The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart

My re-read of the works of Leanna Renee Hieber continues with The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart: A Novel of Magic Most Foul.  The novel picks up where Darker Still left off.  Miss Natalie Stewart is on the run with Jonathan Whitby, Lord Denbury after tangling with a demon in New York City.  Afraid of the dark magic that the pair encountered in New York, Natalie and Jonathan flee to St. Paul, Minnesota.  They hope that they will find a welcome sanctuary away from the dark forces.  Instead, Natalie and Jonathan uncover a nefarious plot hatched by the Society to reanimate the dead.  Rushing back to New York, Natalie and Jonathan are forced to wage a war over the soul of all they hold dear.  The stakes are high in this novel.  Realizing that the Society is unaware of Jonathan's escape from the painting, Jonathan decides to go undercover as his "demon" self to defeat the Society from within.

I loved this novel.  Dark and atmospheric, the novel features some of the most terrifying scenes I have ever encountered.  The terror is balanced by the love story between Natalie and Jonathan.  The pair begin to explore their feelings for each and their romance is deeply satisfying and well developed.  Heiber excels in developing well formed secondary characters.  Mrs. Northe returns in this novel to guide Natalie and Jonathan on their quest.  New characters are also introduced who play a key role in this installment.  Rachel Horowitz a deaf medium with links to Natalie's past and Revered Blessing an Episcopalian exorcist join forces with our heroes to defeat the nefarious Society. A satisfying sequel to Darker Still.

Verdict: 5 out of 5 stars.

The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart is available on Amazon