Description:
The colony of New Geneva has risen from the
ashes of her dying mother planet, Earth, by rebuilding a society based on a
time before everything went horribly, horribly wrong...the Victorian Era...
Violet Merriweather first sets eyes on Colonel Winston when he purchases her at auction from Witherspoon Academy, the orphanage where she’d been raised after her rescue from Earth. Dutifully, as she was taught, Violet pushes away her fear of the monstrous, forbidding Thornfield Abbey, and throws herself into her work as governess to the Colonel’s youngest son.
But the Colonel's elder sons have other ideas.
John and Gideon Winston are as different as night and day, and each wants to claim Violet for his own. John immediately charms her with his intelligence and cordial demeanor, while Gideon, the dark rogue, delights in flustering her at every opportunity, awakening a yearning she doesn't understand and most assuredly does not want. She tries to deny her pull to both men, but an uneasy midnight bargain with one forges a new alliance as she’s dazzled by an underground New Geneva she hadn't known existed. And temptations she cannot resist.
But something is preying on the women of New Geneva, something that threatens to unleash the ghosts of Thornfield and drag them all into hell. And that something wants Violet most of all.
Violet Merriweather first sets eyes on Colonel Winston when he purchases her at auction from Witherspoon Academy, the orphanage where she’d been raised after her rescue from Earth. Dutifully, as she was taught, Violet pushes away her fear of the monstrous, forbidding Thornfield Abbey, and throws herself into her work as governess to the Colonel’s youngest son.
But the Colonel's elder sons have other ideas.
John and Gideon Winston are as different as night and day, and each wants to claim Violet for his own. John immediately charms her with his intelligence and cordial demeanor, while Gideon, the dark rogue, delights in flustering her at every opportunity, awakening a yearning she doesn't understand and most assuredly does not want. She tries to deny her pull to both men, but an uneasy midnight bargain with one forges a new alliance as she’s dazzled by an underground New Geneva she hadn't known existed. And temptations she cannot resist.
But something is preying on the women of New Geneva, something that threatens to unleash the ghosts of Thornfield and drag them all into hell. And that something wants Violet most of all.
My Review:
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! Now, let me tell you, I fell in love with Ms.
Hayes books with Falling Under and Dreaming Awake, but this novella makes
me want to just cry that it ended. I
enjoyed it that much!
I
will warn you that this book inspires a lot of questions. Like what happened to Earth exactly? Is New Geneva a planet, a moon, or a
ship? Better yet, is New Geneva in the
same solar system or even the same galaxy as Earth? Who is this serial killer? But, in this novella, thankfully most of
these questions are all answered relatively quickly.
I
love how perfectly improper Gideon is.
He is everything a rake should be, but he is more than just your average
rake. He is a strong and caring man,
even though fate (and his mother’s actions) hasn't given him the most enjoyable
lot in life. I think he keeps trying to find a way to redeem his mother’s sins,
but he doesn't know how. And while everyone
thinks that Gideon is the epitome of a bad boy, I think he is actually a good
guy smothered in bad boy charisma (that is like chocolate, only better).
Violet…
Oh what can I say about Violet? She is a
girl who wants to save everyone, who quietly remains in the background and
wants to be a burden to no one. But as
she grows as a character, she starts stepping out of the background, though she
is still trying to save everyone. I
think she is a pretty strong woman, considering the fact what her society of
submissive women seems to be. And I
think it is her strength that makes her such an appealing character.
Brava
to Ms. Hayes on pointing out safety when going out to a bar (even in the
future). Too many girls in novels today
are more than willing to accept drinks from strangers, and it is no wonder a
lot of young ladies don’t know that you don’t do that. Thank you for having your lead female
character show at least some safety sense!
My
personal favorite part of this novella is the history of how New Geneva came to
be. Theme parks, steampunk fascinations,
and cosplay all had a role. As a
cosplayer, it gives me hope that one day we will rule a world! But as an explanation, I think this is the
most believable reason for a Post-
Earth
Steampunk society to exist. I mean, what
other reason would we as a society want to revert back to old fashion ways
blended with modern technology?
Now,
this is an adult book. There are a few
scenes, though not graphic, do relate to adult activities (yes, which does mean
sex… Trying to be delicate, but oh well).
I think Ms. Hayes, does a wonderful job of not making it the driving
force of this novella. This is not your
penny bodice rippers; there is actually a story line other than the sex.
I
will say that though I already kind of knew who the serial killer was, I was
still through for a loop. And even
though I was right on the who, I must say that I was not prepared or had even
thought of the whys, wheres, and hows of it all. Plus the added zombie insert was brilliant!
Overall,
I think this is a great novella, and I can’t wait to read more from Ms. Hayes.
Highly Recommend.
Happy Reading!
Cana
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