The Dark Days Deceit

The Dark Days Deceit is the third and final book of the Lady Jane trilogy, combining magic with a Regency romance. Demon-like creatures called Deceivers take over human hosts and feed on human life energy. In an on-going magical battle unknown to most of British society, magically gifted individuals called Reclaimers can find and detach the Deceivers. Lady Helen has been alchemically bonded with Lord Carlston to become the Grand Reclaimer, a dyad with enough power to defeat the Grand Deceiver. But first, they must locate him/her/them, and Helen must learn how to contain the demonic power she absorbed in the previous book, The Dark Days Pact, before it tears her apart. Unstopped, the Grand Deceiver will open a portal to allow thousands more Deceivers to enter the world. The looming deadline of Helen’s marriage to the Duke of Selburn adds urgency. The Duke is understandably not keen on Helen’s close association with Carlston and wants her to end her Reclaimer activities once they are married. Helen is tormented by the feelings she has for Carlston, unsure whether they mean she is in love with him or are simply a product of their magical bond.

Goodman plays nicely with the various tensions created by juxtaposing magic with Regency England. Helen is a woman with magical power and physical prowess who is still constrained by her society’s rules and expectations for women. Her desire to fulfill her role as wife and mother is genuine, as is her affection for Selburn, but she is equally devoted to her duty as a Reclaimer and doesn’t want to give up the power and purpose it gives her, not to mention the respect and authority she gets from her fellow Reclaimers. Lying to her friends and family is a constant stress, as is the annoyance of being constantly told she needs protecting. Helen’s dilemmas and frustrations are convincingly portrayed.

Much humour is derived from the contrast between most of society’s petty concerns and Helen’s world-saving duty. Helen cannot train with Carlston because she has to go with her aunt to select china patterns and wedding dress fabrics. Her friends gossip about the latest scandals while she peers through her magic eye-piece looking for demons. However, neither Goodman nor Helen belittle the importance of the social code they all rigorously adhere to. Helen is not a modern woman dropped into a historical setting; she believes as much as any of her friends and family in the virtues of duty and respectability. When a friend invites Helen to stay with her in town, she accepts, even though it will delay her Reclaimer plans, because to refuse would shame her friend, and the social niceties are as important as ridding the world of demons.

Goodman has extensively researched Regency England and clearly has a great knowledge of, and affection for, Jane Austen and her world. Authentic historical details enrich the narrative and bring the setting to life; readers less enthralled with all things Regency may begin to skim some passages, but anyone who has read Austen will enjoy a sense of recognition and the amusement of a fantasy perspective on the world of drawing rooms and pelisses. Goodman includes an Author’s Note at the end to explain what is accurate and what is made up in her setting.

The plot drags somewhat in the middle, feeling repetitive as the search for the Grand Deceiver continues to be thwarted, and long chapters go by with little or no magical action. At 531 pages, the book is heftier than it needs to be. But the pace picks up in the last third. There is a twist that a lot of readers will likely have anticipated and a nice climactic battle that lets all the main characters fulfill their narrative destiny and very satisfactorily concludes the trilogy.

Goodman does a good job of reminding readers what came before, but it doesn’t make sense to read The Dark Days Deceit as a stand-alone. The “Lady Jane” trilogy will be popular among those who love the “Mortal Instruments” series, the “Parasol Protectorate” series, or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Anyone who enjoys both Regency romances and paranormal fantasy will want to try it out.