Andrea Parnell

Author Andrea Parnell recreates a convincing 1750s London, where a mysterious stranger offers a poor girl the chance to escape her fate, and rich sons battle and drink together, just for fun. Details entice the reader and make the patchwork of dark streets, gloomy houses, and docks, seem vividly real. Dialog is convincing, and characters, apart from the mysterious brothers, are nicely three-dimensional. The novella is a prequel to a longer tale, and it’s clear the brothers will become more real as history reveals their motivations.

Scary scenes of threat and escape accompany Sylvia’s flight, with nicely drawn details of the problems of running in a long skirt. Meanwhile, pleasing humor adds depth and intrigue.

The novella ends, at least in my copy, with excerpts from longer works, nicely advertising the author’s writing skills, and enticing readers to purchase more books. Occasional typos might have marred my enjoyment, but they’re probably fixed by now, and anyway, the storylines have got me thoroughly hooked. I would love to read more. (Can I download some time first please?)

Disclosure: I found that it was free and decided to try it.… (más)