Reviews with content warning for Violence - Darling Beast

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt

5 reviews

onlyonebookshelf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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allingoodtime's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I’m sure I’m not the only one who reads this series who has loved Apollo from the he was introduced. His is a tragic and complicated past. I believe this story can be read as a standalone, but to really understand the horrors Apollo has suffered it’s best to go back and at least read Duke of Midnight.

Lily has been mentioned in many of the past stories, but she hasn’t been introduced until this book. Lily is an actress and quite famous in London. After the theater she was contracted with burned down, she was unable to find work because of a perceived snub of another theater owner and Harte (aka one of the Makepeace brothers!) is allowing her, along with her son and nurse/companion, to stay in the husk of what was once his magnificent theater and pleasure garden. It’s not a known thing that Harte is Asa Makepeace or that his partner and the brilliant mute gardener happens to be none other than the fugitive Apollo Greaves.

The beginning of this tale is rather sweet. Lily’s son, Indio, at first thinks Apollo is a monster in the gardens. He soon is fascinated with the rather large gardener and spies on the man whenever he has the chance. Lily thinks her son has a vivid imagination until she finally sees this monster for herself. Apollo does nothing to sway her opinion that he is a simpleton since he cannot talk, yet with his sharp mind and kind heart she soon realizes there is much more to Apollo (at this time known as Caliban to Lily and her family) than he is letting on. Watching these two fall for each other despite the secrets they must keep and the barriers between them was spectacular. The interactions between Apollo and Indio are also quite heartwarming.

Once Apollo starts to regain his voice, he truly says the sweetest things to Lily. Not because he’s trying to charm her or win her over, but because he speaks from the heart and his heart is a beautiful thing. He doesn’t pull his punches or hold anything back when expressing his feeling to Lily. He knows his mind, he knows his heart, and he doesn’t see any reason to keep those things to himself.

The last few chapters seemed a bit rushed to me. There was the mystery of who committed the murders of which Apollo was accused. It seemed once Lily and Apollo resolved in finding their HEA the author had to still resolve the murders and it was a bit slapdash. Not that it doesn’t make sense, because the logic plays out. The pacing of that aspect of this story just seemed off compared to the rest of the book.

I enjoyed that some strange bedfellows banded together to help Apollo. There is a new Duke in town whom I wasn’t crazy about through much of this story, but the more I got to know him the more I am curious about him. His reaction to Hippolyta Royle, who has been a mystery so far in this series herself, was a brilliant introduction to a possible love match.

Finally, next, the lovely Phoebe will get her HEA. She is one of my favorites with her determination, sass, and vulnerability.

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