Shadowdance (Darkest London, #4)

by Kristen Callihan

[celinenyx]

Kristen Callihan writes romance the way I like it: interesting setting (an alternate 19th century London with a touch of steampunk), interesting creatures (we got demons, shifters, and people with clockwork hearts), and interesting characters.

Mary is a Ghost in Machine, someone who has died but is given new life by being given a clockwork heart. She works for the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, and is finally given an opportunity to prove herself in the field, rather than being behind a desk all day. She is partnered with Jack, an irritable shifter.

What I enjoy in the Darkest London series is that all pairings have a different background, catering to different tastes. Shadowdance features a hate-to-love couple; not necessarily my favourite, but I was glad with how this one worked out. Enough time was spent between the characters working out their differences and getting to know the person underneath the anger/resentment.

The non-romantic plot introduces some extra lore, again expanding the Darkest London universe. The mystery of Shadowdance wasn't my favourite of the series, mainly because I didn't fully grasp the connection between the villain and our main characters. That being said, it was nice to see Mary kick ass; I honestly enjoyed every scene with her.

Though the Darkest London books never cross over from "great" to "awesome" for me, they're always solid reads that keep me entertained and make me feel good on a dreary day (the first book, Firelight being the exception to this rule). I'm looking forward to the next book, Evernight, which features Holly, the awesome scientist lady.