The second weakest entry in the Pennyroyal Green series and a damned shame.
Plot: The uncannily handsome and possibly slightly supernatural vicar introduced a few books ago, Adam, is drowning a little under the relentless adoration of his parishioners. This is his first time taking on such a solemn role and while he takes it exceptionally seriously, he feels woefully inadequate. His life is then further complicated by the arrival of a new resident to Pennyroyal Green, Eve, or as she is known in the broadsheets, the Black Widow. A former opera singer turned courtesan turned Countess whose husband died not long after they were married, Eve is the embodiment of sin. Or is she? Because as it turns out, she is also fiercely loyal to her family, almost saintly in her patience against the cruelty of others, and generous to a fault. She’s perhaps less surprisingly also drop dead gorgeous. So much so that even Adam, who has all but surrendered his body to the parish, can’t help but feel temptation. And then she goes and asks for his help. To make friends. Shenanigans ensue.
I should start by making clear that I am aware this book was not written for me. This book deals very heavily (and understandably so) with religion. There is a lot of theological discussion, bible quotes, and perhaps most confoundingly, a suggestion that Adam has some kind of literal God-given power to heal through prayer. As a born atheist, I don’t understand religion nor do I find it particularly interesting so my interest levels ranged from boredom to frustration. As a Jew, I also struggled with what I saw as the presentation of Christian zealotry as relatively harmless. I don’t know how someone who is religious, or who is a Christian themselves might feel reading this book. It may work better for them, it may be even worse.
Beyond that, I also struggled with the characterization. Eve is a fantastic character. We not only get a strong sense of who she is in all her variety, but also a sense of how she got here. We don’t get the same for Adam, who seems to be made up of little more than duty and low key miracles. We were introduced to Adam three books ago, and even now at the end of his book, he still feels two dimensional. As a result, his actions don’t feel like an organic extension of who he is, but rather than what is needed for the plot. This is not only the case for Adam. The whole town rejects Eve when she arrives, despite being instantly an exemplary member of the community. They continue to reject her all the way to the end, when we have what I can only describe as the sort of story you’d see on reddit that ends in “and everybody clapped.” Their inevitable about-face does not feel earned in the least. All in all, it makes for an unusually unsatisfying story from Long.