I cant agree with the authors claim that this book can be read as a standalone as the purported main character doesnt appear herself until about 37% into the book.

When we finally get to her part of the story it did get a bit more interesting but I soon got very tired of Annes character,she just came across as very arrogant. Now dont get me wrong a flawed character can still be a good character but as a reader I didnt really understand her motivations or get an explanation about her past shaped her personality. ( )

1889 Occult investigator Anne Lawrence can gone missing from a Romanian village which was the scene of brutal attacks. Vivienne Cumberland and husband Nathaniel arrive in Mara Vardac to investigate, but without daeva Alec Lawrence. Are the attacks really from a pricolic, a werewolf. Or is there more behind these attacks.
An enjoyable and well-written paranormal Victorian mystery. ( )

A Bad Breed by Kat Ross is third in the Gothic Gaslamp series. Deep in the Carpathians, the village of Mara Vardac has been beset by a series of vicious attacks. At first thought to be animal attacks, it becomes clear something far more sinister is afoot. Anne, an SPR agent, goes to investigate and ends up disappearing. Her guardian, Vivienne, goes to search for Anne, and continue the investigation into the attacks. What she finds is far more sinister than mere rogue wolves or bears.

I absolutely loved this book! I was first introduced to Kat Ross' wonderful writing with her Fourth Talisman series, and she's now an author I actively stalk for new books. The Gothic Gaslamp series takes place in the same universe as the other two series, so we get to see the daevas, though not so much their magic. A Bad Breed is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, yes, but in a more original way than I've read before. I liked the inclusion of the Order of the Rosy Cross, but more than that, I loved the inclusion of the French legend of the Beast of Gevaudan. It takes it beyond being a werewolf legend, into something far more fascinating. We don't learn the full truth of the Beast, or Gabriel's unique ability, but the story continues in the next book and I'm very excited to read it!

***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for XPresso Book Tours. ( )

Anne is a daeva- one of a few magical and ancient beings left who now use their powers to hunt down any evil beings left in the world. Anne is on assignment in a small Romanian village in 1889, she is on the hunt for a pricolici- a creature of folklore, a werewolf that killed several children in the small village. Anne has uncharacteristically gone missing from a nearby monastery on her assignment prompting friends Vivienne, Alec and Nathaniel to come looking for her. Unbeknownst to Anna or Alec, Anne is being held as collateral by the very beast she was after in order for the beast to settle a grudge a few hundred years old. However, as Anne begins to study her captor, she learns much more about him than she expected.

Bad Breed is a Gothic fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast and is the third in the Gaslamp Gothic series. This can be read as a stand-alone, but now I definitely want to read the first two books. The Romanian folklore of the pricolici intrigued me at the very beginning as Anne tries to outrun the vampire-werewolf hybrid that doesn't seem to particularly want to hurt her. Furthermore, I was very interested in the origins of the daeva, I'll have to go back and read the other books to find out about that. The action and pacing of the story was very tight and kept everything moving quickly. The writing was a good mix of fantasy, fairy tale retelling, mystery and romance. I especially liked the details that tied the story to Beauty and the Beast, but didn't make it a direct reproduction. I especially loved the fierce female characters. Anne was anything but a damsel in distress, even when her magic was disabled and Vivienne seems a loyal protector. The mystery of the pricolici and what exactly he wanted with Anne and Alec kept the mystery going. The ending left room for more of the story to be told as well, so I will be looking forward to the next book as well.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

This book… wow it oozes mood. Right from the first page you know you are in a Victorian Gothic novel. The world building just pulls you in, especially if you are a big fan of Victorian era pieces like I am.

This book has it all – Necromancers ✔ Secret Societies ✔ Paranormal Investigations ✔ Long Burning Revenge ✔ Old Empty Castles ✔ Fantastic Heroines and more ✔ ✔ ✔.

If you’ve been around my blog for a while you know I love Kat Ross’s writing style and world-building and well just about everything else.

This is the third book in the series, (you can find links to my reviews of the other titles above) but I think this book does well as a stand alone. I don’t even really feel like you’d miss much in the way of character back stories, the characters and plot carry enough emotion without the backstory. The only thing you might miss out on is the history of the Deavas and the bond, and for that you need to go back to the Forth Element series (my review of the first two books.)

The depth of the characters keep this book moving through one twist after another. It keeps you hooked and entertained through out.

The only thing that keeps this book from begin a five-star, I Loved It rated book is the really explicit sex scene. I just don’t find those tasteful or enjoyable. It’s enough for me (and in my option the story) just to know that character has consummated their relationship. I really don’t want the details.

Bottom Line: Another great book from Kat Ross, although I really would have preferred it if the sexual content had been more PG-13 instead of X-rated.

I received this book though Xpresso Book Tours. ( )