Book Review: Darling Beast (Maiden Lane #7) by Elizabeth Hoyt

SYNOPSIS:

 

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.

 

MY REVIEW:

I have been a fan of Miss Elizabeth since I started reading her works. I’ve always seen her as a fairy putting magical fairy dusts on every book she writes because each one of them are impossible to put down.

Out of all the books from the Maiden Lane series, this is the book I was so excited about. Although Miss Elizabeth is known for her unique and unusual characters, to me, Apollo Greaves stood out from the rest. An accused madman and murderer, Apollo spent 4 years of his life inside Bedlam and was rendered mute for some time when jailguards stepped on his throat. His character was so very interesting that I think I pay extra attention to every dialogue he wrote or spoke. Miss Elizabeth has successfully captured my complete interest in Apollo and that seldom happens to me as a reader.

As I read Darling Beast, I felt like the pages of my book was rendered the gift of life because they just kept turning and turning and turning and turning. Every end of a chapter was a successfully-built cliffhanger so stopping was impossible. The scenes written by Miss Elizabeth has effortlessly invaded my own emotions as if she knew exactly what to state to make me cry, laugh, and just plain feel. I remember how I emotional I felt when Apollo has spoken Indio’s name for the very first time. It was a real challenge not to stand up, jump like crazy, and shout “YES!”.

Yet again, Miss Elizabeth has proven her amazing skills in creating characters that will mark a space in a readers heart and stay there. The Duke of Montgomery became my favorite secondary character in this novel. His wit (or rather his self-proclaimed possession of insurmountable knowledge) entertained me throughout his last scene. Edwin, Lily’s brother was a surprise because I really thought he was part of the “bad guys”. Indio is one of my favorite parts in the story. His strong bond with Apollo was just plain disarming. Daffodil was a treat too!

Lastly, I would note on the beautiful dynamics of the characters and the story all together. It seems like everything is perfect. The relationships of the characters are clear and realistic, fun and interesting, and so very very admirable. The story was just perfect. I experienced an after-reading paralysis and was unable to proceed to another book. It was THAT beautiful.