A Dead and Stormy Night by Steffanie Holmes – A Book Review

Posted March 8, 2019 by Booksandblurbs in PNR, Reverse Harem, Reviews / 0 Comments

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A Dead and Stormy Night

(The Nevermore Bookshop Mysteries – Book 1)

by Steffanie Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Slow Burn, Paranormal RH, Mystery

Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Down and Dirty

Absolutely delightful – put this one on your TBR queue.

What is it about? (Blurb pulled from GoodReads)

Yes, I know I am pulling a lot of blurbs from Goodreads, but my arm is casted and typing is hard… I’ll start writing them myself again in a few weeks!

What do you get when you cross a cursed bookshop, three hot fictional men, and a punk rock heroine nursing a broken heart?

After being fired from her fashion internship in New York City, Mina Wilde decides it’s time to reevaluate her life. She returns to the quaint English village where she grew up to take a job at the local bookshop, hoping that being surrounded by great literature will help her heal from a devastating blow.

But Mina soon discovers her life is stranger than fiction – a mysterious curse on the bookshop brings fictional characters to life in lust-worthy bodies. Mina finds herself babysitting Poe’s raven, making hot dogs for Heathcliff, and getting IT help from James Moriarty, all while trying not to fall for the three broken men who should only exist within her imagination.

When Mina’s ex-best friend shows up dead with a knife in her back, she’s the chief suspect. She’ll have to solve the murder if she wants to clear her name. Will her fictional boyfriends be able to keep her out of prison?

Thoughts

First, can we talk about the Authors name? Steffanie Holmes??? Either this is a perfectly chosen pen name, or she delved deep and made her muse fit her name! Either way, I tip my hat in respect.

Beyond the Author’s very apt name, this is a fascinating and down right cheeky novel about love, loss, mystery and the power of the written word – literally. The main make characters are come straight from classic literature, Heathcliff if Wuthering Heights, James Moriarty of Sherlock fame, and Quath…, Poe’s Raven.

Somehow, someway, they emerge from the dust of their stories to roam and tend an aging bookstore, Nevermore. And now they must band together to help their new assistant beat a murder charge!

Great premise, great characters, poor mystery. The mystery in question, murder most foul, felt a bit like a side note instead of the crux. The story is really about the store, what it does and the joining of this strange and mismatched quartet.

Perspective

First Person, Single POV

Ending Type

HFN

Steam Level

Warm – definite slow burn, but the seeds have been planted.

Pros:

Flows well.
Characters, ALL of them.
Engrossing subplots.
Romantic tension written well.
Moriarty… I always liked him better than Sherlock.

Cons:

Minor editing issues, does not detract.
Murder mystery felt superfluous.
FMC needs to grow a bit, she makes impulsive and immature decisions.

Favorite Lines

Hard work, terrible pay. Apply within at Nevermore Bookshop. (1%)

“I work in the book industry. There’s always a reason to drink.” (18%)

“You mean all those prints of Picasso and Rembrandt? When you compare yourself to the greatest artists of human history, yeah, you’re probably lacking a bit. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have talent.” (62%)