Review of The Wrong Girl by C.J. Archer

Description (from Amazon)

Image links to amazon.co.uk

It's customary for Gothic romance novels to include a mysterious girl locked in the attic. Hannah Smith just wishes she wasn't that girl. As a narcoleptic and the companion to an earl's daughter with a strange affliction of her own, Hannah knows she's lucky to have a roof over her head and food in her belly when so many orphans starve on the streets. Yet freedom is something Hannah longs for. She did not, however, want her freedom to arrive in the form of kidnapping.

Taken by handsome Jack Langley to a place known as Freak House, she finds herself under the same roof as a mad scientist, his niece, a mute servant and Jack, a fire starter with a mysterious past. They assure Hannah she is not a prisoner and that they want to help her. The problem is, they think she's the earl's daughter. What will they do when they discover they took the wrong girl?

My Review

I really liked this book. Not least for some of the beautiful descriptions peppered throughout with a very light touch. Such short description that tell you so much and put you right there. Here are a couple of my favourites:

"The sun, however, still shone on Windamere's facade, bathing it in a golden glow it didn't deserve."

"The trees near the house swayed drunkenly."

"He moved close and skimmed his hand over Clover's neck, toward my knee. He didn't look away, and I certainly couldn't. I was caught in his presence as securely as the ruins in the vines."

One of the main 'twists' wasn't really a twist at all and was pretty predictable, but at the same time it was fun waiting for the penny to drop. The pacing felt just right for the story being told and I found it hard to put down. 

The characters were all really well fleshed out and likeable and there is still plenty left to find out about them which is always a plus for a series. There are quite a few questions left unanswered at the end of this book and normally that would annoy me. Not so with this one, it just has me eagerly awaiting the second instalment.

The author very cleverly mentioned a character from a previous series that has now prompted me to add that to my TBR pile too, along with anything else she has written. If you like paranormal romance, I highly recommend this book.

I give The Wrong Girl 4 out of 5.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Rating System:

1 star: I will never post a 1 star review because this means it was so bad I couldn't finish it, and I don't won't publicly rate a book I haven't read all the way through.

2 stars: I may have liked the story but it was badly written or it may have been a boring story well written. Something about it kept me reading but I didn't enjoy it.

3 stars: A good, enjoyable read. If the description appeals to you I'd recommend reading it.

4 stars: A really good book that I thoroughly enjoyed and may even read again. I will want to read other books by the same author. Highly recommend.

5 stars: Reserved for books that blew me away and whose characters I can't get out of my head. These are books that I will definitely read again, possibly several times. If I read an e-book version I may even have to go buy a hard copy for my shelves. Why are you still here? Go read this book right now.