I read the first book of this trilogy for free and was so caught up in the world of Charity Evans that I purchased the rest of C J Archer's Freak House series. Following on from the end of 'The Memory Keeper', Seared by Scars begins with Charity Evans declining the proposal of marriage from Samuel Gladstone and falling foul of his extremely 'proper' family. This is where the trilogy really shines. Historically the UK was extremely classist. It would have been unheard of for a man from an upper class family to marry a former street urchin turned prostitute and have it be okay.

The main character is refreshing in that she is a woman of her time. She wants her own power on her terms and knows that there are few routes to that power. She knows that marrying Samuel Gladstone is not done or wise and that it will harm them both. In addition Charity cannot fully trust Samuel and his hypnosis, particularly when rumours of his past reach her. This distrust is well written and true to life. Alongside these issues, Samuel's father is killed by a demon which proceeds to stalk Frakingham Hall.


I enjoyed Seared by Scars, it was a worthy follow on to 'Memory Keeper' and well written. My only concerns were niggling. Sometimes the characters seemed to be worrying about trivial matters whilst letting a demon roam free. I also wonder if the obvious answer to the question about Samuel is ever going to be forthcoming. Very enjoyable and I will be reading part three before finally starting the first Freak House trilogy.

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