Winterblaze (Darkest London, #3) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jun 20, 2016 Susan Jackson rated it really liked it

Probably more 3.5 star than 4. This series has me in its grip now. I really loved Winston in this story and his love of Poppy. Poppy I enjoyed as well...she was closed off but Win could always get to her and I could relate to that. Poor Jack - looking forward to his story next.

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Feb 20, 2013 Lauren⁷ 💜 rated it really liked it

Shelves: library-has-a-copy, fantasy-sci-fi-romance-romantasy, romance, historical-romance

I'm not normally one for the marriage in trouble trope, but I overall thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was nice seeing Poppy and Win patch things up and come to forgive one another. And the overall plot was very good. I'm looking forward to reading Jack and Mary's story. It sounds very interesting. ...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Christina T rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

I love this series. I love historical romances. I love paranormal romances. When I can get both of them together I'm doubly in love.

What Worked: Win and Poppy. Despite the secrets they both had from each other two people couldn't have been more perfect for each other (except maybe Miranda and Archer....oh yeah, and Daisy and Ian LOL). Win's pet name for Poppy has always been Boadicea which was so appropriate. She is such a strong and powerful woman and I'm glad Win ended up being her equal in s I love this series. I love historical romances. I love paranormal romances. When I can get both of them together I'm doubly in love.

What Worked: Win and Poppy. Despite the secrets they both had from each other two people couldn't have been more perfect for each other (except maybe Miranda and Archer....oh yeah, and Daisy and Ian LOL). Win's pet name for Poppy has always been Boadicea which was so appropriate. She is such a strong and powerful woman and I'm glad Win ended up being her equal in strength of character. Together they were so very passionate that it was hard to not get swept up in it.

The sensuality was also top notch. After 16 years of being together it was as if they were newly weds still. Typically I don't add the sexual parts of books to the plus column in my reviews but in Poppy and Win's case I have to. I enjoyed them immensely.

There was a mystery within the book about a Moira Darling. I thought this was well done and I enjoyed Win and Poppy's investigation of it and while that was all happening we got a glimpse into their past and what their courtship was like which was nice (but it also had issues....see below).

What Didn't Work: The flashback scenes of Win's courtship of Poppy. While I was happily reading along one of these chapters would bring the momentum to a sudden and abrupt halt. I did not like this but when reflecting about it I realized that had Callihan put all the courtship at the beginning it wouldn't have had as much of an impact and to tell the truth I would have been bored with it. Since I didn't like the way it was done I had to add it here (even though I wouldn't have liked it any other way either.)

Once again we are left in the dark about GIMs (Ghosts in the Machine). Mary Chase hinted that no one could fathom the power they actually had but we don't get to witness any of it other than their ability to leave their physical bodies making them extremely valuable spies. In addition to lack of knowledge about GIMs we are introduced to various Demons. There was limited information on these also but thanks to Poppy explaining a few pointers about Demons we know more about them than we do about GIMs.

The sisters are not featured in the book as much as I'd have liked. I am hoping that there will be a book later one that will feature all 3 women battling some sort of super villain.

The ending epilogue was another point of contention for me. It was pointless. It was a page of nothing to do with Poppy and Win and it ended abruptly. So abruptly that I kept turning the page back and forth to see if I was missing another paragraph or something.

In a Nutshell: Overall I really loved this book. For every negative thing I came across I found something that just brought my enjoyment right back up there. In addition the next book is about Jack Talent and Mary Chase. Their secondary storyline in this book has whet my appetite for their book. Come on December! 4.5 stars ...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Christal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, magical-or-paranormal, 2013-favorites

I loved Poppy's story! Full review to come. ...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Valorie marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: steampunk, comptr-nook

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Feb 02, 2012 Lisa marked it as to-read

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Feb 07, 2012 Shawna marked it as to-read

Shelves: historical-romance, brothers-sisters-cousins-family, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, pnr-paranormal-romance, psychic-special-abilities-powers, married-couples-married-convenience, revenge-deception-secrets-lies, hh-disfigured-injured-scarred-ill, cop-bodyguard-govop-merc-military, romance-erotica-tbr-mountzilla

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Sep 03, 2012 Garima marked it as to-read

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Sep 17, 2012 Dawn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, general-supernatural

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Oct 01, 2012 Alisha marked it as to-read

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Oct 08, 2012 Trish marked it as to-read

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Oct 20, 2012 Sandi *~The Pirate Wench~* marked it as paranormal-historical-romance

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Nov 06, 2012 Lisarenee added it

Shelves: nbrc-tower-team-challenge-ii

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Nov 12, 2012 Delitealex marked it as to-read

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Feb 13, 2013 Lori marked it as to-read

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Feb 13, 2013 Gisela rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance, angels-demons, z2014, victorian-romance

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Feb 19, 2013 Ashley marked it as to-read

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May 21, 2018 Midu Hadi rated it it was ok

Shelves: series, serial-killers-and-other-murderers, urban-fantasy, middlers, missing-shelf, 10-pointers, steampunk-ish, series-completed, read-in-2018, 400-500

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