1885 London, England
Silas Mercer died once. He’d rather not do it again.
On his return to the world of the living, Silas finds himself in the hands of the mysterious Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
The Order has London society clamouring for their services, with tarot readings, seances and exorcisms among their arcane specialities.
Now they seem intent on making Silas their newest recruit.
But they want far more from him than cheap parlour tricks.
When the Order partners him with the scandalous rake, Tobias Astaroth, Silas's new life is turned on its head in more ways than one.
Tobias is quick-tempered, dangerously charming, and far more than the man he seems.
For Silas, surviving what the Order has planned for him will be a challenge.
But finding a way to survive Tobias Astaroth could prove impossible.
This is my first official gaslamp fantasy - a trope that’s typically set in Victorian or Edwardian times and where the existence of the supernatural is known. I liken it as a fancy term for magical historical alternate universe. Regardless, if this sounds enticing to you, I doubt this story will disappoint.
This starts out with Silas, newly awakened from the dead with no memories of his past life. All he knows is that he’s technically been given a second chance by the Order of the Dawn, a mysterious group that supposedly fights supernatural evil. Silas has officially been promoted to a member of this exclusive “club”, but no one is telling him anything, and he’s pretty much thrown into the deep end to see if he sinks or swims when it comes to manifesting any abilities.
Well… it looks like the guy can see, interact, and put to rest spirits, and Silas is quickly put onto the Order’s roster of appointments to investigate and handle potential nefarious situations.
There’s just one snag. Silas finds himself unceremoniously paired with Tobias Asteroff, blatant unapologetic hedonist who has a very mysterious past, along with unclear reasons why he’s saddled with the Order and why he must do as they bid. It’s an incongruent and unharmonious pairing, but neither has a choice in the matter.
What I will say about this book is that it has an intriguing start. The Order and its objective remain to be seen. There’s religious undertones that have been given new meaning, and this promises plenty of magic and supernatural beings that all have yet to be fully revealed. I will also say that this develops at quite the slow pace with only a few scenes of intense action with a good dose of horror at the end. Silas truly is a fumbling insecure gentle giant which might endear most but also aggravate others, and I often found him lacking in ”oomph” where Tobias is all bad boy brimstone with an undeniably charming facade and a mean streak of carelessness to go with it. Such a contrast between two people forced to work together is admittedly, interesting enough to see how this develops into love. Be forewarned, there’s not a hint of romance in this first installment yet - only snippets of lusty thoughts.
Overall, well written with character flaws that subtracted some points from me personally. However again, if you like supernatural historical MM, then I do think this garners checking out. Hope you enjoy!
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