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A review by takethyme
A Candle in the Dark by Megan Chance
3.0
3.5 Stars
I am beginning to believe that when I need a full-length historical romance with plenty of restlessness, internally tortured souls and loads of apprehension, Megan Chance is my new go-to author. I may not like the main characters every moment; she definitely knows how to yank my chains and push my buttons. She takes a gritty situation, a persecuted hero and heroine, some interesting secondary characters and other issues and molds it into a story-format.
A CANDLE IN THE DARK takes some of my least likable character-types and has their actions evolve from their personalities. They are faulty and prone to err but this is the driving force for their story.
Dr. Cain D'Alessandro has seen better days. He is a drunkard and lush; we would now call him an alcoholic. When given a choice of anything and the bottle, he always chooses alcohol. Ana 'The Duchess' is a prostitute and, possibly, a murderess. She hates what she is and wants to change but hasn't found a way to go about it. She is closed-mouth about her childhood but you know something bad happened. Like-wise with Cain. Both of these flawed people come from damaged pasts.
Ana needs his help but ignores him once they have escaped from New York. When he looks at her all he sees is contempt but their situation calls for them to stay together. He is suppose to be her protection in the guise of a husband. He manages to pick away at the wall she has surrounded herself with a simple comment, a look or a question. It is something that chisels a crack in that same said wall.
Ms. Chance has given the reader a more realistic view of what it means to have an addiction. It is not glossed over and you feel the struggling Cain goes through. Ana comes across as cold for some of the time but if she were written any other way the story would not have been as interesting. This was the author's first published romance and was actually pretty good for a debut. It did not beat THE PORTRAIT but was better than AN INCONVENIENT WIFE. Try this romance if you can appreciate very human characters with all their weaknesses and misgivings.
I am beginning to believe that when I need a full-length historical romance with plenty of restlessness, internally tortured souls and loads of apprehension, Megan Chance is my new go-to author. I may not like the main characters every moment; she definitely knows how to yank my chains and push my buttons. She takes a gritty situation, a persecuted hero and heroine, some interesting secondary characters and other issues and molds it into a story-format.
A CANDLE IN THE DARK takes some of my least likable character-types and has their actions evolve from their personalities. They are faulty and prone to err but this is the driving force for their story.
Dr. Cain D'Alessandro has seen better days. He is a drunkard and lush; we would now call him an alcoholic. When given a choice of anything and the bottle, he always chooses alcohol. Ana 'The Duchess' is a prostitute and, possibly, a murderess. She hates what she is and wants to change but hasn't found a way to go about it. She is closed-mouth about her childhood but you know something bad happened. Like-wise with Cain. Both of these flawed people come from damaged pasts.
Ana needs his help but ignores him once they have escaped from New York. When he looks at her all he sees is contempt but their situation calls for them to stay together. He is suppose to be her protection in the guise of a husband. He manages to pick away at the wall she has surrounded herself with a simple comment, a look or a question. It is something that chisels a crack in that same said wall.
Ms. Chance has given the reader a more realistic view of what it means to have an addiction. It is not glossed over and you feel the struggling Cain goes through. Ana comes across as cold for some of the time but if she were written any other way the story would not have been as interesting. This was the author's first published romance and was actually pretty good for a debut. It did not beat THE PORTRAIT but was better than AN INCONVENIENT WIFE. Try this romance if you can appreciate very human characters with all their weaknesses and misgivings.