1812
Deep below the hills of the Buckinghamshire countryside, the infamous Hellfire Caves house a pleasure palace for the idle rich – a secret society steeped in satanism, opium and debauchery of the highest order.
When the club’s warden, Antony Pennington, is brutally murdered, his bastard sister, Dora, must follow the clues to decode who the killer is, aided by an unexpected ally – ex-Army officer, former opium addict and son of a Viscount, Dr Jacob Sandys.
As a shadow dogs their every footstep, Dora and Jacob find themselves in the midst of a shocking conspiracy, caught between the legendary Illuminati and the Hell Fire Club. With time running out, they must fight against both the most influential gentleman of the ton – and the undeniable attraction they feel towards each other…
https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-persephone-code-by-julia-golding
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-persephone-code-julia-golding/1143790488
https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/the-persephone-code
My continual expansion of reading different genres continues! This time it’s a regency set, murder mystery crossed with secret societies and conspiracy theories!
There are layers to the story involving family estrangement, illegitimate children, secret elite societies and second sons of nobility forging their own paths. Dora has taken defying her father to a new level but still loved her older, legitimate brother – even when he strayed from the straight and narrow. Jacob could have led an easy life as the second son of a wealthy landowner but he wanted a life with purpose. Now thrown together, Jacob becomes Dora’s protector as they unravel the mystery of her brother’s death and break a code or too on the way.
What I loved most about Jacob and Dora is that they have flaws and recognise them in themselves and each other. Jacob’s struggle especially was heart wrenching. He tries so hard to keep his own counsel but eventually he slips – when Dora needs him most.
Dora’s father is a complete a$$hat and I really wish he had come more of a cropper. Some of the secondary characters were great fun and I really hope that if there are further books in the series that they pop up to lend a hand again. Learning more about Dora’s brother and his reasoning for wanting to join Hellfire was so sad but very probable for that time-period sadly.
Yes, I did kind of guess most of the plot points but I still went along for the ride, wondering how our intrepid due would uncover and react to them. The romance was very proper and Regency in tone with the exception of a couple of scenes were we got to see beyond their very proper manners and see the beginnings of some passion.
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