ARC Review: The Secret of Mia Danvers by Robyn DeHart

I recently read an article that said many new authors think the important thing is to write beautiful, lyrical prose. But, according to the article, what really makes a book work for the readers is not the beautiful writing, but the story. I have to agree. Of course, we would all want both, but a good story can trump good writing in most cases. What Robyn DeHart creates in The Secrets of Mia Danvers is a really good story. The writing was fine, certainly adequate, but what pulled me in was the intriguing story. The book is the first in her new Dangerous Liaisons series. Be warned - you will need to read the entire series before the overarching mystery is solved. This book is both a great setup for the ones to follow and an excellent story in itself.

Strangely, I don't read murder mysteries, but I do like true crime books. This has a little of both. The story opens in 1880 as Mia Danvers, blind since an accident, “witnesses” a girl being murdered by none other than Jack the Ripper. Mia has been abandoned by her mother and sisters after the accident and left to live with a companion in a cottage on the London estate of Alex Foster, Eighth Duke of Carrington. When Mia visits the duke to tell her story he becomes embroiled in the mystery as well as his younger brother. More murders follow as Mia and Alex discover a growing attraction for each other. One problem - Alex on the verge of marrying the girl his family intends.

This is a lot of action and intrigue in The Secrets of Mia Danvers. DeHart took on a big job in including an authentic historical character, but she does an admirable job. An interesting cast of secondary characters add depth to the story. As I mentioned earlier only part of the mystery is solved in this book. DeHart is holding her cards close to the vest, revealing just enough information to build the suspense. Readers will definitely want to grab the rest of this series when it is published. I enjoyed this late Victorian murder/romance very much and will be waiting anxiously for the next book in the series.

**ARC provided by Publisher**

Purchase: | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes |