Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Peculiar Pets of Miss Pleasance by Delilah S. Dawson

Frannie has no family left in the world.  Her brother was killed in a duel trying to defend her honor and now all she has is her business and her secure building where she hides from the world.  It's her habit of taking home small, wounded things and caring for them that makes her take Casper home with her.  That and his offer of decent coin for a room...

Pocket Star and Edelweiss allowed me to download an ebook of this story for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with the stores that sell ebooks for a copy.  I snagged mine on Barnes & Noble.

The title caught my eye on this one.  I'm fond of animals and I wanted to know why her pets were peculiar.  I found out that not only were some of the animals strange, some of the people she meets or knows are a bit strange, too.

Once she takes Casper home, she starts having trouble.  Someone tries to burn her house down.  The best part of that trouble is that she meets a fireman who is named Thom and is Scottish.  He continues to hang around a bit and helps find her animals that have escaped in the confusion of the fire.  

When he finds someone mailed her a viper in an attempt to killer her, Thom gets even more protective.  Casper gets jealous and tries to charm Frannie, but she has no interest in him as a boyfriend.  He's too volatile and flighty.  

There are daemons and other creatures in this world.  Just like people, some good and some are bad.  When she goes to a performance by Casper (he's a master piano player), someone shoots an arrow at her in his box while she watches.  Thom saves her again and their friendship flourishes into something more.

I really enjoyed the romance between these two characters.  Both have suffered loss in the past and very cautious about the future.  The romance is tentative and sweet.  Before the story was over, I wanted a Thom, too, even if he wears a kilt.

This story impressed me enough to purchase a copy so I can read it again.  It was an interesting, fun read and I want to visit with them again.

There are more books in this series, but this one can be read alone.  Why not read it and see if it hooks you, too?

Happy reading.      

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