Release: December 2018
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Elliot
Source: HFVirtual Book Tours
Find it at Goodreads, Amazon US, Amazon UK, B&N.
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An appreciative satire of the cliches of traditional Gothic.
Lord Venn is making an ardent proposal to the sixth heiress on his list when a hooded specter appears in a crack of thunder. This hereditary curse is becoming inconvenient – particularly as Venn is next in line on the curse’s own schedule of victims.
However, Clarinda Greendale has other reasons for rejecting Venn besides being cursed, such as being a wild, brawling social outcast and a fortune hunter. Nevertheless, Lord Venn dismisses the history of the curse as a series of conjuring tricks. Still, Venn needs to get his hands on an heiress, and tender-hearted Clarinda would like to help Venn if she could: she doesn’t want to marry him and end up as part of his outrageous household…Meanwhile, the hooded specter closes in. Can the drunken charlatan who Venn has hired to prove that it is all a hoax help him?
This lively Gothic comedy, written as a good-natured satire, gives the reader a kind and courageous heroine, a rascally but charming anti-hero, and an authentic historical background to the delightfully over-the-top adventures, a cast of wholly believable characters, an engaging love story, and many chills on its way to its tumultuous conclusion.
About the Author:
Lucinda Elliot loves writing Gothic style stories, which isn’t surprising because she was brought up in a series of big old isolated houses that her parents were refurbishing (it wasn’t so fashionable back then). After that, she lived, studied, and worked in London for many years and now lives in Mid Wales with her family.
She loves writing about strong women to complement gung-ho males.
Her interests do include weight training and body shaping, and she was once a champion Sportsfighter, but apart from that, her interests are quite geeky. Reading classic novels, conservation, gardening, and even names and their meanings (bring on the carrot juice). She loves a laugh above anything.
The Villainous Viscount Review:
The author does a beautiful job of diving right into the story and letting the readers adjust to the characters as the plot progressed.
I loved Clarinda in the lead, and I felt the author wrote her impeccably! Similarly, Harley Venn is a lovely character who you see change as the story progresses. He comes across as the perfect anti-hero that you cannot help but like. Both of them sizzle the scenes, and I loved their pairing. Both of them contrast each other so nicely. I also loved how the author blended the mystery and the curse seamlessly around them and how all the elements combined nicely.
Furthermore, I love stories that make me feel various emotions as I read. Moreover, the author also adds humor to the settings that make you laugh. While reading the story, you get a touch of supernatural, a dab of gothic, and a sprinkle of romance, and that makes this book a delicious read.
However, at times I felt like the story focused more on the characters than the plot. I would have loved it if the author added more gothic elements into the storylines, giving the book an extra edge.
But, apart from that, this was a fun tale that has a bit of everything! I would read some of the other books by the author.
Giveaway:
Enter to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on December 16th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Book Tour Schedule
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on The Villainous Viscount by Lucinda Elliot Blog Tour hosted by HFVirtual Book Tours. Check out my post, and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Thank you so much for reading the book and for writing this excellent review. I do hope you enjoy more of my books.