A Matter of Grave Concern by Brenda Novak

By: Unknown on Thursday, October 09, 2014

Title:  A Matter of Grave Concern
Author:  Brenda Novak
Published:  October 7/14 by Montlake Romance
Length:  336pgs
Format:   ecopy
Genre:  historical romance
Shelf:  review
Rating:  ★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Bestselling author Brenda Novak unearths love in the darkest of places.

When Maximillian Wilder hides his noble identity and joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He’s worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang’s conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but Max knows he must gain Jack’s trust. He’s determined to find out what happened to Madeline—and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could earn.

Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max almost as much as Jack. But she must procure the necessary specimens if she is to save the college and her father’s career. She believes she is going to be successful—until Jack double-crosses her. Then she’s swept into a plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must intervene to protect her, no matter the risk to his plan…or his heart.

My Review:

This was a very well written and intricately plotted novel. Novak writes a controversial yet approachable novel that will turn your head while taking you on quite the ride. Right and wrong are blurred, proving just how often we walk in the grey areas. Not only this, but Novak takes her readers back in time quite fully, allowing us to experience times gone by. My issue with this novel had nothing to do with the storyline or details. Although I can easily see how the author’s voice would appeal to many readers I had a difficult time getting into it. The meandering route she takes from one point to another combined with flowery language detracted from the story for me.

The characters in this novel were definitely unique. Their personalities as well as their plights definitely stand out in the realm of regency romances. For the most part everyone is quite well developed. There were a few who remained mysterious throughout, adding a darker undertone to their personas.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, different kind of regency romance. I definitely don’t regret picking it up.

|  Goodreads  |  Shelfari  |  Amazon  |  B&N  |  Indigo  |