Rosalind Hawkins is looking at a bleak future when a mysterious job offer arrives. She’s whisked off to the San Francisco Bay area and installed in the mansion of Jason Cameron, a rail baron. She quickly discovers that she was not hired to be a governess but to read and translate scholarly works he needs for his research. Jason is a Elemental Master of Fire who dabbled in Earth magic which backfired on him and turned him into a combination of wolf and man, and the research Rose is doing hopefully will help him regain a fully human form. But as Rose gets drawn deeper into the world of magic, the dangers also draw nearer.
This is an interesting take on the Beauty & the Beast tale, and I really like the world building. Historical fantasy is one of my favorite subgenres as are fairytale retellings. I have read this book before, but reading it this time, I realized that I found Jason a much less charming love interest than I had before. He’s not abusive or necessarily a terrible person, but while he does get better as the story continues, it was not a romance I was necessarily rooting for this time around.
I have mixed feelings about the villains as well. They are cartoonishly evil, but this is a fairytale retelling so that makes a certain amount of sense, even if it could have been toned down a little. Lackey clearly has refined the world building that she started in this book with her Elemental Masters series, and this book certainly reads like an early attempt at a concept. It’s an enjoyable read and as a fairytale adaptation it works quite well, though not one a would revisit frequently. Three out of five stars.
Bingo – Wealth – Jason Cameron is a wealthy rail baron
