The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker Book Review *Leanna Renee Hieber*

The strange, radiant looking Percy Parker and her gang of ghost busters (think of a Victorian Scooby Doo) are back in The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker, the sequel to The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber. Darkly Luminous takes place a few days after Percy and a group of six, known as The Guard, was able to stop the evil forces responsible for Jack the Ripper stalking London. They must also keep watch over all those nasty type of ghouls and goblins that have escaped the Whisper-world and enjoy causing havoc in London.

The shy and sometimes timid Percy has now found her calling as the seventh member of the Guard that was prophesized decades before. Percy has also found her one true love and soul mate with the leader of the guard, the older, dashing, brooding, "I look mighty sexy and fine wearing my blood red cravat", Professor Alexi Rychman, who also coincidentally teaches at Athens, the school Percy was a student at. This meeting, and eventual relationship between the two, was most likely fate since Percy is the reincarnation of a goddess Alexi was supposed to fall in love with. After Percy has recovered from her injuries in battle, she and Alexi have a, "blink and you miss it" engagement, are married within days, and go off on their honeymoon to enjoy the delights of marital congress with one another. While Percy and Alexi are enjoying this sensual waltz together, the Guard enjoys some down time to reflect on what the future may hold in store for them.

It seems that all is not well within the Whisper-world and on the moral plane. The former head of the Guard, the spirit Beatrice Tipton, appears to the present Guard to warn them that the ruler of the Darkness (ruler of the Whisper-world), wants revenge. Since Percy is the only one who can communicate with ghosts, and they with her, she is called to action. The Guard must prepare for a major battle with The Darkness, who wants to rise up and destroy the land of living, especially Percy who holds the key, or rather is the key to stopping this grave travesty. The Guard is in turmoil because everything they thought they knew, or were told, may have been wrong. There is also some internal stress as well with Rebecca, the Headmistress of Athens, who has always longed for Alexi, but now knows that can never be together, and with the Frenchwoman Josephine and her lover Elijah, who refuses to give her the one thing she wants above all else from him.

Whereas Percy is more than willing to take up arms so to speak, the others are not as willing to make the sacrifice, or allow Percy to do so. Alexi, who adores and loves Percy, even more than his own life, refuses to let her walk into the fires of hell, so to speak. He has just found her, and after his twenty years of waiting and fighting a good fight, he is ready to put aside his responsibilities and enjoy his newly married status. Whereas Alexi only had to watch out for himself and his fellow Guards, who are quiet skilled at not being killed, now there is Percy, who is still thought to be fragile as she tries to adjust to her new life. Percy feels she must do whatever she can to make all the wrongs of the world right. She places herself in danger, and may do more damage then good, including that of her marriage.

Leanna Renee Hieber's writing is so very beautiful; perhaps even more so than her debut with Percy Parker. Leanna has such a skill at writing wonderfully descriptive actions and dialogue. Darkly Luminous is a story you must take your time and read, savor and ingest, because there maybe some passages that may confuse you. The prologue is a bit disjointed, and the downtime from where Percy and Alexi are off on the honeymoon to those scenes with the Guard, as well as what is occurring in the Whisper-world may turn away some readers. But this is needed because it is all about the buildup to the final battle that brings forth some big fireworks.

Whereas The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker was more focused on the character of Percy, in Darkly Luminous, we are given more insight on the Guard as individuals and their motivations. Leanna excels at writing this connection these men and women have for one another. My favorite scenes are their interactions and why they all care deeply for one another.

But the main reason for reading Darkly Luminous is the relationship between Percy and Alexi. Talk about one humdinger of a romance! If you weren't certain if Leanna could pull of the older teacher who romances his student angle, you will be astounded by how well it works here. Leanna delivers this and more. Alexi is everything I adore in a hero. He is still very much a brooding stickler, but with Percy, he loosens up a bit, and his tender and protective side comes out. Percy, who was well known as a swooner in the first book, has grown into a more mature woman. She knows how to handle her husband and is sensitive to his nature. And, when these two come together in the intimate sense, meaning their lovemaking, it feels as if you are reading about the communion of souls. The love scenes are tasteful and will make you sigh. Leanna also has a sneaky way of penning The Rychman's love that can be on the naughty side, but still expressed in a very lovely way. A perfect example is an explosion of passion between Percy and Alexi that happens in the school chapel.

Darkly Luminous has a great combination of supernatural, mysticism, and spiritualism. The religious aspect can be heavy at times, but again it does fit the overall tone of the story. One character who grated on my nerves was Beatrice. I couldn't figure if she wanted to help the Guard or hinder them in such a way to suit her own needs. But then as I found myself annoyed, I quickly changed my mind the moment Alexi and Percy appeared. This couple is incredibly engaging, where you can't help but want to know what happens next in their journey.

Leanna Renee Hieber is one author who has a very unique voice that is shown very well in Darkly Luminous. Not only does she have an intricate way with her world building, but her characters are so welcoming, not to mention seductive, mainly in the case of Alexi Rychman, who with one heated glance at his beloved Percy, makes a lover of romance literature like myself swoon in total glee. (Dorchester)

Final Grade: B

Other Darkly Luminous reviews:
Gossamer Obsessions
Smexybooks
True-Blood Net