The Dark Days Pact

Note: Spoilers for Book One in this Series.

This is the second book in the Dark Days Club series, and picks up soon after the end of the first book. It is the summer of 1812, and Lady Helen Wrexhall is in Brighton, England for the season, having been evicted from her home with her aunt and uncle after a scandalous episode the night of her "coming out" ball. She is staying with Lady Margaret Ridgewell and her brother Michael Hammond, who are “helpers” in the Dark Days Club. This is a secret group that fights demons disguised in human form who prey on human energy. Helen herself is a “Reclaimer,” one of a small group having special supernatural powers to fight these “Deceivers” as the evil spirits are called.

In Brighton, Lord show more Carlston, the most powerful of the Reclaimers, visits frequently to give Helen training, which includes teaching her to pass as a man, one “Charles Amberley, young buck about town.” Helen’s maid, Darby, is also in training with Carlston’s Terrene, learning to be a Terrene herself.

A “Terrene” is a sort of dedicated helper. Each Reclaimer bonds with the Terrene by blood, conferring some of the powers of the Reclaimer onto the Terrene. When a Reclaimer takes away the energy from Deceivers, it will stay within the Reclaimer’s body. The Terrene’s job is to get the Reclaimer in contact with bare earth in less than twenty seconds to discharge it, or it will render the Reclaimer insane.

But all of their training is complicated by unforeseen events. Lord Carlston seems to be suffering from poisoning coming from the Deceivers’ energy that he has absorbed. The Duke of Selburn has followed Helen to Brighton to watch over her and try to win her back. And Ignatius Pike from the Home Office and Senior Officer of the Dark Days Club has come to Brighton as well. He assigned Carlston to go on a trip to London. After Carlston was gone, Pike pressured Helen and Hammond to take on a secret mission. They are tasked first with spying on Carlston to ascertain his loyalty to the crown. In addition, they are to take possession of a journal reputed to be full of information about both Reclaimers and Deceivers. Worst of all, they are not only sworn to keep this from Carlston, whom Pike clearly despises, but threatened with ruination if they don’t obey.

The journal is in the possession of Bartholomew Lowry, an evil and loathsome man who was the Terrene of Mr. Benchley, a Reclaimer killed in the first book. Lowry still has his Terrene powers, and thus still has supernatural strength, giving him an edge in negotiations. Pike tells Helen and Hammond they must meet with Lowry and offer him whatever it takes to get the journal. Since Lowry does not want to lose his special powers, he insists, as a price for the journal, that Helen take him on as her Terrene. When the Reclaimers find out, from a cooperative Deceiver, that the journal holds the key to curing Carlston, Helen feels she has no choice but to obey Lowry in order to save Carlston, who is deteriorating fast.

Everyone is after the journal: not only is it essential for Carlston’s cure, but apparently it has secrets that could undo everyone - Reclaimer and Deceiver alike. They all chase after it, with each party willing to kill the others to ensure possession. As all the parties come together in a desperate bid for the journal, the pace of the story becomes absolutely frenetic with tension and danger. I give the author a great deal of credit for her plot choreography involving so many people in the denouement. All of them are bent on attacking someone and/or protecting someone. The ending was excellently executed, and involved not one surprising cliff-hanger, but three.

Evaluation: Just as I felt after reading the first book, I can’t wait for the next installment. It's fun, entertaining, full of romance and intrigue, and with just enough history to add substance to the story. show less

This series continues to be great period fun and games. The strong Regency style and sensibility works to really heighten the emotional and romantical elements, though I found it occasionally a bit of a liability in the action sequences. I think this second book hung together even more strongly than the first, able to really develop and weave its elements, and leaving things wonderfully poised for a cracking finale in the third book.

Basically: Buffy the Vampire Slayer done Austen-style, with the occasional page-long wallowing in the scalding moment of sexual tension inherent in a gentleman helping a lady-masquerading-as-a-gentleman out of her too-tight coat. If that sounds like your cup of tea, get thee ahold of this delightful teapot.

This series is turning out to be one of the best researched pieces of (fantasy-based) historical fiction I've ever read. Goodman really brings the early 19th century regency era to life in her many wonderful descriptions and details.

I'm especially impressed with her ability to keep her characters' mindsets and opinions so steadfastly set in the 1800's. Helen is an excellent heroine, but she isn't a 21st century feminist put into the body of a girl from the past (as is pretty much every other YA hero of a fantasy/historical novel). Slowly, and over the course of two books- and probably some of the next in the series- she is shaking off the rigid society rules that once governed her life and gender. Her agonizing over things like her show more word seem so frustratingly obtuse to us (you seriously want to shake her sometimes) but ultimately rings true to the character Goodman has created.

Overall, excellent character building in the form of Helen, though I would like to see the rest of our cast (perhaps excluding Hammond, he was flushed out rather well in DDP) shored up in following books as no one else really changed- or even got a chance to speak- this time around. Carlston, as the central plot device, remained stagnant in his battle with his internal darkness until the last few pages of the book. I am very excited to see what will be done with him, Helen, and their new power in #3!

Duke what's his face can suck it though. Helen might still be trapped in the vestiges of a world completely dominated by male bravado, but I'll happily punch that dude in the face until he begins to comprehend that when a lady says no to your proposal multiple times you should learn to back the hell off. Especially when that lady has the strength to smash you into plaster dust. show less

"You will be my anchor."

Just when I think a book 2 could not possibly be as good as the first, Alison Goodman proves me wrong. I loved this one. Equal parts historical and magical demon fighting goodness, I never felt it slowed down or lacked intrigue. I absolutely hung on every word.

The twists and turns, I could never see more than a few steps in front of Helen and her growing gang of Club members. I am not happy about all the twists and turns and am most unhappy with the ultimate outcome. I'm glad there's another book. I'm hoping this gross error is fixed in the next one :)

Helen and Carlston must be together. The duke babies her and puts her at risk - he doesn't see her for the strong, powerful woman she is. He only sees her as a show more woman he needs to protect. and obviously Carlston is okay to divorce his wife.....I mean, she's a spy that staged her own murder..... show less

I loved the first Lady Helen novel and expected to enjoy this one, but did not expect this to be even better. Of course, I'm a sucker for a good romance novel, and, at heart, this is a romance novel, albeit one with monsters. I loved watching Lady Helen come into her own and stand up for herself and those she cares about. I could go into more detail, but I'm honestly still kind of in swoony space. If you like Regency-set romance, girls fighting monsters, political machinations or just a good story well told, pick up The Dark Days Club (the first Lady Helen novel) then track down a copy of this one and then spend the next year (or more) waiting in anxious anticipation with me for book three.

The Dark Days Club was good, but The Dark Days Pact raised the level exponentially and I am reeling right now.

It barely had romance and was stronger on the world/society/adventure side and I was totally okay with that. Alison Goodman weaves such an enticing world with awesome characters.

I loved that she had to learn how to act like a man to be able to go out in society because this book is set in a time where women did not do the things men do.

Lord Carlston is amazing. I love him so much. I literally wanted to sequel everything he was on the page. The romance is soooo slow burning is and fills you with intense angst that makes it impossible to put this book down!

I felt a little lost at the beginning of the story but I persevered and found it interesting, it is a bridging novel and I can see some things being set up here. Helen has to choose between duty and devotion and is building her support team while at the same time the built-in sexism is annoying everyone.

I'm interested in what happens next.