Storm and Silence (Storm and Silence, #1)

HISTORICAL:  Lilly Linton is a 19th-century suffragette and the story begins with her attempt to dress up as a man in order to vote. On her way, she meets a mysterious stranger, who, believing her to be a man, offers her a job as his personal secretary. She’s intrigued by the stranger and accepts his card. Her adventures in voting and working for the mysterious Mr. Ambrose do not go well, however, and her life is changed in ways she never imagined. From political intrigue and uncovering secrets to romantic awakenings, "Storm and Silence" touches on them all.

This novel has all the makings of a good historical adventure with passionate main characters and high stakes. Unfortunately, it does not fully deliver on that promise. Historical fiction fans will love the setting details of the era, but the main characters’ actions and dialogue are too modern and take the reader out of the time period.  The book does have a complex plot with some great adventure thrown in, but the standout scenes are those that build romantic tension between the main couple. There were laugh-out-loud moments between Miss Linton and Mr. Ambrose as they faced off between women’s rights issues vs. a gentleman’s honor.  Sometimes, however, those gems were lost in the extremely detailed narrative as the story gets bogged down in too much description and odd footnotes.  Though a long one, readers will enjoy the journey to find the diamonds in the rough contained in this historical, yet modern, adventure romance.

Kate Campbell