HER DEAR AND LOVING HUSBAND by Meredith Allard: Review

Blurb:

James Wentworth has a secret. He lives quietly in Salem, Massachusetts, making few ties anywhere. One night his private world is turned upside down when he meets Sarah Alexander, a dead ringer for his wife, Elizabeth. Though it has been years since Elizabeth's death, James cannot move on.

Sarah also has a secret. She is haunted by nightmares about the Salem Witch Trials, and every night she is awakened by visions of hangings, being arrested, and dying in jail. Despite the obstacles of their secrets, James and Sarah fall in love. As James comes to terms with his feelings for Sarah, he must dodge accusations from a reporter desperate to prove that James is not who, or what, he seems to be. Soon James and Sarah piece their stories together and discover a mystery that may bind them in ways they never imagined. Will James make the ultimate sacrifice to protect Sarah and prevent a new hunt from bringing hysteria to Salem again?

Her Dear and Loving Husband is Book One of the Loving Husband Trilogy. Look for Book Two, Her Loving Husband's Curse, from Copperfield Press Spring 2012.


My Review:

I liked this book for several reasons. The author was able to pull ideas from several different books about the supernatural (i.e. Twilight, TrueBlood, etc.) without coming across as unoriginal. Yes, I recognized ideas that had been used in other books; like vampires crying blood, not having a problem with silver, and witches not being able to use their spells for evil. Seriously though, it would be impossible to write a book dealing with vampires, witches, or werewolves without including some details that have been used before!

My favorite aspect of Allard’s novel is the fact that a lot of the history of Salem was brought up. It’s not just a story about a human and a vampire falling in love and making crazy love; it’s also about the injustice that happened to innocent people hundreds of years ago. Also, it touches upon the idea that modern day witch hunts are entirely possible. I’m not talking about vampires and witches, but more so about the idea that fear often breeds hysteria and this could be applied to the fear American’s have of Muslim terrorists.

Anyways, I loved how she incorporated the history of the Salem Witch Trials, because I love history and anytime I have the opportunity to read and learn more about an interesting time period I am happy. Especially when it’s in the form of Historical Fiction, because then it brings the time period to life for the reader. Allard is an excellent writer and the fact that she was able to write about witches, vampires, and werewolves without coming across as tacky or cliché is pretty dang good. I admit, I like a good vampire book once in awhile, but only if it’s creative and tells a good story. As with this book, my favorite part of books dealing with vampires or witches is their background story. I love reading about their life before they were turned, and Allard is able to give the reader a good understanding of the past and the events that lead up to the characters current situation without boring the reader with unnecessary details or boring narrative.

If you are a lover of the supernatural then I would definitely suggest this book. I tried to read the first book in Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse novels, and became bored and was unable to finish the books about a quarter of the way in, but Allard’s book kept me intrigued throughout.

I give Her Dear & Loving Husband 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

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