Review: Viridis by Calista Taylor

So, I just finished reading Viridis by the wonderful Calista Taylor and this is my review. I have reviewed books before, but I haven't ever done one on my blog. However, I really enjoyed this book so I thought I would use it to kick start a book review section on here.

Viridis by Calista Taylor


I give it 5 stars!

From the first pages to the last, Lady Phoebe pulled me in and held me close. I felt every emotion she did. In addition the other characters made me love them. I was dragged into their lives and loved every minute of it. From the happy moments, to the sad moments to the OMG that did not just happen moments. This book was well worth my time.

WARNING!! I AM GOING TO BRING UP SOME POINTS NOW THAT WILL BE SPOILERS. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW DETAILS OF THIS BOOK DO NOT KEEP READING.


If you are still interested then
The story is set in 19th century London and although there are a few parts that I think are more modern speech, it's well written for the time period. The plot begins with a Lord being found murdered, with speculations being that the Lord was killed after leaving the popular club, Viridis. Viridis is a club owned by Phoebe and is named after an herbal drink that she created. The idea of the herbal was intriguing to me, I was drawn in by what it was capable of. The thought of an elixir that can enhance your senses and make intimate moments so much more heightened, was fascinating to me.

The romantic element was sweet. Phoebe and Seth love each other deeply, but Phoebe is a strong woman and will not give in so willingly. Seth must promise to remain in London, with her instead of traveling to various places to help with The Cause. Then they have to deal with the fact that Phoebe and Gavin (a good friend) had a "moment" while Seth was away. Throw the evil manipulative Victor into the mix and the fight for Phoebe and Seth makes their victory so much sweeter.

One thing that I want to touch on is Victor. There is a rape scene in this story between Phoebe and Victor. Seth is in jail, facing charges brought on by Victor and Phoebe decides it is up to her to make it right. Phoebe goes to Victors home and agrees to have sex with him and in return he will drop all charges against Seth. A small price for the freedom of her love, right? No, wrong! So very very very wrong. Many reviews I saw were disgusted and turned off the story because of this scene. Victor is brutal, and Calista is not afraid to go there. I myself took it along with everything else in the story. As I read, was I like, No don't do it? Yes, but does that mean I had an issue with it? No, aside from the fact that it put my stomach in knots and made me sad for Phoebe. It was a part of the story I saw coming, well, maybe not the brutality of it, but the sex all the same. I knew it was going to end up coming down to Phoebe going to Victor and pleading for him to drop the charges. I knew that Phoebe loved Seth enough to do anything to see him freed. Don't we all do stupid things in the name of love? Perhaps I'm just a romantic, but I don't think so.

The story ends with Phoebe and Seth planning to be married soon. Poor Phoebe had to bury her brother and now she is seeing her friend Gavin off. The very last chapter is a secondary character named Samuel killing Victor. I loved it! I thought he needed to die and what better way than to have someone who wasn't a VIP in the story. Did I dislike Samuel? Not at all, but if he gets caught, then oh well. At least it won't be Phoebe, Seth, Gavin, or even the inspector. Again, something else I read in other reviews about how they disliked the ending. I didn't and it made me want to hop on over to Amazon and get the next book.

I will be recommending this book to everyone I get the chance to. If you haven't read it, you should. Even if you don't like Steampunk, it may surprise you. Plus, it's free so if it's not for you, at least you didn't have to pay for it. But if it is for you, make sure you check out Devil On A Sparrow's Wing--Book 2 in the Viridis Series.

Great job Calista, keep it up!