over the top? Then you haven’t read the book. The story is highly enjoyable and very engaging, with lots of mysteries and twists to be explored. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger so you will definitely be looking for book two. I know I am.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from the author for review purposes.
This is the atmospheric gothic story of Asia, a skillful soiled dove who is targeted by a creepy supernatural creature. The world building is unique and immersive–a great introduction to what promises to be an interesting series. While delightfully steamy, the romance follows the pattern of many paranormal series, with plenty left to resolve and more mysteries to solve. I’m eager to read the next book in the series!
An excellent book!!
This book is the first one in The Royal Occult Bureau series and I loved it. It is written in first person pov and I usually don’t like that very much, that’s just me, but the story and the characters are so good I just kept on reading. I loved Asia and Evander and interesting secondary characters, hope to read more about them further on in this series. The books has a great plot. It has a cliffhanger and therefore not a standalone.
I received this ARC from the author and this review is my honest opinion.
This book is different to what I’d normally read but I really enjoyed it. It was well written and the story and characters were well developed. I loved the strong, sassy female personality and like seeing the relationship dynamics evolve throughout the book. The story was excellent. It was action packed and full of twists and turns. There was suspense, intrigue, emotion, hot chemistry and romance. I’d highly recommend this book and look forward to future books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
A really wonderful book. The characters are so good.
This is the first book I have read by Author Barbara Russell.
But it won’t be my last. Enjoyed reading…
The Royal Occult Bureau is an intriguing blend of historical mystery and steamy paranormal romance! Asia is a prostitute at the De Luna House brothel, saving up so she can start a new life. When a man offers an incredible sum to be her only client for a week, she can’t refuse. But she ends up sucked into a paranormal murder mystery. I really liked Asia and Evander! The story has lots of suspense, mystery and magic. I definitely recommend it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An excellent start in a new series!
Set in the Victorian Era, this story is a combination of romance and mystery with a good dose of paranormal. There’s plenty of suspense, as well as steamy encounters, a unique and intricate plot with unexpected twists and well developed characters. The ending was unexpected, with the promise of more adventures for Asia and Evander. I’m anxiously looking forward to see what comes next!
This is the start of what I think will be a Fabulous series! The world building is fantastic the characters are phenomenal and I’m excited where the rest of the series will go!
I really enjoyed this book. The storyline kept my attention throughout. I found the story well written and characters well developed. I love that it’s Victorian. A really great read and if you love paranormal and mystery then you will enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this book. It was beautifully written within a wonderful world. The characters were fun to read about and this was a very quick read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Wow what an interesting book! Love finding a new plot to read. This was a page turner for sure. The characters were engaging the storyline solid
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the story of Asia and Evander. She works in the brothel and Evander hires her for the week. This is an engaging story that takes place in Victorian England. I enjoyed the weaving of paranormal, magic and mystery in this story. I received an arc of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An interesting mix of magic, mysteries, and an era of brothels. The mix of characters from Asia to Evander her mysterious client. The story brings you well into this world and the evil within. Looking forward to see what happens in the next book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Set in the Victorian era Asia is a whore in the De Luna House, she has dreams and wants to turn her life around. That is until someone starts killing women. A man turns up and wants to hire her for a week but he doesn’t want anything from her. Curious she begins to follow him and find out his secrets. But his secrets are not what she expects and she is drawn into his paranormal world. The feeling they have for each other grow despite the fact that they cannot be together.
This is the first book in the series and I will definitely be reading the next book especially after how this book finished and leaves you wanting more. I love the characters that the author has made, all interesting with many different layers to them, and the book comes with plenty of twists and turns.
This novel combined two things I love: historical fiction and magical mystery. It’s a combination of steamy love story mixed with a mystical mystery with a dash of good humor. Asia is a delightful main character who pulls no punches and offers no apologies for her life as a prostitute in turn of the century London. Evander is the enigmatic Adonis who hires her for the week, but things don’t go as expected. When an underground world threatens all that Asia knows, she is drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.