If you like murder mysteries, period dramas, and vividly drawn magical protagonists, then The Fire in the Glass by Jacquelyn Benson will be a Sight for sore eyes.
I picked this book up for free from a group promo, and was hooked from the very first chapter. The POV character, Lily, pops off the page clearly and with immediacy. Her faults lead back to her past in an inexorable way, the tangled thread of her history carving out an imperfect present that rings true.
The romance plot is not as prominent as the murder mystery, but it is indelibly there, and the book ends with a HFN. I haven’t read more of the series yet, so I’m hoping that stays the case.
The book honestly could have done with another round of edits, as it is a bit longer than in ought to have been and the presence of accidental homophones in the text indicates that spell checker was relied upon too much. But the errors are far enough between that I wasn’t overly bothered.
As of the writing of this post, this book is free on Amazon, so now is a good time to take a punt on this author.
London, 1914. Lily's visions could stop a killer... if she'll trust a reclusive aristocrat with her darkest secret. A monster stalks the gaslit streets of Edwardian London, draining the blood of the city's mediums. Lily Albright knows who's next. Lily is plagued by visions of the future she can never change. When a mysterious fiend threatens someone she loves, she's determined this time will be different. But she can't do it alone. To save a life, Lily must reveal her darkest secrets to someone she has little reason to trust—the reclusive Lord Strangford, a man haunted by his own unusual powers. From the glittering galleries of Bond Street to the rookeries of Southwark, Lily and Strangford plunge into a dark conspiracy that lies at the heart of England's rising eugenics movement. To thwart it, Lily must face a past rife with betrayal—and embrace the power she has spent her entire life trying to escape. This gripping historical fantasy series is perfect for those who love supernatural suspense and slow-burn romance.
