The Vespertine

by Saundra Mitchell

[rakesandrogues]

I’m a huge fan of historical novels so from the historic aspect, this book does not disappoint. I love this time period for all its balls and gowns and Saundra Mitchell wonderfully crafts Baltimore in the late 19th century.

I usually love forbidden romances, but I was not so much of a fan of this romance. I just did not feel it between Nathaniel and Amelia. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of Nathaniel. He’s forbidden, independent, and an artist. He doesn’t have to listen to the rules of etiquette, but he’s also not the “ideal” husband that Amelia should be looking for. He’s charming and seems like an overall nice guy. I love male characters that as a reader you can easily fall in love with. But I couldn’t get that with Nathaniel. Maybe if there were more scenes with him in the book I would be able to feel the chemistry between them.

I’m not so sure if I liked the format of the book… At first, I did not even notice that the book was switching back and forth from past and present, Maine and Baltimore. (I have a bad memory for dates and such.) But once I realized this, I thought that it made the book a bit anti-climactic. I knew that things were going to get downhill for Amelia. It killed the suspense. However, I was still interested in why she was “ruined” and why she was sent back to Maine. Still, because I knew that bad things were going to happen, I just found myself restless and waiting for the inevitable.

The paranormal entities of this book is a twist to the genre. I usually don’t see paranormal and historical mixed together so it was different. However, I do not think that the paranormal part of the book was executed as well as the historical. Half the time, I was really confused on what was going on. I had to keep rereading passages because I wasn’t understanding exactly what was happening. The descriptions were vague so I had difficulty imagining what was going on between the characters.

Nothing exciting really happens until the last twenty-five pages. Then, its jaw-dropper after the next jaw-dropper and I could not believe that so much drama could happen in such little time. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. I’m left with a feeling that there could have been more, but the book just came to an end. I was really left unsatisfied, especially because just when the book started to pick up, it was already over.

I would still recommend this to fans of historical romances because based on my experience, there aren’t that many that deal outside of England. I love the location of Baltimore. I love this time period.