I was sort of sad to know that this was the last of the Ghost of St. Giles books in this story arc, but I suppose it couldn’t go on forever. Third Ghost stuff below, so if you don’t want to know, better not read this review.
One-Sentence Synopsis
A duke patrols the streets of St. Giles as the infamous Ghost to solve the mystery of who murdered his parents when he was young, but a feisty lady’s companion threatens to reveal his secret unless he helps save her brother from the insane asylum. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.
The Good Stuff
After reading some other reviews, I was glad to see that I wasn’t the only one concerned about Maximus being the hero in this one, considering how much of a royal dick he was in previous books. Don’t get me wrong, I had faith that Hoyt would give him a soul, especially after she completely changed my mind about Charming Mickey, but I was still a little reluctant to like the Duke of Wakefield. In truth, I still didn’t like him as much I did the other ghosts, but he turned out alright, and when he got angsty, it really notched up the romance.
Also, can we just stop a minute to realize that a very rich man donned a mask and outfit to patrol dangerous streets and fight crime partially because his parents were murdered outside of a theater when he was young? And he’s assisted by an older man who’s been with him for years? Perhaps the author didn’t mean to go full Gotham with this, but it comes close. I mean, his last name is Batten. Come on.
I liked that Artemis wasn’t afraid of the duke and her little jabs at him about being the Ghost, especially around other people, cracked me up. The girl was playing dirty, and I liked it.
Also…Apollo. I can’t wait for his story, not just because he’s bringing me by beloved Beauty and the Beast trope, but because he’s such a tragic character. And more Trevillion…aw yiss. Don’t mind me already swooning over here.
Things That Made Me Go Hmmm
I liked Artemis and I liked that she was a fighter, but I also hated how she let her cousin walk all over her. I hate Penelope with a passion, and I wanted to shake Artemis for sticking up for her when she did. The woman has been vile since the first Ghost book, and I didn’t want anyone to sympathize with her…I wanted them to smack her.
The Romance Factor
Overlooking the fact that Maximus seemed to think it would be acceptable to make Artemis his mistress while planning to marry her cousin, the angst was high. Artemis, of course, was having none of that, and just knowing how tortured he was over it was enough to give me some feels…even if I didn’t want to like the guy. 4/5
The Steam Factor
Here’s the thing about this one. It maintained the high sexy factor of the other books, and all the sex scenes were intense and titillating. But I like it when the hero does a little more to seduce the heroine, and I kind of thought Maximus had it a little easy. I mean, he just says “You’re sleeping with me” and Artemis is like “Okay.” At least that’s what it felt like. 4/5
Final Thoughts
Though slightly redeemed, Maximus still wasn’t a super likable hero. Still, I felt good about their HEA, especially after he decided to help her with the Apollo situation. Artemis made the book, and I loved the set up for the next novel in the series. This one wasn’t my favorite, but it was still awesome.
The Romance Factor 