Customer Reviews

Draw Down the Darkness (Signet Eclipse)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nicholas Saville, Viscount Redfern, has been kept busy on many missions for King George's spymaster, Sir Alaric. He's been so busy that his fiancee, Helen Barrett, is tired of being neglected for years and breaks of their engagement. Nicholas wishes he could settle down with Helen, but his family was left in financial ruin and it's only with the help of Sir Alaric, in exchange for his service, that everything isn't lost--and he can't give Helen a convincing reason for his absences.

But Sir Alaric things the notorious Hellfire League is up to something and promises Nicholas that he may be free if he succeeds in foiling the plot. And luckily for Nicholas, the powerful earl who is wooing Helen (using dark magic to enchant her), is a suspect.

Nicholas isn't a magic-user, so there isn't a strong emphasis on the paranormal in this romance, even though the bad guys are using some magic and there's a ghost. I'm also not entirely sure Nicholas couldn't have handled his relationship with Helen a bit better before being totally out of touch for years and causing her to break off the engagement... But both characters were otherwise reasonable and fairly sympathetic, although I did wish I felt for them just a bit more than I did.

Forced to work for the spymaster Sir Alaric Fitzwilliam to keep his family from scandal, Nicholas is tasked with hunting down a traitor amongst the ton while trying to win back his long-suffering ex-fiancée, Helen Barrett. What he doesn't know is that Fitzwilliam is not only a spymaster but a member of The Circle, a secret group of families of ancient lineage who have magic in their blood and the traitors are the Hellfire League, renegade members of The Circle. Redfern has Sir Alaric's promise that he'll be free to marry Helen and live in peace but first he has to uncover the Hellfire League and their nefarious plot... but can he do so and also save his beloved from the malevolent Earl's evil spell?

The writing was competent and the story fairly engaging but the characters were flat - I couldn't describe either the hero or heroine, and even the villain lacked enough character to make me really dislike him. It seems as if the characters were formless in the writer's mind so she couldn't really express their non-existent personalities. Still, "Draw Down the Darkness" an enjoyable paranormal spy thriller - I can recommend it to those who enjoy this kind of story.

A woman can only wait so long for a man, and Helen Barrett is tired of being engaged and not married. Viscount Redfern, Nicholas Saville, has secrets he can't share with Helen and his obligations have kept him far away from the woman he loves. Unfortunately, Helen now appears mesmerized by the Earl of Waring, a man Nicholas suspects of treason and perhaps, even dark magic. Is the Hellfire League truly emerging to pit the powers of darkness against their own country's best interests?

DRAW DOWN THE DARKNESS has a haunting, almost foreboding atmosphere. The dark sorcery of the Hellfire League doesn't emerge immediately, as Nicholas is initially a doubter that such things exist. Overwhelming evidence begins to convince even the most skeptical of individuals, however, as the mysterious and devious machinations of the League start coming together. Naomi Bellis does a beautiful job at maintaining the right atmosphere for the story to be believable, as it was easy to imagine the dark corridors and hidden secrets that are revealed.

Naomi Bellis gives readers a glimpse of the dark side of the late 1700s as the descriptions are vividly portrayed. I particularly enjoyed the peek into the world of the theater during this time frame as the images seemed perfect for the treachery and intrigue that occur. Naomi Bellis does a spectacular job at not only creating the brooding atmosphere necessary, but also at maintaining the tension necessary to keep the reader interested.

The villain is perhaps the strongest character depicted in DRAW DOWN THE DARKNESS. While the love between Helen and Nicholas is powerful, the evil nature of the Earl of Waring is exceptionally done. Who couldn't help but despise the earl as he bewitches Helen and works his dark magic on all that surround him? DRAW DOWN THE DARKNESS is superbly done paranormal tale that has made this reviewer interested in reading more from Naomi Bellis.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

After waiting on the final return of her fiancé, Helen decides to end her engagement to the Viscount Redfern after waiting 5 years w/ no wedding date in sight. Even though she has ended the engagement, Helen gives Redfern one last chance to redeem himself by staying w/ her for one night, but a list minute note to him calls him away. Devastated and unable to explain his constant absence, Redfern's duty calls him to leave for an appointment; thereby, leaving Helen on the rebound and in the clutches of the Earl of Waring's machinations.

After donning a gift from Waring, Helen goes through a complete personality metamorphous. Helen begins to act scandalously, becomes enamored w/ Waring, and being unable think for herself, and despising Redfern.

Broken hearted and finding Helen's behavior completely baffling, Redfern finds that Helen may be indirectly involved in the Hellfire club that he is investigating for the Crown. Despite his vow to let Helen go, Redfern is determined to solve his final case and to break Helen free from Waring's clutches.

The story is definitely a Georgian gothic romance w/ some paranormal aspects. While the book was written well, I found myself a little bored w/ the novel. The characters were written well and both dialogue and personalities fit w/ the time period. However, the hero was just too beta male for me. The heroine was a well rounded character who comes into her own becomes stronger as the book progresses. Overall, it was a good interesting read, but not worth re-reading at all and therefore not a keeper for me. If you're into gothic regency romance, this is the book for you. I'm most likely going to skip Bellis's other books unless I find it used.

This book captivated me from the first three pages with great characters and a wonderful setting. So many characters have too much power over others--from both the supernatural aspect as well as just political/career
aspirations. It is very easy to believe how the characters are pushed around and against their own wishes and dreams as they live in service to more powerful characters--either for good or evil. Another point is how the author is able to move the dialogue along at a crisp pace yet still keep the sound of regency England. Add to that her knowledge of French military tactics against England and this is a great combination read of action/adventure/paranormal with a complelling love story squashed in the middle. An excellent find of a new author and a highly recommended purchase.

This novel begins with the hero, Nicholas Saville, Viscount Redfern, returning to his betrothed hoping for a sweet reunion but finds things were not as he left them. His fiancée, Helen Barrett, has grown disenchanted with Redfern's long absences and has decided to break off their engagement. Redfern tries to explain, but to no avail, why he had to leave Helen without revealing his dark secret--that he is beholden to the King's spymaster. Not only has his love left him, but has fallen under the sinister spell of a powerful and evil man, Redfern's nemesis, Lord Waring.

Draw moves along at a wonderful pace, as Redfern strives to not only stop Waring and the deadly Hellfire League from completing their terrifying mission, but also win back the trust and heart of his beloved.

Draw is Bellis' second novel and [yet again] she delivers a well written book filled with adventure, magic, and red-hot romance. In this book, Bellis not only delights once more with excellent characters, but displays her growth as an author with the intricate yet eminently traversable plotline. Filled with all the promised elements, murder, magic and romance (and more), I found this book highly satisfying. Well worth the buy!

In 1798 spy Master Sir Alaric Fitzwilliam learns from trusted agent Lord Bedford that the Hellfire League has returned with a plot to help the French invade Ireland while using darkness sorcery to cause havoc. Alaric needs help from the Circle to prevent the sorcery from causing harm and calls for his best agent Viscount Nicholas Saville to return from overseas to go undercover to learn who the traitor is.

Back in England, Helen Barrett sees her fiancé Nicholas for the first time in three years as he has been overseas on business; he never told her he was home. She informs him she will no longer wait for him; he says he loves her. She walks away only to have the Earl of Waring gives her a necklace that she reluctantly puts on. Helen tells Waring she made a mistake but Nicholas tells her to go to Waring as he is better for her.

Nicholas goes to meet Bedford, but watches instead a carriage stop to dump the dead Bedford who holds the card of Helen's brother James. After gaining nothing from James, Nicholas visits Waring, considered a traitor by the Master. There he removes from Helen the necklace that contains dark magic to enslave her to Waring. Nicholas knows his beloved is a key target, but not why. He plans to confront Waring.

The hero's dilemma and guilt feels real as he either gives up his beloved or his family making this Regency romantic fantasy feel genuine especially since the paranormal elements augment the suspense laden story line. Romance readers will feel the strength of the love between the lead couple even when she breaks off with him. Though the Master shows up at the right time and place making it seem as if the hero's efforts were not needed, fans will relish this action-packed thriller that never slows down for even a paragraph.

Harriet Klausner

Naomi Bellis wrote a book that catapults you into an atmosphere of dark, foggy nights, unexpected black funeral coaches and enough magic to keep you on the edge of your chair.
What I loved about this book was not only the powerful writing style and great story but also the fact that everything that is vital to the book happens in the first 50 pages. After that you are on a roller coaster ride and all you can do is hang on. On one page you go slowly up and you know that on the next you go down again with a frightening speed. But you cannot get out and all you can do is keep on reading.
Even for those who are not into paranormal books this is a must read because the magic is there but its not overdone and believable enough to make you wonder if it really exists.
Terrific principal characters and very, very good secondary characters.
Put Naomi Bellis on your auto buy list and you won't be sorry.