Goldilox and the Three Weres: Wicked As They Come by Delilah Dawson

Wicked As They Come
(Blud #1)
Delilah Dawson
Release: March 27, 2012
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Have you ever heard of a Bludman? They’re rather like you and me—only more fabulous, immortal, and mostly indestructible. (They’re also very good kissers.) Delilah S. Dawson’s darkly tempting debut drops her unsuspecting heroine into a strange faraway land for a romantic adventure that’s part paranormal, part steampunk . . . and completely irresistible.

When Tish Everett forces open the ruby locket she finds at an estate sale, she has no idea that a deliciously rakish Bludman has cast a spell just for her. She wakes up in a surreal world, where Criminy Stain, the dashing proprietor of a magical traveling circus, curiously awaits. At Criminy’s electric touch, Tish glimpses a tantalizing future, but she also foresees her ultimate doom. Before she can decide whether to risk her fate with the charming daredevil, the locket disappears, and with it, her only chance to return home. Tish and Criminy battle roaring sea monsters and thundering bludmares, vengeful ghosts and crooked Coppers in a treacherous race to recover the necklace from the evil Blud-hating Magistrate. But if they succeed, will Tish forsake her fanged suitor and return to her normal life, or will she take a chance on an unpredictable but dangerous destiny with the Bludman she’s coming to love?

Review:

Wicked As They Come is a sinfully delicious read that was fun, original, and romantic and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute! Get ready to be lured into a world of Bludmen, magic, secrets, clockwork animals, blood thirsty bunnies, and yummy romance.

“You're here," he said simply.

"Do I know you?" I asked, which came out more haughtily than I had intended.

"You will," he answered, kicking off the tree and walking toward me. "After all, you're wearing my locket. And I've been waiting for you.”

This is the start to a new steampunk romance series that flirts with the paranormal. Each book focuses on a different couple and I feared a typical paranormal romance-style novel was what would be waiting for me. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this book far surpasses the sometimes cliche-ness of PNR with one of the most unique worlds I have ever read.

When Tish accidentally transports herself to Sang she ends up in a alternate world that mirrors our own...except that it's kind of one of those fun house mirrors you find at a carnival. The names of the cities and the areas on the map are similar to our's, but in this world there exists something called Bludmen. They are similar to vampires in that they must drink human blood to survive, but that's about where the similarities end. I was impressed that author Delilah Dawson took a staple in the paranormal world, vampires, and turned them into something original and incredibly imaginative.

One such Bludman is Criminy Stain, the leader of a misfit, traveling circus of sorts, and the reason Tish has suddenly found herself in Sang. Criminy is so ridiculously lovable and at the same time very dark and mysterious. He is instantly drawn to Tish and is ready to love her completely, but she is very unsure about her feelings for him and this is painful for him.

Criminy's unreturned feelings for Tish throughout the book and the ways that he deals with them make him an extremely sympathetic character. He's not the brooding hero that will force you to love him through overbearing means, rather he will show you why you should love him and the rest is up to you.

“I would burn down the world for you," he whispered fiercely. "Your world or my own. I would rip down the entire city with my bare hands without a second thought. I don't need to taste anything else, I don't need a comparison.”

Tish, or Leticia, is a likable heroine and I enjoyed learning about Sang from her point of view. She is understandably hesitant to love Criminy and I felt like her reaction and emotions were realistic. As Tish starts to fall for Criminiy, I was really engaged by her predicament: How could she live in both Sang and her world? As her story unfolded I was at times surprised and happy to be so.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of all kinds of fantasy fiction, as the uniqueness of this new series should appeal to many different types of readers. Be on the look out for book two in the series, which will focus on Casper, the handsome yet scorned human from this book.

Recommended for fans of: steampunk, paranormal romance, urban fantasy, unusual heroes, carnivals, and bludbunnies.