Today is Release day for one of my absolute favorite authors, Delilah S. Dawson. The 3rd book in her Wicked as They Come series is now available. If you would like to see my review of Wicked As She Wants, click HERE. My reviews of Delilah’s other books can be found on my Goodreads Page. I hope you enjoy her books as much as I have!
Wicked After Midnight
Blud #3
by Delilah S. Dawson
384 pages
Published: January 28th 2014
Published by: Pocket Books
Life as a contortionist in Criminy’s Clockwork Caravan should be the height of exotic adventure, but for Demi Ward, it’s total dullsville. Until her best friend, Cherie, is stolen by slavers outside of Paris, and Demi is determined to find her.
On the run from his own past, Vale Hildebrand, a dashing rogue of a highwayman, hides Demi from the slavers…but why? He pledges to help her explore the glittering cabarets of Paris to find her friend, but much to Vale’s frustration, Demi soon attracts a host of wealthy admirers. The pleasures of music, blood, and absinthe could turn anyone’s head, and it would be all too easy to accept Cherie’s disappearance as inevitable—but with Vale’s ferocious will and Demi’s drive to find her friend, they soon have a lead on a depraved society of Parisian notables with a taste for beautiful lost girls. Can Demi wind her way through the seedy underbelly of Paris and save her best friend before she, too, is lost?
My Review
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
There aren’t enough stars for this one! I think it may be my favorite so far. Wicked After Midnight is a tantalizing view into the hidden world behind the curtain of the cabaret. Delilah S. Dawson has an amazing ability to create different worlds within her world of Sang. Each adventure is completely unique and as amazing as the last. Every story Dawson has written that takes place in Sang takes the reader on a journey through her world that seems almost, but not quite familiar.
In Wicked After Midnight, we learn the story of Demi, the contortionist who works with her best friend Cherie in Criminy Stain’s travelling circus. She is desperate to live her life and not be trapped within the confines (safety) of the circus. She’s young and eager to live the life that she left behind when she entered a coma and woke up in Sang. She wants adventure and excitement, and she wants to do it beyond Sangland. She wants to perform in Paris as a star of the Cabaret. Once she convinces Criminy to let her go, with an unexpected chaperone, the adventure begins. The amazing adventure of Demi and Cherie’s lives takes a detour when they encounter slavers on their way to Paris. What will Demi do without her best and only friend in Paris? To what length is Demi willing to go to save her friend from a life of slavery?
Along the way Demi makes friends with Vale, who knows the Cabaret inside and out, pun intended. What happens next you will have to read for yourself, and I highly recommend you do, in fact, read it for yourself.
We are also introduced to Daimons, who apparently are the main residents of Paris. They also run the Cabaret and most are terrified of Bludmen! Demi makes friends with several of them who reveal to us more about that species than we have previously seen. The way the girls are treated though is very sad, but I am not naïve enough to believe that the women who work the cabaret here on earth don’t experience the same sort of situations.
Keep your eyes peeled though, because not everything in Paris is as it seems. There is danger lurking around every corner and even the well connected have their secrets. Even in Sang Paris is filled with artists and art lovers of all kinds. And just like in real life, many artists rely on alternative substances to help with their creativity. Too many people forget the dangers of using drugs that far outweigh just the possibility of addiction.
Delilah S. Dawson delivers an action packed, lust filled roller coaster of emotions like only she does. Her characters are very multifaceted in ways that I’ve not seen many authors accomplish. Her world of Sang only grows and grows with each subsequent story she releases and I truly hope she continues to fill my shelves with books from this alternate, steam punk themed version of Earth. This book really seems a lot like what I have heard happens in the movie, Moulin Rouge. I’ve not actually seen the movie, but based on what I have read about it and heard, in my mind it seems similar.
If I am forced to complain about anything, it is just that, once again there is not enough Criminy Stain or Bludbunnies. As usual though, since the story isn’t about them, I can understand the lack of them in this book.
I recommend this book and the entire series to anyone and everyone I can. Especially those who love Paranormal Romance, Steampunk, or anyone looking for something just a bit different from the typical vampire story.
Buy it Here
Check out Delilah’s other books!
All About Delilah S. Dawson
Delilah S. Dawson comes from a long line of Roswell, GA natives. WICKED AS THEY COME is the first in her Blud series for Pocket/S&S, and a creepy paranormal YA, SERVANTS OF THE STORM, will be out with Simon Pulse in 2014. Her next YA, DELINQUENT, will be out in 2015. She is also an Associate Editor at www.CoolMomPicks.com and www.CoolMomTech.com, where she is given the more eccentric and geeky products to cover. Delilah lives with her husband, two small children, a horse, a dog, and two cats in Atlanta.
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