Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact (Lady Helen #2)

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact is the second book in the Lady Helen series by Alison Goodman. Having read and very much enjoyed the first book — Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club, I was super keen to see how the story developed and whether it could stand up to the original. I am happy to report that this book is as wonderful, if not better, than its predecessor.  If you haven’t read the first though, never mind, Goodman does an excellent job of catching you up to speed without boring those who have read the first instalment.

The book’s backdrop is Regency England and, after deciding to accept her heritage as a Reclaimer, — a warrior against the paranormal Deceivers — Lady Helen, a young noblewoman, finds herself banished from London and her family to the vibrant seaside town of Brighton. There she begins her training with Lord Carlston, the leader of the Dark Days Club, who is fighting an internal battle against the dark energy he has reclaimed and which now lies deep within his soul. As Helen sets about trying to help him she is ordered to complete a secret mission by the bureaucrat Mr Pike, a man with a deep grudge against Lord Carlston. The dilemma? Can Helen follow her duty and obey Pike’s orders, especially when doing so will betray Lord Carlston and possibly bring about his demise?

This is a wonderful mix of regency romance and paranormal, urban fantasy — an unlikely combination which makes it fascinating and fresh. I loved the way the two threads were balanced so I never felt like the romance thread (a burning, tug of war between two delicious men!) nor the dark fantasy thread suffered.

This would be an excellent book to bridge teens towards the regency classics like Jane Austen or the poetry of Byron, Blake and Wordsworth. Goodman does a fabulous job of making the regency style accessible to her intended teen audience, capturing its beauty, wit and depth without making it ponderous. She also adds loads of tension and intrigue making this a compelling page-turner. In fact, I struggled to put the book down, dragging it with me to the kids tennis practice and swimming lessons and shushing them when they tried to talk to me. Had I been able to drive and read at the same time, I would have.

In addition, Alison Goodman has created a website around this series where she engages with her readers.  The site includes a section on her historical research and a small novella companion to the series which can be downloaded for free.

I would recommend Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact to sophisticated teen readers who enjoy fantasy and are looking for something different. Although probably more suited to girls, I can see boys being drawn in by the paranormal elements, diverse characters and strong male figures.

A highly enjoyable page-turner with characters you will fall in love with.