A Candle to the Devil
Linda Parsons MillsHistorical romance
Available from New Concepts Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-60394-395-6
January 2010
| Elizabeth Leighton, born into a family of wealth and prominence, finds herself homeless, just about penniless, and an orphan. After finding a job in the Three Bells Pub, she flees for her life, ending up at the home of the handsome and enigmatic Gabriel Jackman, once a minister. She joins his small group in an effort to seek out the story behind a satanic group and a series of murders. They, together with Lee, an associate, are welcomed into the home of another prominent family, ostensibly for Elizabeth to steer the three grown sons into acceptable marriages. The truth, however, is that Gabriel is on a special assignment to learn the truth behind the murders. They encounter many dangers, along with unbelievable situations, and Elizabeth becomes the target of an ancient demon, a ghost bent on revenge, a madwoman and her evil son.
This book sparked my interest because of the story. The author gradually revealed the secrets behind the murders, along with the hidden facts of the family members they were investigating. While I found the characters interesting, I also questioned some actions of the hero, which seemed out of sync with the times and with his having been a minister. I also had serious questions about the historical validity of some areas. While the truth behind the satanic cult finally showed a reason behind the hero's character, I would have liked something earlier to explain it, such as conflict within himself. The heroine, though I liked her, behaved out of character for the times, although some of that could be due to her precarious position. Her actions were sometimes inconsistent, without the benefit of inner thoughts and conflicts as a way of explanation. Additionally, and very importantly, there were a great many grammatical errors in the book, along with misspellings, extra words, missed words and, in one case, the consistent misspelling of the word psychic. Again, the story line is excellent and well developed, but in places it goes on and on. With more care, this author's works could well become something I would look for.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Jaye Leyel |
