The Synopsis
After her mother's death, ventriloquist Annie Hewitt proceeds to the isolated island of Peregrine off the coast of Maine. Out of a job and out of money after trying to honor her mother in her final months, Annie dreads facing the island where the worst summer of her life took place.
Her fears are only intensified when she goes to the old Harp mansion in the dead of night to seek help, only to run into the man who raised her hopes as a young teenager before ripping them to shreds...Theo Harp, horror author extraordinaire.
As Annie and her puppets adjust to life on the island, she continues to run into Theo, whose previous psychotic behavior when they were her kids makes more than a little leery. But as odd events start to escalate and her life is threatened, she realizes the only person she can trust is the very man she once feared above all else.
The Puppets
Yeah, you read the above part right. Annie and her puppets.
I'm not going to lie, the first chapter nearly had me cursing myself for buying the book instead of checking it out at the library first. Annie is driving through a snowstorm and having in-depth conversations with her collection of puppets as she navigates the winter storm that has welcomed her to Peregrine.
It freaked me out. I had zero relation to Annie. But I loved the book I had read at Barnes & Noble and pushed through.
I'm so glad I did! I don't want to give away spoilers, but just know that the puppets actually end up playing an integral part in the story, and in a way that will rip your heart out but also deliver a satisfying conclusion to one of the story threads.
Annie
At first Annie was not my favorite. Mostly because of the puppets, not going to lie.
But as the story went on I fell in love with her. She's pretty but not gorgeous. She gave up so much to help her mother, a woman who wasn't the kindest to her. She goes out of her way multiple times to help others, and yet she also has a wicked sense of humor that had me laughing out loud.
I also like how she doubts herself, but realistically so. I have a hard time with heroines who are perfect, can do everything right, etc., but I also have a hard time with those who constantly question themselves, can't accept a compliment, etc. Annie was a realistic balance of the two and I wanted her to not only fall in love but achieve all of her dreams.
Theo
Theo's entrance into the story was P-E-R-F-E-C-T. I don't want to spoil, but just know that for a Regency writer/reader like myself it made my eyes go wide, my mouth drop open and my heart go rat-a-tat-tat.
Theo was also a hero that I wasn't sure about. The first half of the book paints a psychotic character that you can't possibly see being redeemed. Not only did he commit heinous acts against Annie when she was younger, but he's now a bestselling horror author. Creepy...
But by the end of the book not only is he redeemed, but you want him to have everything he wants, including Annie. I had an idea of where the book was going on this particular topic, but it was still done with a few twists I hadn't anticipated. Definitely a unique line for a contemporary romance, which made me fall in love with it even more.
The Alpha Hero & Gothic Themes
The book makes multiple nods to the Gothic romances of old, including the spooky mansion, brooding heroes and even a memorable run by the heroine from danger. I loved these elements, especially how well they fit into the plot despite the contemporary setting.
One thing I also liked was how Theo was truly an alpha hero, and yet one I liked. I've found in many books of late, at least to me, that alpha hero=jerk. Possessive, rude, harsh.
But he loves the girl, so that's worth something, right?
Not in the case of Theo. There's an awesome article from 2014 from Heroes & Heartbreakers titled "Alpha-holes vs. Alpha-gents" (http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2014/08/alpha-holes-vs-alpha-gents). Theo falls more into the alpha-gent category, and especially in the second half of the book I fell in love with him, from some of his more grand gestures to the smallest ones that affected not just Annie but others on the island.
The Final Decree: 4.5 stars
I love, loved this book. If I was just judging it on the first few chapters to third, it would be closer to 3.5, but the second half made it incredible. A unique storyline, memorable characters and multiple twists, as well as a mystery with a resolution that I never saw coming.
Well done, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Well done.
