As I experienced this in audio form, I want to give a shout-out to the two narrators, Holder Graham and Saskia Maarleveld, who did such a wonderful job of bringing this novel to life in audio form. What a coup to get TWO such talented narrators to do your novel!!
Now to the novel itself. What kind of novel is it? The type of romance in which two unlikely characters get thrown together. At first, they can’t stand one another, and then they fall deeply in love.
In this case, we have the prim and very proper Chasseur (hunter) Reid Diggory, who has sworn an oath to catch and burn all witches, and a young and very beautiful woman whose name turns out to be Louise le Blanc.
Who is she? The daughter of La Dame Blanche (the White Witch) herself. And the Archbishop. (Shock, gasp).
The great strength of this novel is its two wonderful lead characters, Reid and Lou. Not only do they jump off the pages but their dialogue is superb (and funny.)
What doesn’t work so well is the plot, which is set in the indeterminate past, maybe the Middle Ages, maybe the Renaissance. As some readers have noted, it strains credulity.
However, if you are looking for a Romance/Fantasy/Historical novel and are fascinated by witches and their persecution in the 1400s, 1500s and 1600s, this novel is for you.
Four stars.
Grab your copy of Shelby’s Mahurin’s THE SERPENT and THE DOVE
