Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club (Lady Helen #1) in Aussie Readers

May 14, 2014 Tien rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult, arc, kindle, signed-by-author, australian-author, own, england, freebie

I very much adored The Eon Duology! I still remembered vividly staying up late whilst heavily pregnant with my first because I just could not put down The Two Pearls of Wisdom; absolutely captivating and one of my favourite books ever! Therefore, I’ve kept my eye on Alison Goodman and have heard about this Regency project some years ago… I’ve waited a lifetime for Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club!

This story is told from Lady Helen’s perspective and readers are privileged, as well, to know her p ...more

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Dec 01, 2015 Rebecca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2015, loveozya, young-adult, genre-fantasy, genre-historical

review to come.

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Jun 11, 2016 Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2016, i-own, bought-by-me, signed-copies

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Allison Goodman is a deeply enjoyable Regency romance let in a lush 1800's world that is vividly depicted and features fantasy, danger and thrilling chemistry!

Raised by her Aunt and Uncle after the tragic death of her parents, Lady Helen Wrexhall is set to make her debut into society and into the race to find a husband. Yet in the midst of gallant outings and opulent balls, the disappearance of Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club by Allison Goodman is a deeply enjoyable Regency romance let in a lush 1800's world that is vividly depicted and features fantasy, danger and thrilling chemistry!

Raised by her Aunt and Uncle after the tragic death of her parents, Lady Helen Wrexhall is set to make her debut into society and into the race to find a husband. Yet in the midst of gallant outings and opulent balls, the disappearance of one of Helen's housemaids begins a journey Helen could never have expected. There is a secret hiding within England, a secret that includes powerful demonic creatures whose threat to society is thwarted by a tight band of individuals whose influence is vast and whose purpose is to protect society and keep the peace between the two worlds. Led by the mysterious Lord Carlston whose scandalous past still remains a focus of gossip between the Lords and Ladies of Mayfair, Lady Helen is about to discover abilities she never knew she possessed and a duty she isn't sure she wants. But with lives on the line and murders abundant, Helen must either choose to accept her destiny or run from the power that flows through her veins......

Despite beginning slow, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club was an incredibly exciting and adventurous story. Allison Goodman wonderfully depicts Regency life in the early 1800's and introduces an alluring underground world with the Dark Days Club. Set in the middle of high society, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club weaves danger and fantasy with old world charm, luxury and wealth. Extravagant balls and relaxed visits make up a portion of Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club as Helen navigates society whilst investigating the disappearance of one of her maids and trying to discover the truth behind her mothers past--a past that will impact on Helen's future.

Our leading lady and protagonist Lady Helen was someone I very much liked. Strong of character and tenacity, Lady Helen was a shining light in this (rightly so) uptight world and someone who took chances. Despite wanting to lead a normal life, Helen questions things and makes considerations in Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club. Helen learns a lot in this book, both about herself and the world around her; a world very few people are aware exists underneath the surface. I honestly look forward to continuing to follow Helen in the rest of the series--I can only imagine where Allison Goodman plans to take her!

Lush and vivid, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club features a lot of personable characters, including a potential love interest for Helen. Lord Carlston is an enigma I'm delightfully looking forward to uncovering. Goodman writes him as a mystery wrapped in secrets in Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club and has me highly intrigued by his history. Charming and elegant, Lord Carlston is a knight-in-shining armor whose past taints him and leaves him an outcast in society. Personally I thought he was absolutely fabulous and very much the sexy English gent.

I'm hopeful for some romance between Lord Carlston and Lady Helen even as Allison Goodman writes their chemistry as a delicious undertone to the rest of the story. Lord Carlston isn't Helens only possible love interest as there is another vying for her affection, but with the chemistry they share oh so delicious, I for one am entirely hopeful Goodman may develop their relationship into the burning romance it has all the potential to be.

Incredibly written and detailed, Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club races to an exciting ending and leaves me desperate for the next book to be released so that I may once again join Helen on her adventure and learn more about the Dark Days Club. Perfect for historical fans who love their tales wrapped in fantasy, I highly recommend Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club as it has absolutely everything you could possibly want! ...more

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Sep 23, 2015 Joy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, historical-fiction, regency, 2016-goodreads-challenge

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club (Lady Helen) did not disappoint — in fact, having read a few mixed reviews for it, I found I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

Lady Helen Wrexhall is preparing for her first season in 1812. With an infamous dead mother who is rumoured to have performed treason against England, Lady Helen (and everyone around her), tries to force down her inner spirit and be the woman society expects from her.

Little does she know, Helen's spiritedness is not from a need t

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club (Lady Helen) did not disappoint — in fact, having read a few mixed reviews for it, I found I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

Lady Helen Wrexhall is preparing for her first season in 1812. With an infamous dead mother who is rumoured to have performed treason against England, Lady Helen (and everyone around her), tries to force down her inner spirit and be the woman society expects from her.

Little does she know, Helen's spiritedness is not from a need to rebel, but rather from a destiny that she was born into. A Reclaimer who's tasked to save the world from the evil of the Deceivers, creatures that seek out the life force of humanity and sucks it from everyone. And as the only direct inheritor, it's been predicted that her birth will bring about the Grand Deceiver, a creature that could possibly wipe out all the Reclaimers there are left (which is not many considering there are only around eight in England).

This book was interesting from beginning to end. I never really enjoyed regency books before, but in the last few years, I've developed a love for them after devouring A Breath of Frost and Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey.

Alison Goodman's 1812 London is detailed, which I understand can be a little dull for some readers. I on the other hand loved it. I'm a huge history nut, so getting a glimpse into this time period was so fun! Having interviewed Alison recently, I know how much time and effort she has spent researching the period to ensure that the book and its events align as closely with real life as possible. This added a touch of something special to the story, and made it all the more enjoyable.

Lady Helen was also a character that I admired. She was strong, but not in the way that many YA heroines are these days. Living in regency England means she's limited by a lot of things that women today take for granted — for example, not having the freedom to go wherever you want for fear of being seen as improper...or even the freedom to power walk, let alone run! These societal standards doesn't help when you're meant to be saving humanity from demons! Women in this era are not given many choices, but what's interesting in this book is that Helen does get a choice. And it's interesting to see the way she makes that decision...there was not one second where I thought her choices were unrealistic or out of character.

What's also great about this book is that while there's a touch of romance, it's quite subtle, making it all the more enjoyable. Let's be honest, most of us are sick of being whacked across the face by a 'love story' that plays out over a week. I'm actually quite torn about whether I like Lord Carlston or not to be honest. I think I'll hold out judgement until the next book.

One of the only issues I had with the book was the Deceivers. While I understand what they are, and their history, I just find them a little out of place. Don't get me wrong, they're very unique (and definitely creeptastic), but I found the whole tentacle thing a little out of left field. And I can understand why these creatures don't sit well with some readers.

Overall, Alison Goodman has crafted a very interesting world that I'm looking forward to diving back into soon. This book is not for everyone, but if you're a fan of paranormal and historical fiction, then you should give Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club a try!

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

...more

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Mar 10, 2016 Nicki Markus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-paranormal

I really enjoyed The Dark Days Club from start to finish. At times it was hard to put it down. The characters are compelling and the plot gripping. I wondered if the pacing didn't drag in a couple of places, but on the whole it moved along nicely. A special delight was the excellent prose. I've read a number of books with bad grammar and many typos of late, so seeing such a clean manuscript was a joy, and I was able to sink into the story even more since I wasn't being dragged back to reality by ...more

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Oct 09, 2017 Kate Forsyth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance, australian, historical-fantasy, aww2017

Take a light-hearted Regency romance, add in some soul-sucking demons, and a dash of butt-kicking, and you have Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club.

It’s a delicious mixture. One minute Lady Helen is worrying about what to wear to meet the Queen, the next she’s dashing down dark, foggy alleyways chased by powerful vampiric creatures that need her dead. I’ve heard it described as Jane-Austen-meets-Buffy, which made me laugh. It’s a good description, for the book has the bonnets-and-balls settings o ...more

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Apr 19, 2016 Tarran rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really enjoyed the imagery and tone of this book. The characters were delightful and well thought out.

We follow the life of Lady Helen, a debutante in 1812, London. Ever since her birthday, changes have been occurring in her life and she is introduced to the Dark Days Club. This shadowy organisation investigates and contains demonic entities.

Over the course of the novel we find out more about her mother and father, who were killed when she was eight.

Throughly engaging and well researched, it ...more

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Apr 27, 2016 Aphie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: period-novel, fantasy, australian

What a surprising delight! I wasn't expecting much more than fantasy steampunk shenanigans from this novel, judging by the back blurb. But the author cites herself as a Heyer fan and it shows! Wonderful Regency setting with many authentic furbelows, mannerisms and vocal nuances alongside bizarre demonic discussion and a lovely sense of sexual tension in a period-specific manner. Not by any means deep or far-reaching, but fun and not so anachronistic it broke the narrative flow up for me.
Good fun ...more

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Jan 13, 2016 Tonile Reads 📚 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-release

I seriously feel like it took until 300-odd pages in for me to get invested in the story, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I think. I'm definitely not the target market here, though, and regency novels certainly aren't for me! ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Ceels added it · review of another edition

I love regency romances, and I really enjoyed this book, but I often felt like the author had exhaustively researched the period and was more focused on putting in every scrap of knowledge they'd found, than on the story.

Even with that, it was a fun read. ...more

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