[Review] Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

Winterblaze
Darkest London #3
Kristen Callihan
February 26, 2013
ARC courtesy of Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley for an honest review

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Once blissfully in love . . . Poppy Lane is keeping secrets. Her powerful gift has earned her membership in the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals, but she must keep both her ability and her alliance with the Society from her husband, Winston. Yet when Winston is brutally attacked by a werewolf, Poppy's secrets are revealed, leaving Winston's trust in her as broken as his body. Now Poppy will do anything to win back his affections . . .

Their relationship is now put to the ultimate test.Winston Lane soon regains his physical strength but his face and heart still bear the scars of the vicious attack. Drawn into the darkest depths of London, Winston must fight an evil demon that wants to take away the last hope of reconciliation with his wife. As a former police inspector, Winston has intelligence and logic on his side. But it will take the strength of Poppy's love for him to defeat the forces that threaten to tear them apart.

First let me say sorry this post is going up a week late but as some of you may know I was under the weather.

The third book in the Darkest London series is about Poppy and Win previously introduced in the first two books of the series.  This book picks up right where Moonglow left off with Poppy and Win estranged and have been living apart for a couple months now.  Then a threat brings them together and they must fight a demon, literally, from their past to save their future.  There are a few mind blowing secrets revealed but I will say no more and move on to what I like about the book.

I really liked how the story flowed in and out the past and present.  I liked how in the past I got to see how the young Poppy and Win met and fell in love.  Then in the present, after fourteen years of marriage, I like how I got to see the difference between the young Poppy and Win and the older Poppy and Win and how they have grown and matured.  I liked getting to see them fight for their marriage and rekindle flames that they once thought were dead.  That is what I love about all the books in Kristen Callihan's Darkest London series I love that they are all about the power of forgiveness and redemption through love.  I found the romance heart warming and moving because it is not often in romance you get see a couple fall back in love.

While the romance was hot and heavy I felt this story lacked a little on the mystery side because I felt it dragged a little. I think unlike previous books in the series, Winterblaze was supposed to be more romance oriented than mystery.  There were parts were I was like okay get back to the murderer.  Speaking of murder brings me my favorite scene in the story and it was when Poppy and Win attend a house party and at this house party one of the guests turns up dead.  Poppy sends Win in to question the flirtatious lady of the house while Poppy goes on to search her room.  This scene was funny and suspenseful and the part where Poppy finds a coffin in the closet was something right of a vampire horror flick.  That is another thing I really like about the series is the combination of historical romance and Gothic horror novels.  In the first book Firelight I was reminded of Phantom of the Opera, Moonglow was Wolfman, and now Winterblaze has elements of Dracula.  I love Kristen Callihan's spin on the myth of vampires and demons.

While this book may not be my favorite in the series it's still a good addition and I look forward to reading more and I liked revisiting old characters.  This book had romance, horror, and demons.  Just a few of my favorite things that make a story worth reading.  I give Winterblaze four solid lazer pistols because it was out of this world.