This one is for every reader who asked for another Lady and Lord Riven adventure. I loved writing it for you!

Well firstly, I’m glad other readers clamoured for more before me and so allowed me to pick up this sequel immediately on completing A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience (and a big thank you to Stephanie for sending me the books in exchange for honest reviews to begin with!)

“You marched into my house all those months ago in your wedding gown, lectured me about the state of my tea, and lit up my life for the first time in centuries.”

I couldn’t wait to explore more of this world and see what the next steps were for this unusual couple forced together – Burgis did not disappoint on either count. Having read other reviews of Marriage, it seems I was not alone in wishing it had been longer, and Burgis appears to have taken these notes on board for Honeymoon, as we have a far more substantial story.

We join the couple a number of weeks into their eponymous honeymoon, which itself is only part honeymoon and part research field trip for Margaret as she hunts for a new subject. Having endured Paris and her unlooked for popularity following the publication of her paper regarding the effects of human and vampire relationships, the Lady and Lord Riven travel to the Black Forest area of Germany, which of course is rife with stories of the supernatural.

This is where this story truly sparkled for me; fans of folklore and mythology will love Burgis’ dedication in this regard to representing Germanic supernatural creatures, of which there were plenty, and ones I hadn’t heard of before. Lady and Lord Riven have booked themselves into an inn which acts as a refuge for various creatures of the forest, including a nachzehrer and a night raven amongst others. There’s something of an Addams Family/Hotel Transylvania feel to this situation, but as uncanny, supernatural, traditionally-nightmarish creatures go, they’re all actually rather sweet. They have a strong found-family bond. They do not immediately appreciate the presence of the human in their midst but, like me, they come to warm to her once they have the opportunity to know her better.

And again, I did appreciate the opportunity to do just that this time round. Margaret is growing and learning/accepting a lot about herself through her relationship with Lord Riven, whilst at the same time still holding true to certain characteristics introduced to us in Marriage; her research and studies are still highly important to her and count towards her sense of self, and she is still headstrong and impulsive, although when it bites her in the bum this time, she at least had better intentions behind her actions. She is a flawed character, she is painfully human, and despite having learned some lessons it was good to see there is still scope for growth and development. Potentially. Some of us never learn, of course.

Although I felt I learned more about Margaret this time round, I can’t say the same for Lord Riven, so hopefully, if there are to be further adventures, he might be more of a future focus (we still don’t know his first name, for example, although this could well be a deliberate point being made by Burgis regarding the nameless female characters of classical fiction). Despite this, their relationship is very sweet, and I loved the direction Burgis took in this story to characterise their growth without relying on any typical romance tropes.

In short, Lady and Lord Riven’s return is a satisfactorily more substantial adventure, blending cosy fantasy and light academia with the darkness of the Black Forest and European folklore. It is the perfect read for Halloween season; if you’re going to curl up with it, which I highly recommend, make sure you have a decent cuppa with you, or Margaret will be most disappointed.

A Honeymoon of Grave Consequence is available now, you can order your copy HERE