My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Adam Nicke, I think, someone has to figure a new genre to slot this book into 😹 😹 😹. Jokes apart, the author has worked wonders in creating a fantasy/time-travel erotic love story with such rich historical details that it was easy to be transported to the 1890s.
Cassandra has moved lock stock and barrel to Wales with Simeon where her friend Anna also resides. The lockdown and the pandemic have not helped matters as Cassandra realizes her predicament of being stuck with an exhausting partner with no escape in sight. The story then takes the reader on a journey as Cassandra discovers an apothecary hidden in the woods and a magical interlude begins.
The sexual scenes are hot and sizzling but what excited me more was the enriching history that the author wove thru the story. The detail about the Rose-Croix brotherhood was utterly fascinating, it is the first time that I was reading about it and I kept googling the subject to know more about the history of Rosicrucianism and its order. Cassandra is made aware of her various pasts entwined with the enigmatic Lucius d’Orléans and Adam Nicke uses his excellent skills in narrating a story that brings the era of the place alive.
There’s an element of mystery with the presence of the abusive Simeon and his identity in the past that keeps the reader engrossed in turning the pages at an alarming pace. Equally interesting was the ending with a surprising twist that leaves the reader ambiguous about the truth of the story.
Entertaining and spicy☂️☂️☂️☂️
Many thanks to the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.
Cassandra Wyvern wants to be seduced. Her uncouth partner, Simeon Danton, has made it obvious that he’s only with her until someone better comes along. Her friend suggests manifesting such a man, neither realising that she was about to visit an apothecary shop hidden deep in ancient woodland on the England/Wales border or that its owner, the occultist Lucius d’Orléans – a man born in the 11th century – was about to enter her life.
Strangely drawn to Lucius, he tells her that they have been lovers twice before – first when she was a courtesan in 18th century Paris; then again in 1890, when she was murdered by her jealous husband after he found out about their affair. Lucius has since spent more than a century waiting for her. Smitten with Lucius, when she visits him again his derelict and overgrown shop appears new, as she has slipped through time and is now in the year 1891, a year after her previous incarnation was murdered. Her returning to Lucius has made him appear youthful again, and soon they resume their passionate and uninhibited sex life.
But Simeon Danton has followed her and has vowed to win her back, even it kills him – and strange things happen when a man dies an unnatural death a century before he was born.
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Sounds like a hot one!
Yes, it was😉