A Matter of Grave concern by Brenda Novak

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Bestselling author Brenda Novak unearths love in the darkest of places.

When Maximillian Wilder hides his noble identity and joins the notorious body snatchers known as the London Supply Company, the last thing on his mind is love. He’s worried about Madeline, his vanished half sister, who was last seen in the company of Jack Hurtsill, the gang’s conscienceless leader. Raiding graveyards, stealing corpses, and selling them to medical colleges as dissection material is dirty work, but Max knows he must gain Jack’s trust. He’s determined to find out what happened to Madeline—and to bring Jack to justice if she was murdered for the coin her body could earn.

Beautiful, spirited Abigail Hale, daughter of the surgeon at Aldersgate School of Medicine, detests the challenging, hard-bargaining Max almost as much as Jack. But she must procure the necessary specimens if she is to save the college and her father’s career. She believes she is going to be successful—until Jack double-crosses her. Then she’s swept into a plot of danger and intrigue, one where Max must intervene to protect her, no matter the risk to his plan…or his heart.

5 Gold Crowns

Reviewed by Vikki

What an amazing and unique story. It kept me glued to my seat from the first page to the last. I just love Brenda Novak's writing style. It's so smooth and flowing. I immediately fell in love with Abigail, an easy character to love. She's feisty and determined, yet innocent of the dangers of the world. This is a story of overcoming great adversity, and full of emotion and deep passion.

The story is set in London 1830. She finds herself in the midst of a group of Wapping body snatchers in the belly of London, when she tries to purchase a cadaver for Aldersgate School of Medicine. They demand all her money, which is the college's operating fund, then after leaving the corpse, they break in and steal it back. She immediately follows them to get back the money and the elephant that belonged to her late mother. She quickly finds herself kidnapped and held by none other than Max Wilder. As the story progresses, the reader finds out in bits and pieces why Max is with the London supply company. He becomes Abigail’s protector from the other unsavory characters. Can he keep her safe from Jack, the ring leader? Can this unlikely couple find a way to love each other?

Max is such a complicated hero, and he has a huge secret, he's hiding from the others, including Abigail. I love the way the author kept this hidden, without making it annoying in the least. I also love how Ms. Novak builds sexual tension. She is definitely a master at this. Her ability to draw the reader in is incredible. Her description of the scenes in her story come to life and drops the reader right in the middle of the action. Oh, and what a fitting title for this book. So many times I’ll read a story and the title makes no sense to me at all. That is not the case with this one. Brenda Novak weaves in the history with a masterful touch. I never had any idea of how medical schools found cadavers to study.

I thoroughly enjoyed this excellent book and highly recommend it. If you're looking for a story filled with suspense and intrigue from the first page to the last, yet with a wonderful love story, then this is one you do not want to miss. Happy reading!