Secrets, Societies, and Suspicious Activities

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Source: Review Copy from Blog Tour

TYPE OF NOVEL: Victorian Romance

SETTING: 1865, London

SERIES: The Dread Penny Society #2

SYNOPSIS: The Dread Penny Society is a collective group of authors dedicated to secretly assisting any poor and unprotected individuals of society. One of its members is Hollis Darby, who grew up wealthy and established but now earns his living writing low-brow literature. Hollis finds himself enamored with music teacher Ana Newport, who has her own secrets and reversal of circumstances.

Recently there have been many reports of petty thievery and gambling dens in upper class homes and their possible connection to a dangerous and known criminal called Four-Finger Mike. The Dread Penny Society is determined to learn all they can about these suspicious activities and thwart the nefarious individuals involved. And Hollis is right in the thick of it as his own brother is likely one of the victims of this sinister operation. Can Hollis save his family, apprehend the villains, and win Ana’s heart?

WHAT I LOVED:

• A Premise Full of Secrets: I don’t typically read Victorian romances, but I was eager to read this one because it was published by Shadow Mountain and because of the intriguing premise about characters who live secret lives falling in love. It was great fun to observe all the secrets everyone was keeping and wait to see if and when they would be divulged or guessed. I love that the reader was in the dark in some places as well. There is plenty of delicious suspense building and Sarah M. Eden executed it all superbly!

• An Unsuitable But Well-Matched Pair: Hollis and Ana are both not seeking love, they know their reduced circumstances and secret activities don’t make them highly eligible marriage prospects. But they are powerfully drawn to one another. Which becomes a bit of a challenge, as the more time they spend together the more risk of their secrets becoming exposed…Hollis is adorable with his flirtatious charm, and I admired his selfless endeavors, bravery, and quick mind. Ana is strong, sentimental, and caring. I loved that she was a music teacher and her devoted relationship to her father. And I loved how sweet both of these characters were towards each other and towards any children they encountered.

• Stories Within a Story: I always love it when there are extra bits of printed media or ephemera in a story, whether it be letters, text/email exchanges, or a manuscript. And since this series about a group of writers who write penny dreadfuls, what could be better then sharing chapters from a couple of their stories?! There were two different penny dreadful stories geared towards young readers intermittently shared throughout this tale. They were both entertaining with a little bit of mystical phenomena involved. I enjoyed noticing some parallels between the penny dreadfuls and the main action of the story.

• Society and Network: I loved meeting all the characters in the Dread Penny Society – what a terrific bunch of well-drawn, intriguing, and stimulating characters. I also loved witnessing their interactions with each other and their network of spies and other characters. I am hard-pressed to decide which characters I enjoyed most! This is the second book in this series and it seems like different members of the DPS are featured in the foreground of each novel, which means the other characters are still present in each installment.

WHAT I WASN’T TOO FOND OF:

• More Crime-Solving Than Romance: There is a good bit going on with several crimes being investigated and secrets being explored plus the chapters of two novellas being shared. Sarah M. Eden juggles it all capably, but I did find myself wishing a little more time was spent on certain elements – specifically Ana’s and Hollis’s relationship.

• Some Action Missing: While some aspects of the story resolved by the conclusion of this story, some felt like they did not. Partly because the arc of these storylines maybe continues into the next book of the series and partly because the chapters around the big climax didn’t include a lot of firsthand details about what was taking place. It felt like we were missing some of the excitement having it delivered via summary after the fact.

NOTE: This is Book Two in the Dread Penny Society series and I think it would be best to read the first book in this series The Lady and the Highwayman and the  prior to reading this book.

CONCLUSION: The Gentleman and the Thief is an exciting an heartwarming tale full of spies, secrets, and suspicious activities! This series would be an excellent choice for readers who are intrigued by the idea of a secret society of authors quietly doing some good for their readers.

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My thanks to Laurel Ann Nattress of Austenprose for putting this lovely blog tour together and inviting me to take part!