Man of Shadow and Mist + Giveaway

“The world seems full of good men—even if there are monsters in it.”
–Bram Stoker, Dracula

England, 1890

Vampires are alive and well in North Yorkshire, leastwise in the minds of the uneducated. Librarian Rosa Edwards intends to drive a stake through the heart of such superstitions. But gossip flies when the mysterious Sir James Morgan returns to his shadowy manor. The townsfolk say he is cursed.

James hates everything about England. The weather. The rumours. The scorn. Yet he must stay. His mother is dying of a disease for which he’s desperately trying to find a cure—an illness that will eventually take his own life.

When Rosa sets out to prove the dark gossip about James is wrong, she discovers more questions than answers. How can she accept what she can’t explain—especially the strong allure of the enigmatic man? James must battle a town steeped in fear as well as the unsettling attraction he feels for the no-nonsense librarian.

Can love prevail in a town filled with fear and doubt?

My Review:

Atmospheric with a dark Gothic flare. I experienced thrilling shivers of delight during the opening scene (what a meet cute!) and I was hooked! Couldn’t put the book down…mainly because these characters needed watching over — not that they ever listened to any of my advice! Gah! I couldn’t leave them alone for a second. 🙂

If you were to look up the definition of ‘brooding hero’ in the dictionary, you’d find a picture of James. He’s the perfect combination of tortured soul and gruff demeanour. Why do I find brooding heroes such a draw, when, in real life, I’d likely cosh them over the head and send them packing! lol Such a strange literary conundrum.

By contrast, Rosa is the exact opposite so this is a Grumpy/Sunshine trope and it’s written to perfection. Rosa kind of reminds me of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. She’s a librarian (who can resist a book loving heroine?! Not I!) and works at her father’s subscription library, though she sneaks free books to the poor which gets her into all kinds of trouble.

When she’s not working, Rosa is desperately trying to evade the onerous matchmaking ploys of her conniving mother and there’s a particularly odious man who just won’t take no for an answer…but that’s because he’s hatching a nefarious plot…bwahahaha!

Loved the way the Gothic elements all come together with innovative plot twists that kept me hanging on to every word. We even get to meet Bram Stoker just as he is beginning his soon to be famous novel, ‘Dracula.’ So much fun!

There’s drama and action and no end of emotional angst as well as a redemptive faith thread that weaves its way through it all. A sublimely satisfactory read. Happy, happy sigh!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

ebook available to anyone, anywhere who has a .com Kindle account

US — paperback or ebook — winner’s choice

Canada — paperback or ebook (via a gift card to Canadian Amazon) 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Man of Shadow and Mist, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 22 , 2023.

29 thoughts on “Man of Shadow and Mist + Giveaway”

  7. “Man of Shadow and Mist” has been on my TBR list since I first heard about it. Absolutely LOVE Michelle Griep’s books!

    Thank you for your review, which reaffirms my great desire to read this book. It all screams READ ME. Greatly appreciate the chance to win a copy too.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. Oh my goodness, I should proofread my voice to text. Of course that should have said another great author, not nothing! I feel terrible about that, Wish I could edit it.

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      1. I don’t know why you guys can’t edit your comments, but I can so I did. No worries. But I’m intrigued…voice to text for comments? Hammm….I haven’t tried anything voice to text yet but this sounds like it has possibilities. Good luck, Patty!

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  10. I’ve been looking forward to this one and have seen some behind-the-scenes content. I found the premise fascinating and the author’s handling of the retelling very creative. (I’ve not read it, that’s just my impression from all that I’ve seen about it😉)

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  11. Yay Kav, I am SO glad you read this book!!! I think I was the one who highly recommended it to you 😁 I love Michelle Griep, and this book solidified my reasons why I do. Such a different novel for her, but wow, what a story it is! Totally immersing and a reader needs to carve out a few hours just to bask in its pages….because once it gets a hold of you, you won’t be able to put it down.

    She was talking about writing a third book along the same lines, but no definite answer as to when or what yet. Whatever/whenevet it is, it’s going to be GOOD!

    Have you read Lost in Darkness ?? Because you really should!! 💖💖😁

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    1. Bookish friends are the bestest. You recommended it and then I got gifted it and I am one happy reader. 🙂 You know, know that we’re ‘talking’, this would make an excellent book club book, wouldn’t it? Lots of points to ponder and chat about. And here you are answering my question…so there might be a third book in the series. Hmmm….Dracula and Frankenstein…wonder what will be the inspiration for the next book?

      Oh — and I haven’t read Lost in Darkness ’cause I heard some negative-ish talk about it…particularly how it ended so I didn’t want to go there. But, maybe I’ll be brave now?

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  13. I always love Michelle Griep’s books. This is book two in the Of Monsters and Men series. I enjoyed the first, Lost in Darkness.

    pmkellogg56[at]gmail[dot]com

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