Doctor D’Arco, Sorcerer of London A Victorian Gothic Romance

Thank you for writing this, it was absolutely brilliant and I look forward to what comes next! The FMC and MMC are over 25 and the world building and romance building was 10/10

This is a really well-written romantic fantasy novel that also addresses a lot of the problems that annoy me about modern romantic fantasy novels: the representation of fairies is deeply grounded in actual mythology and folklore. (These fairies are not just hot, tall people with great cheekbones). The language is period accurate for Victorian English, while not hard to follow, and the behavior of the characters is plausible for the era too. The central story has real romantic tension and a plot structure that develops slowly but makes sense and has plenty of excitement.A great read and beautifully done. It deserves to have a lot more readers.

I love reading lesser known or debut authors because so often you can find amazing gems just like this 👏🏻Let me start by saying that this book delivers on its promise and beyond. There’s spooky gothic atmosphere, death and revenge, dark sorcerers and a mysterious brooding love interest. This story gives you the feels of Jane Eyre, Edgar Allen Poe and Sherlock Holmes with a sprinkle of the Mummy, but with its own distinct voice thanks to the beautiful writing and gripping storyline.And OMG the writing! It’s intense and lyrical making you feel as if you’re truly transported to the 19th century London but with a modern take that makes it easy to follow. You can see how much love and work the author has put into creating this story and her appreciation for the great gothic writers simply shines through! I truly felt like I was 16 again reading the Brontes gothic romances for the first time!I’m not gonna focus on the plot cause it’s a ride you have to take on your own but trust me, you won’t be disappointed! There’s magic, secrets, death and toe curling romance ❤️‍🔥I love a good slow burn and the tension between MCs was sooo good. You could feel it dripping of the pages and the passion and chemistry between them is undeniable. And when the spice hits, it hits well 🥵It’s a long book, around 900 pages but I flew through within a couple of days so you love gothic romance, dark academia and magic, this book is for you!The tropes include:🔮 gothic atmosphere🔮 dark academia🔮 magic, demons and ghosts🔮 revenge🔮 slow burn🔮 strong FMC🔮 brooding shadow daddy MMCRating: 5/5⭐️Spice: 2/5🌶️

Alright, buckle up for this review.This is EXACTLY why I am so adamant on supporting indie/first time/‘smaller’ authors. Thank you so much, Kathryn, for writing this book🖤Get ready to be completely immersed into the realm of the underground, unseen London. The writings sets the tone of the gothic, haunted, and unknown world- think of the vibes from any writings of Edgar Allen Poe, and the story of Sherlock Holmes. The writing itself felt so classical, yet it was new and fresh and I loved every second of it. The passages and Elizabeth’s perspective were eloquent and flourished. You cannot help but enthralled by this writing and be transported to the tunnels under the streets of London.Elizabeth is an inquisitive, perspective, and lovely FMC. Wondering to the Witch’s Corner during the witching hour to find the secret society of magic. All in hopes to get revenge on her husband’s murder- not in an act of love for her late husband, oh no, but for herself as she was left with nothing because her misogynistic husband🙄 So from the very beginning I knew I would love her. She grows so much into her own strong willed personality and never falters in what she wants. Her journey was amazing to read through. The underlying feminism of her thoughts were so understated but impacted how I thought of her so much.Doctor Victor D’arco🫠 this man. A brooding, mysterious man, who wears a mask? Who wields a strong shadow?? Sign me up. He was so snarky and dark, but the gentleness that he held for Elizabeth was so sweet. He held so much space for Elizabeth’s power and never let anyone, including herself, diminish her worth. And he ABSOLUTELY will burn down the world and kill anyone for her. Do not threaten her life🫣 I loved how we didn’t just get to hear his background story through conversation he had with Elizabeth, but we actually got to transport in time and read it through his POV.The SLOW BURN! I could go on and on about the tension that built up between these two characters. Reading every single moment these two were together I could literallyyyy feel the tension in my bones. I have never viscerally felt this much passion, and chemistry between characters by just words before. SERIOUSLY BRAVO. Kathryn had me giggling and blushing from just quick, accidental touches of hands between the two of them. And when they actually gave in, UGH. The pay off, the romance, the spicy scenes, the sweet nothings that were said. I couldn’t get enough.The main plot line of her revenge, and her passion to learn magic did not go to wayside, though. The master/apprenticeship relationship was such a good dynamic. The magical atmosphere and how the magic actually worked was so interesting, and very, very real. The book felt like such a mystery, even beyond the mystery of who killed her husband, and left me wondering to know more and more. There were a few twists at the end-and even in Victor’s story- that I did not seem coming. The ending was satisfying, and beautiful, and I loved the epilogue. It will be hard for me to leave this world, even after 900 pages.If you love gothic, dark academia, occult vibes, please please read this book!! 🖤