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A review by yazthebookish
Flowers For The Devil by Vlad Kahany, Vlad Kahany
5.0
5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“You haunt me, Alina,” he whispered as if afraid to scare her if he said it louder. “You turn me into a shameless man. You make me burn with desire that takes over my body and mind,” he murmured as he kissed her jaw and neck.
“I want your body and your heart. All of you.”
Flowers for the Devil is a seductive and lushly dark Victorian romance with the cadence of a gothic fairytale in the same vein as Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast.
But this tale is one of a tormented man in love, a scarred hero, and an elusive villain.
A tale of sins, redemption, and salvation.
A tale of two lost souls in a fog-ridden city.
A tale of an impossible love of a killer and a lady.
Like all tales, it had a beginning and an end. And this tale marked the beginning of the end for Harlan Krow.
Her kiss was annihilating. I had kissed her like there was no tomorrow. I had wanted to strip her naked and make love to her. Swiftly. Deeply. Roughly. Any way possible. All at once!
That kiss was a confession. There was no villain or countess. No saints or sinners. No titles or etiquette. Only a man and a woman bound by passion.
This book was exquisite.
I was entranced by the eloquent storytelling and writing as it kept me wholly captivated from the first page until the end.
I was promised a villain romance, yet I've been gifted with so much more.
The story is narrated through 3rd person POV and 1st person POV and it is done neatly and was fitting for the story.
The author rendered such a brilliant cast of characters—and this includes the main couple and the supporting characters
Countess Alina Bronskaya was a refreshing heroine as she was what one would consider an unconventional heroine in Victorian romances. She was a widow at 22, a Russian countess living among the English, and a nurse by trade hoping to become a doctor.
I appreciated the nod to Russian traditions and culture, usually non-English heroines adjust to England easily, but it was lovely to see how Alina feels melancholic about her homeland. What's even better is making her love interest appreciate her background and traditions.
“Your stories are always dark,” she said. “Does anything bring you joy?”
“You,” he answered, and her heart thudded at the word.
Harlan Krow is a notorious killer whose reputation had haunted every corner and alley in London.
For some he is a mere myth, to others he is a sadistic villain—but to the reader, he is a scarred man.
To Alina, he is a dark lover who made her burn.
Her kiss was annihilating. I had kissed her like there was no tomorrow. I had wanted to strip her naked and make love to her. Swiftly. Deeply. Roughly. Any way possible. All at once!
That kiss was a confession. There was no villain or countess. No saints or sinners. No titles or etiquette. Only a man and a woman bound by passion.
The scorching passion and the all-consuming love between Alina and Harlan Krow was so potent that I could not settle my raging butterflies.
Theirs was a dance of seduction, of longing, of agony.
It was a love that blossomed in the darkness, and brought a tormented soul back into the light.
It was a forbidden affair, but who can ever resist the temptations of what is not attainable?
A man can slay a hundred enemies. Yet he will be slain and go down on his knees in front of the woman he loves. A lion is a king of the animal world, yet he bows to his lioness.
And I was on my knees.
Beyond the romance, there were important themes in the book that shed light on the manipulation of religion and morals as weapons used by corrupt men. The irony of these greed-infested men is that their notion of justice serves their own interests. They could creep upon those who hold less and no power, yet in a moment of retaliation they'd call out god to save them.
We’d met at a crime scene. We’d bonded through letters. One can fall in love with words, Father. I was falling in love with all of her.
My only complaint is I wish we had more of Rumi. I'd be so happy if the author decided to write a spin-off novel for her.
Tropes included in this book:
— Forbidden Romance
— Villain is the love interest (he keeps a mask on)
— Hidden identity
— Gothic Victorian fairytale
— Masked ball
— Exchanging letters in secret
— Secret meetings
— Swoonworthy chemistry
— Slowburn with rewarding spice
— Heroine is a doctor-to-be Russian Countess
— Carriage scene
— Entertaining supporting characters
Disclaimer: the blurb gives the impression there could be a love triangle, there is no love triangle 100% and no poly romance. This is an adult romance as well.
Trigger Warnings: violence, attempted sexual assault (not by the love interest), blood, PTSD, war, death.
“You haunt me, Alina,” he whispered as if afraid to scare her if he said it louder. “You turn me into a shameless man. You make me burn with desire that takes over my body and mind,” he murmured as he kissed her jaw and neck.
“I want your body and your heart. All of you.”
Flowers for the Devil is a seductive and lushly dark Victorian romance with the cadence of a gothic fairytale in the same vein as Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast.
But this tale is one of a tormented man in love, a scarred hero, and an elusive villain.
A tale of sins, redemption, and salvation.
A tale of two lost souls in a fog-ridden city.
A tale of an impossible love of a killer and a lady.
Like all tales, it had a beginning and an end. And this tale marked the beginning of the end for Harlan Krow.
Her kiss was annihilating. I had kissed her like there was no tomorrow. I had wanted to strip her naked and make love to her. Swiftly. Deeply. Roughly. Any way possible. All at once!
That kiss was a confession. There was no villain or countess. No saints or sinners. No titles or etiquette. Only a man and a woman bound by passion.
This book was exquisite.
I was entranced by the eloquent storytelling and writing as it kept me wholly captivated from the first page until the end.
I was promised a villain romance, yet I've been gifted with so much more.
The story is narrated through 3rd person POV and 1st person POV and it is done neatly and was fitting for the story.
The author rendered such a brilliant cast of characters—and this includes the main couple and the supporting characters
Countess Alina Bronskaya was a refreshing heroine as she was what one would consider an unconventional heroine in Victorian romances. She was a widow at 22, a Russian countess living among the English, and a nurse by trade hoping to become a doctor.
I appreciated the nod to Russian traditions and culture, usually non-English heroines adjust to England easily, but it was lovely to see how Alina feels melancholic about her homeland. What's even better is making her love interest appreciate her background and traditions.
“Your stories are always dark,” she said. “Does anything bring you joy?”
“You,” he answered, and her heart thudded at the word.
Harlan Krow is a notorious killer whose reputation had haunted every corner and alley in London.
For some he is a mere myth, to others he is a sadistic villain—but to the reader, he is a scarred man.
To Alina, he is a dark lover who made her burn.
Her kiss was annihilating. I had kissed her like there was no tomorrow. I had wanted to strip her naked and make love to her. Swiftly. Deeply. Roughly. Any way possible. All at once!
That kiss was a confession. There was no villain or countess. No saints or sinners. No titles or etiquette. Only a man and a woman bound by passion.
The scorching passion and the all-consuming love between Alina and Harlan Krow was so potent that I could not settle my raging butterflies.
Theirs was a dance of seduction, of longing, of agony.
It was a love that blossomed in the darkness, and brought a tormented soul back into the light.
It was a forbidden affair, but who can ever resist the temptations of what is not attainable?
A man can slay a hundred enemies. Yet he will be slain and go down on his knees in front of the woman he loves. A lion is a king of the animal world, yet he bows to his lioness.
And I was on my knees.
Beyond the romance, there were important themes in the book that shed light on the manipulation of religion and morals as weapons used by corrupt men. The irony of these greed-infested men is that their notion of justice serves their own interests. They could creep upon those who hold less and no power, yet in a moment of retaliation they'd call out god to save them.
We’d met at a crime scene. We’d bonded through letters. One can fall in love with words, Father. I was falling in love with all of her.
My only complaint is I wish we had more of Rumi. I'd be so happy if the author decided to write a spin-off novel for her.
Tropes included in this book:
— Forbidden Romance
— Villain is the love interest (he keeps a mask on)
— Hidden identity
— Gothic Victorian fairytale
— Masked ball
— Exchanging letters in secret
— Secret meetings
— Swoonworthy chemistry
— Slowburn with rewarding spice
— Heroine is a doctor-to-be Russian Countess
— Carriage scene
— Entertaining supporting characters
Disclaimer: the blurb gives the impression there could be a love triangle, there is no love triangle 100% and no poly romance. This is an adult romance as well.
Trigger Warnings: violence, attempted sexual assault (not by the love interest), blood, PTSD, war, death.