Review: Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman

Title: Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club

Author: Alison Goodman

Published: 14 December 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins Australia
Source: Harper Collins Australia in return for an honest Review
Reviewed: Sapphired Dragon
Rating: ****

My Review:

One of the first things I heard about this book after opting to read and review it was hearing it described as in the vein of  Buffy the Vampire slayer in the Regency era. This description excited me and I was quick to add it to the top of my reading list anxious to get started on reading it. 

When I sat down to read it, it didn't disappoint! Whilst I could see the Buffy comparison, I also enjoyed it for many other reasons. 

Right from the beginning I was intrigued by Lady Helen and her life such as it was and I was eager to find out all about her special abilities.  Right away I was able to connect with Lady Helen as she set out to find out more about her mother, Lord Carlsten and why she was different which drew me further into the story. I felt her frustration when answers were slow to come initially and felt like this may have been drawn out just a little too much. But what kept me going was characters I couldn't get enough of and writing that made me feel like I was being given my own little window to peek in on the higher society of Regency life. . 

I loved the twists and turns in the plot line,  which kept me on my toes trying to guess who lady Helen could trust, what she was going to do and how it would all turn out. I liked that nothing was as black and white as it might seem at first and that the more Lady helen and the reader discovered, the more questions were also raised.  In this way,  the story was well layered though as mentioned sometimes the pace of the layers being peeled away had me just a little impatient as i was desperate to know right away.

Ms Goodman's gentle writing style flowed well, which helped translate the feel of the era and her world building gave to book an authentic feel. This gentle seeming flow of words worked incredibly well  as a counter point to the vivid imagery and action in the story and added to that feel of authenticity.

As all good books do, this left me wanting more. More of Lady Helen and Lord Carlsten, more about the dark Days Club and more paranormal Regency London. I am eagerly awaiting the next instalment. 

So whilst in some ways Lady Helen could described as a Regency Buffy the Vampire,  don't let appearances deceive you. This book is perfect for anyone that loves their paranormal sublimely balanced with a great story line and a regency feel

I  give this book 4 stars

Sapphired Dragon xx

About The Book:

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1)  by Alison Goodman

London, April 1812. Lady Helen Wrexhall is set to make her debut at the court of Queen Charlotte and officially step into polite Regency society and the marriage mart. Little does Helen know that step will take her from the opulent drawing rooms of Mayfair and the bright lights of Vauxhall Gardens into a shadowy world of missing housemaids and demonic conspiracies.

Standing between those two worlds is Lord Carlston, a man of ruined reputation and brusque manners. He believes Helen has a destiny beyond the ballroom; a sacred and secret duty. Helen is not so sure, especially when she discovers that nothing around her is quite as it seems, including the enigmatic Lord Carlston.

Against a backdrop of whispered secrets in St James's Palace, soirees with Lord Byron and morning calls from Beau Brummell, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club is a delightfully dangerous adventure of self-discovery and dark choices that must be made ... whatever the consequences.

Publication Date: 14 December, 2015

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