Lessons After Dark

February 13, 2012
The Grenvilles, protagonists of 2011’s No Proper Lady, know magical war is coming, so they found a school to train young agents to fight against dark magic. Their first hire is Dr. Gareth St. John; the second is magic instructor Olivia Brightmore, who posed as a medium to make money after her husband’s death and was surprised to develop true talents. When standoffish, meticulously moral Gareth recognizes Olivia as a former charlatan, he isn’t inclined to let her forget—even when dark magic threatens the school and sizzling chemistry threatens Olivia and Gareth’s composure. Though the stakes are lower than in the first book, sexual tension propels the story forward, and Cooper’s demon-haunted Victorian England is enticing and well-built. Fans will be eager for more.

April 15, 2012

Dropping fans into the same alternate Victorian world introduced in No Proper Lady, Cooper is in stellar form as she takes Olivia Brightmore, a teacher of magic, and Gareth St. John, a skeptical doctor with a talent for healing, sets them down in a school filled with magically talented children, and adds some strange paranormal happenings. Although wary at first--and Gareth is more than suspicious of Olivia's "fortune-telling" past--they are strangely attracted to each other. But all is not well at the school and its surroundings, and as the problems escalate, Gareth and Olivia realize they need to get to the bottom of things before they get out of control. VERDICT Funny, sensual, and occasionally dark, this charmer is laced with both humor and danger; another magical romp that fans are sure to enjoy. Cooper lives in Boston.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.