Thursday, October 16, 2014

Book Review: Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

Darling Beast (Maiden Lane #7)
By Elizabeth Hoyt
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Source: Publisher
Summary: A MAN CONDEMNED . . .

Falsely accused of murder and mute from a near-fatal beating, Apollo Greaves, Viscount Kilbourne has escaped from Bedlam. With the Crown's soldiers at his heels, he finds refuge in the ruins of a pleasure garden, toiling as a simple gardener. But when a vivacious young woman moves in, he's quickly driven to distraction . . . 

A DESPERATE WOMAN . . .

London's premier actress, Lily Stump, is down on her luck when she's forced to move into a scorched theatre with her maid and small son. But she and her tiny family aren't the only inhabitants—a silent, hulking beast of a man also calls the charred ruins home. Yet when she catches him reading her plays, Lily realizes there's more to this man than meets the eye.

OUT OF ASH, DESIRE FLARES

Though scorching passion draws them together, Apollo knows that Lily is keeping secrets. When his past catches up with him, he's forced to make a choice: his love for Lily . . . or the explosive truth that will set him free.



Review: I have been dying to get my hands on this novel ever since I heard it was coming out. Historical romance, especially ones by Elizabeth Hoyt, always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. This time, Elizabeth Hoyt has written an irresistible novel with a daring leading lady and a brooding, mute male lead who will steal your heart with one smoldering glance. I have read two other books in the Maiden Lane series and absolutely loved them, so it's no surprise that I absolutely loved this one too! 

After being falsely accused of killing three of his friends, Apollo Greaves has spent the past four years locked away, abused to the inch of death. Apollo manages to finally escape and finds himself mute and hiding as a gardener reconstructing the pleasure garden of a burnt down theater. Apollo knows he must keep a low profile in order to not risk arrest again, but the new tenant of the theater makes that task more difficult than he had thought. Renowned actress Lily Stump has had to move into the theater with her son and maid, making money secretly writing plays under her brother's name. When her son becomes enamored with the "monster" in the garden, Lily finds herself spending more and more time with the hulking, mysterious man. Apollo and Lily both have their secrets, but being together allows them to forget those secrets and finally give into passions they've so long forgotten…

Oh my gosh, Apollo and Lily are just too cute. I loved how unconventional the two characters were and how unlikely of a couple they became. Lily is an actress and a single mother, which makes her a very scandalous, yet very famous woman in London. Despite her reputation, Lily is very loyal to her son Indio and will do anything to protect him. From the moment Indio discovers Apollo in the garden, it's clear Apollo won't be the stereotypical leading male. He's nicknamed Caliban, a reference to The Tempest that I absolutely loved, and has no use of his voice. Lily falls for his quiet demeanor and the hint of intelligence behind his kind eyes. Hidden in the burned down theater, Lily and Apollo are equals where they can forget their pasts and simply be together. Well, until reality comes crashing down and forces Apollo to face his demons...

While Apollo was hiding as a gardener for the theater, he actual had a true passion for gardening and I thought it was so adorable how he would get excited about this plans for the theater's pleasure garden. Gardening is definitely not a normal profession in historical romances and it was fun to see Apollo invested in a working man's occupation when he grew up in a life of leisure and class. While hiding out is all fine and dandy for the time being, someone out there is the true murderer of Apollo's friends and Apollo has to find out who really committed the crime he was found guilty for. So many people come together to help Apollo and it's fun seeing them investigate and try to uncover who the real murderer is, all while Apollo falls for the witty actress living next door. 

While I love historical romances in general, Elizabeth Hoyt has managed to create incredibly unique characters that take us into the fun life of theater and gardening with a hint of a murder conspiracy thrown into the mix. The romance was sweet and I loved how Apollo wasn't the typical gorgeous, jaw-dropping man but rather a gentle giant who crawled his way into my heart. If you haven't yet, you must pick up the Maiden Lane series. Elizabeth Hoyt knows what she's doing when it comes to writing a historical romance that is both passionate and sweet and impossible to resist. 


6 comments:

  1. I have wanted to read Elizabeth Hoyt books for some time now. I don't always pick up historical romances but this series looks really good. Apollo and Lily sound like amazing characters. Thanks for your review! :)

    Janhvi @ The Readdicts

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    1. Elizabeth Hoyt is one of my favorite historical romance authors! If you're interested in the genre, I'd definitely recommend her books :)

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  2. Wonderful review. I've heard good things about this author's writing and would love to give her books a read. Thanks for the motivation. This sounds like an interesting series.

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    1. This series is fantastic! I have absolutely loved the three I've read, so you should definitely try the series out for yourself :)

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  4. I so can not wait to get the book. I love the series.

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