Review: Wonderful historical romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2014
I don't read a lot of historical romance, but The Secrets of Mia Danvers was the perfect read for me. I loved how the romance didn't overshadow the mystery and that Mia wasn't the typical HR heroine. This is a series I definitely intend to continue with and I can't wait to find out who The Ripper really is.Mia Danvers is a blind, young woman whose family has abandoned to a carriage house on the Duke of Carrington's property. She lives a quiet life there with her friend Rachel and sells her sculptures for a little bit of spending money. Alex Foster recently became the Duke of Carrington after his older brother was killed in a duel. He finds being Duke a little off-putting as her was previously a soldier, but he is trying to do right by his family name. When Alex and Mia meet, they can't help but be a little fascinated by one another and of course there is the mystery of the murdered woman on Carrington property to be dealt with. As they begin to work together to solve the mystery, they become closer in other ways as well. Can they overcome the pressures of society and be together or will it drive them apart?Mia was a wonderful character and I don't think I've read very many books where the main character was blind. Robyn DeHart was able to make Mia's other senses come to life with her writing and it became easy to imagine how difficult Mia's life could be. I loved the friendship between Rachel and Mia; they were so sweet and supportive to one another. That was contrasted by how terrible Mia's sisters were and I just do not trust them. Mia was very strong and capable, even though society looked down upon her, and I loved that she knew what she wanted out of life and wouldn't settle for anything else.Alex was a little difficult to connect with at first because he came off cold and aloof. He began to warm up as he grew closer to Mia though and I came to really like him. He has a horrible mother and his brother is definitely what you would call a problem child, but I liked seeing the gentleness Mia brought out in him. I wasn't super excited by his betrothal plotline, but it made sense for that to be in place for a newly minted Duke.Alex and Mia were wonderful together and though they stumbled along for a while, it was nice to see them finally realize the truth of their feelings. Mia never let her disability hinder her in any way, especially when it came to Alex. She met him wit to wit and taught him that she had a fire and passion that he hadn't found in other women. I thought they complimented each other well and Alex truly treasured Mia for who she was.They mystery was also a very interesting aspect of The Secrets of Mia Danvers. When The Ripper learns that Mia "witnessed" the murder on Carrington property, he begins hunting her with the intent to kill her. Even after he learns of her blindness, he still plans to murder her and she becomes something of a trophy in his head. Alex tries to protect her, but there is only so much he can do. I liked the twist with The Ripper framing Alex's brother for his crimes and I am interested to see how the events at the end of the book play out.The Secrets of Mia Danvers balanced historical romance and mystery elements perfectly to create a unique and completely readable tale. Mia and Alex were terrific main characters with a believable attraction and they were surrounded by interesting secondary characters that elicited a range of emotional responses. I am very excited to continue on with this series, though I will miss Alex and Mia in the next book. I am hoping that we will at least get a little cameo from them, but I am also eager to learn more about the Duke's brother and the lady he comes to love. Highly recommend this one to historical romance fans looking for a read with minimal swooning and a good mystery!