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A Brush with Death
A dying heiress.
The haunting threat of looming madness.
And a Ripper stalking the London streets.
Whoever dares to marry Isabel Vanderton will be rich, that much is clear. The problem is, Isabel isn’t interested in marrying. She isn’t really interested in dying either, but Death is impatient.
He has haunted Isabel for years—her most persistent suitor—and now, he is bent on claiming what is rightfully his. Determined, Death sets out on a careful game of seduction that threatens Isabel’s very sanity. She will succumb to him, or she will suffer the consequences.
As Isabel bargains desperately for her very soul, tales of Jack-the-Ripper plague all of London. The longer she delays, the closer she comes to losing everything and everyone she holds dear.
Is a life in darkness better than no life at all?
It is time for Isabel to make her choice.
The haunting threat of looming madness.
And a Ripper stalking the London streets.
Whoever dares to marry Isabel Vanderton will be rich, that much is clear. The problem is, Isabel isn’t interested in marrying. She isn’t really interested in dying either, but Death is impatient.
He has haunted Isabel for years—her most persistent suitor—and now, he is bent on claiming what is rightfully his. Determined, Death sets out on a careful game of seduction that threatens Isabel’s very sanity. She will succumb to him, or she will suffer the consequences.
As Isabel bargains desperately for her very soul, tales of Jack-the-Ripper plague all of London. The longer she delays, the closer she comes to losing everything and everyone she holds dear.
Is a life in darkness better than no life at all?
It is time for Isabel to make her choice.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2024
52 people are currently reading
1503 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 1, 2023
Oh boy, oh boy. I really don’t like when a story I envision going a certain way goes the complete opposite route and is so gross on top of it.
There will be minor spoilers throughout, so you’ve been warned!
I’m just going to get into my biggest problem with this book, and it is Death. I’m not sure what it is with immortal men, but 9/10 times they are extremely creepy and insufferable. You’re telling me this guy is this possessive and in love with a girl he’s been watching over since she was FOUR????? And that’s supposed to be endearing????? Of all people he could’ve chosen to be head over heels for, it’s a girl he’s been watching since she was a small child? Oh yeah, let’s not talk about the ‘pull’ he felt towards her back then. YUCK!!! Here’s a nice example of just how not creepy this man is :)
He had touched her then, running the back of his pale fingers down her smooth cheek.
"Sleep, my child, he had whispered.
"Sleep. One day I will come for you, but not for a very long time yet."
And just remember, he decides to come back later demanding she kiss him and be his… definitely not concerning!!!! He’s a disgusting excuse for a character, and I hate that we are obviously supposed to sympathise with him. He touches her multiple times without consent, is constantly moaning on about wanting to kiss her, and is just overall extremely annoying and pushy. This guy has been around for thousands of years, and this is how immature and useless he is? His multiple love confessions when she’s only officially met him like three times are embarrassing and ridiculous. No matter how much pushback there was from Isabel, he would constantly say cringe "you will be mine you have no choice!!!" dialogue that makes my stomach clench. I can’t believe people voluntarily choose to write loser love interests like this. His jealousy issues and petty manipulativeness seen in the rose scene… ugh, do I fucking hate characters like this. The only redemption would be if he turned out to be someone we weren’t supposed to like, but hahaaaaaa.
Him aside, there was no one else to like either. Isabel has no actual backbone and is constantly fawning over Death even though she has told him no several times. I guess it’s too hard not to be attracted to a total creep. I did like the little bit of chronic illness rep, but that’s about it. Honestly though, the ridiculous kissing feet scenes made me wish there were no health issues involved!!
The story was predictable and seemed a bit rushed. I was really hoping it would focus mainly on catching Jack and that Death and Isabel would be a cool detective duo team, but that definitely doesn’t happen because Death certainly cannot meddle with fate, even though he does multiple times for the person he’s soooo inlove with.
The only thing this book has going for it is the writing; it was easy to read (besides the dialogue) and flowed nicely.
Overall I wish I never read this, as I would rather use my time better than to read about creepy old men!
There will be minor spoilers throughout, so you’ve been warned!
I’m just going to get into my biggest problem with this book, and it is Death. I’m not sure what it is with immortal men, but 9/10 times they are extremely creepy and insufferable. You’re telling me this guy is this possessive and in love with a girl he’s been watching over since she was FOUR????? And that’s supposed to be endearing????? Of all people he could’ve chosen to be head over heels for, it’s a girl he’s been watching since she was a small child? Oh yeah, let’s not talk about the ‘pull’ he felt towards her back then. YUCK!!! Here’s a nice example of just how not creepy this man is :)
He had touched her then, running the back of his pale fingers down her smooth cheek.
"Sleep, my child, he had whispered.
"Sleep. One day I will come for you, but not for a very long time yet."
And just remember, he decides to come back later demanding she kiss him and be his… definitely not concerning!!!! He’s a disgusting excuse for a character, and I hate that we are obviously supposed to sympathise with him. He touches her multiple times without consent, is constantly moaning on about wanting to kiss her, and is just overall extremely annoying and pushy. This guy has been around for thousands of years, and this is how immature and useless he is? His multiple love confessions when she’s only officially met him like three times are embarrassing and ridiculous. No matter how much pushback there was from Isabel, he would constantly say cringe "you will be mine you have no choice!!!" dialogue that makes my stomach clench. I can’t believe people voluntarily choose to write loser love interests like this. His jealousy issues and petty manipulativeness seen in the rose scene… ugh, do I fucking hate characters like this. The only redemption would be if he turned out to be someone we weren’t supposed to like, but hahaaaaaa.
Him aside, there was no one else to like either. Isabel has no actual backbone and is constantly fawning over Death even though she has told him no several times. I guess it’s too hard not to be attracted to a total creep. I did like the little bit of chronic illness rep, but that’s about it. Honestly though, the ridiculous kissing feet scenes made me wish there were no health issues involved!!
The story was predictable and seemed a bit rushed. I was really hoping it would focus mainly on catching Jack and that Death and Isabel would be a cool detective duo team, but that definitely doesn’t happen because Death certainly cannot meddle with fate, even though he does multiple times for the person he’s soooo inlove with.
The only thing this book has going for it is the writing; it was easy to read (besides the dialogue) and flowed nicely.
Overall I wish I never read this, as I would rather use my time better than to read about creepy old men!
July 23, 2024
This was okay, I couldn’t get into it for some reason. It felt like it dragged, I got about 70% through before I started skimming. Didn’t miss much; Death and Isobel’s conversations were all the same.
April 8, 2023
Ms. Blake has penned a murder mystery with a paranormal twist.
Read full review in the 2023 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2023 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.
January 2, 2023
🪦A Brush with Death 👻
The Hands of Fate Book 1
✒️ Elizabeth Blake
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElizab...
Release Date 01/03/2023
Publisher Oliver Herber
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN4RMCFJ?...
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
A dying heiress.
The haunting threat of looming madness.
And a Ripper stalking the London streets.
Whomever dares to marry Isabel Vanderton will be rich, that much is clear. The problem is, Isabel isn’t interested in marrying. She isn’t really interested in dying either, but Death is impatient.
He has haunted Isabel for years—her most persistent suitor—and now, he is bent on claiming what is rightfully his. Determined, Death sets out on a careful game of seduction that threatens Isabel’s very sanity. She will succumb to him, or she will suffer the consequences.
As Isabel bargains desperately for her very soul, tales of Jack-the-Ripper plague all of London. The longer she delays, the closer she comes to losing everything and everyone she holds dear.
Is a life in darkness better than no life at all?
It is time for Isabel to make her choice.
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
« she had just issued Death with a formal invitation to court her at his convenience. »
What a wonderful book to end a year and begin a new one. A mixture of darkness and light with an immortal being far away from his classic representation.
I do not know why but since I caught sight of this cover, I was intrigued (maybe because I saw the alternate one and as I, now have read the book, I understand it).
The blurb reveals a lot without saying much at the same time.
Difficult to summarize but this was the read I did not expect, yet this tale of love and death, as those two are often intimately linked is just magnificent. A sublime revisit of Persephone myth.
Death is not Hades, but like him he is lonely sitting on his throne watching humanity playing master and servant.
Death has reached the moment in his existence when he acknowledges he would like more than collecting souls. He longs for a companion. His awareness of his lonesome status had been awakened by the unexpected demand of a dying soul, since he has made his mission of taking care of Isabel, he assigned himself her invisible protector, staying hidden in the shadows, rescuing from her recklessness and Fate’s tendrils, until now.
« She had climbed inside him and settled herself there, in his chest, forcing his heart to beat for her. »
But as her time is reaching its end, he cannot anymore be the silent witness he has been since he has collected his first soul. By observing Isabel, he has discovered the sense of human emotions. Which he wants and does not want at the same time to feel. As any normal human, he discovers the meaning of longing, envying, hating, loving, angering, forgiving …
« I do not want to be in a world where you are not, Isabel. »
Isabel’s existence is slowly slipping through her fingers, as she slides from the world of the livings to the unknown. Her body is betraying her, worse she even came to fear her mind did too. As how could she be sound of mind when she has talks with Death.
In the mist of The Ripper bodies’ trail, she lives what she fears are her last moments, trying to hold on her dreams, finding hope in any nice experience as darkness begins to surround her.
As the more she rebels and angers, the more she struggles with Death’s facts, as she feels the weight of what knowledge she has come into.
« I have heard your heartbeat. It echoes in my mind. I panic when I hear it stutter. »
It is like she has her own dark mage walking by her side, patronizing her at time, as he has centuries of knowledge when she has only lived a fraction of a second of his time. They bicker and butt heads as he tries to convince her to accept an offer she is determined to refuse. Thus she fights the pull she feels toward him, trying to go back to some normalcy by living like there will be a tomorrow, denying him his demands, unable to comprehend his proposal.
A beautiful fantastic revisit of the myth of Hades in the wake of the London’s serial murderer.
5 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses
I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm6EqX...
https://www.facebook.com/100048385306...
#bookstagram #historicalromance #romance #romancebookblog #romancebookblogger #bookblog #romanceauthor #bookblogger #2022read #bookstagrammer #bookreview #romancebookreviewer #arcreader #elizabethblake #romancestagram #readersofinstagram
The Hands of Fate Book 1
✒️ Elizabeth Blake
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElizab...
Release Date 01/03/2023
Publisher Oliver Herber
➪ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN4RMCFJ?...
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
A dying heiress.
The haunting threat of looming madness.
And a Ripper stalking the London streets.
Whomever dares to marry Isabel Vanderton will be rich, that much is clear. The problem is, Isabel isn’t interested in marrying. She isn’t really interested in dying either, but Death is impatient.
He has haunted Isabel for years—her most persistent suitor—and now, he is bent on claiming what is rightfully his. Determined, Death sets out on a careful game of seduction that threatens Isabel’s very sanity. She will succumb to him, or she will suffer the consequences.
As Isabel bargains desperately for her very soul, tales of Jack-the-Ripper plague all of London. The longer she delays, the closer she comes to losing everything and everyone she holds dear.
Is a life in darkness better than no life at all?
It is time for Isabel to make her choice.
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
« she had just issued Death with a formal invitation to court her at his convenience. »
What a wonderful book to end a year and begin a new one. A mixture of darkness and light with an immortal being far away from his classic representation.
I do not know why but since I caught sight of this cover, I was intrigued (maybe because I saw the alternate one and as I, now have read the book, I understand it).
The blurb reveals a lot without saying much at the same time.
Difficult to summarize but this was the read I did not expect, yet this tale of love and death, as those two are often intimately linked is just magnificent. A sublime revisit of Persephone myth.
Death is not Hades, but like him he is lonely sitting on his throne watching humanity playing master and servant.
Death has reached the moment in his existence when he acknowledges he would like more than collecting souls. He longs for a companion. His awareness of his lonesome status had been awakened by the unexpected demand of a dying soul, since he has made his mission of taking care of Isabel, he assigned himself her invisible protector, staying hidden in the shadows, rescuing from her recklessness and Fate’s tendrils, until now.
« She had climbed inside him and settled herself there, in his chest, forcing his heart to beat for her. »
But as her time is reaching its end, he cannot anymore be the silent witness he has been since he has collected his first soul. By observing Isabel, he has discovered the sense of human emotions. Which he wants and does not want at the same time to feel. As any normal human, he discovers the meaning of longing, envying, hating, loving, angering, forgiving …
« I do not want to be in a world where you are not, Isabel. »
Isabel’s existence is slowly slipping through her fingers, as she slides from the world of the livings to the unknown. Her body is betraying her, worse she even came to fear her mind did too. As how could she be sound of mind when she has talks with Death.
In the mist of The Ripper bodies’ trail, she lives what she fears are her last moments, trying to hold on her dreams, finding hope in any nice experience as darkness begins to surround her.
As the more she rebels and angers, the more she struggles with Death’s facts, as she feels the weight of what knowledge she has come into.
« I have heard your heartbeat. It echoes in my mind. I panic when I hear it stutter. »
It is like she has her own dark mage walking by her side, patronizing her at time, as he has centuries of knowledge when she has only lived a fraction of a second of his time. They bicker and butt heads as he tries to convince her to accept an offer she is determined to refuse. Thus she fights the pull she feels toward him, trying to go back to some normalcy by living like there will be a tomorrow, denying him his demands, unable to comprehend his proposal.
A beautiful fantastic revisit of the myth of Hades in the wake of the London’s serial murderer.
5 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses
I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm6EqX...
https://www.facebook.com/100048385306...
#bookstagram #historicalromance #romance #romancebookblog #romancebookblogger #bookblog #romanceauthor #bookblogger #2022read #bookstagrammer #bookreview #romancebookreviewer #arcreader #elizabethblake #romancestagram #readersofinstagram
January 13, 2023
There is a bleakness that blankets Fallbury House, the Vandertons home in London. Suffering from a debilitating and terminal neurological disease (inherited from her mother), Isabel and her father both know she lives on borrowed time. A shadowed apparition and guardian of Isabel (as a result of her mother’s deathbed request), Death reveals himself after silently watching Isabel since she was 4 years old. The human condition now intrigues Death and he finds himself wanting to court Isabel, but he has competition. While not conversing with Isabel, Death continues his “job” of ushering souls to the afterlife. He has another kind of competitor nearby in White Chapel, where a man is slashing “unfortunate” women to death…Jack the Ripper.
This gothic romance is sublime. The author has written in a manner that speaks of poignancy, tenderness, heartache, and loneliness with a backdrop of horror, the macabre and tragedy. For myself “A Brush with Death” has risen alongside my two favorite gothic novels: “Wuthering Heights” and “Jane Eyre”. Blake conveys a sense of foreboding throughout the story while weaving in the intimate dance between Isabel and Death. Could the Brontë sisters have competition? Not to diminish the complexities and the beautiful composition of this novel, but I couldn’t help but notice that there were elements in two movies that were repeated in this novel. The childlike manner in which “Death” experienced “living” and falling in love from 1998’s “Meet Joe Black”. What lured prostitutes to engage with the Ripper in this novel was found in 2001’s “From Hell” - about an opium addicted detective who compiled clues to the possible identity of the Ripper with the aid of crime scene photographs. As the novel comes to a close, readers will cry…a lot…”quoth the Raven ‘forevermore’”.
Without a doubt this is the best novel that I have read at the end of 2022. Since I received an ARC from Booksprout, my unbiased review is based on that book; however, I preordered the book after reading the first chapter.
This gothic romance is sublime. The author has written in a manner that speaks of poignancy, tenderness, heartache, and loneliness with a backdrop of horror, the macabre and tragedy. For myself “A Brush with Death” has risen alongside my two favorite gothic novels: “Wuthering Heights” and “Jane Eyre”. Blake conveys a sense of foreboding throughout the story while weaving in the intimate dance between Isabel and Death. Could the Brontë sisters have competition? Not to diminish the complexities and the beautiful composition of this novel, but I couldn’t help but notice that there were elements in two movies that were repeated in this novel. The childlike manner in which “Death” experienced “living” and falling in love from 1998’s “Meet Joe Black”. What lured prostitutes to engage with the Ripper in this novel was found in 2001’s “From Hell” - about an opium addicted detective who compiled clues to the possible identity of the Ripper with the aid of crime scene photographs. As the novel comes to a close, readers will cry…a lot…”quoth the Raven ‘forevermore’”.
Without a doubt this is the best novel that I have read at the end of 2022. Since I received an ARC from Booksprout, my unbiased review is based on that book; however, I preordered the book after reading the first chapter.
September 10, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up.
A Brush with Death is an absorbing and unusual mystery that surprised me with its dark themes and characters. It’s not every day that I read a book that features Death and Jack the Ripper.
Well-written with imagery to set the tone, I felt like I was following the main character Isabel and “Death” around in 1888 England. Isabel is dying of an unknown affliction and Death formally introduces himself and the story ensues.
I didn’t quite understand what Death was…he had a mortal form that could get injured, a heart, and could eat and drink beverages…yet he has lived for thousands of years and can heal. I also didn’t understand how he could handle all of the deaths all over the world and spend so much time with Isabel. Surely he needs an apprentice or two?
I was a little creeped out how Death watched Isabel since she was a child and was so pushy about Isabel being “his”. I didn’t understand why she would be attracted to him.
The mystery was enjoyable but a bit too quickly resolved. I wish that Isabel played a bigger role in solving it. My ideal would be her pairing up with Denise to figure out what the police could not.
Thank you to Goodreads for this Kindle ARC. I was a Goodreads giveaway winner.
A Brush with Death is an absorbing and unusual mystery that surprised me with its dark themes and characters. It’s not every day that I read a book that features Death and Jack the Ripper.
Well-written with imagery to set the tone, I felt like I was following the main character Isabel and “Death” around in 1888 England. Isabel is dying of an unknown affliction and Death formally introduces himself and the story ensues.
I didn’t quite understand what Death was…he had a mortal form that could get injured, a heart, and could eat and drink beverages…yet he has lived for thousands of years and can heal. I also didn’t understand how he could handle all of the deaths all over the world and spend so much time with Isabel. Surely he needs an apprentice or two?
I was a little creeped out how Death watched Isabel since she was a child and was so pushy about Isabel being “his”. I didn’t understand why she would be attracted to him.
The mystery was enjoyable but a bit too quickly resolved. I wish that Isabel played a bigger role in solving it. My ideal would be her pairing up with Denise to figure out what the police could not.
Thank you to Goodreads for this Kindle ARC. I was a Goodreads giveaway winner.
January 14, 2025
this was everything. i don't usually delve into gothic romance, but this was just amazing. a romance with death is hard to pull off, but the yearning in this was beautiful. i'm in love with their dynamic. their ending was so bittersweet and beautiful. i wish we got the reactions of the other characters to the ending. it was such an amazing story, and i'm excited to see the other characters in the upcoming books.
January 13, 2023
What a beautiful and heartbreaking story! Grippingly dark, and set in the time of Jack The Ripper, this story will keep you turning the pages. The MC is feisty and at times a little hot-headed but it all just adds to her character as she battles through a love triangle with a handsome lord and... Death himself! If you're one for a dark romance, check this out.
January 20, 2023
2 stars. I liked Death. He was my favorite character out of everyone. I like that he struggled understanding human emotion and behavior because he wasn’t human himself. Unfortunately, I hated everyone else. Especially Isabel. While I could understand her reasoning and her apprehensions, she had a tendency to be annoying with how she went about things. Isabel just wasn’t for me.
June 3, 2024
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. This was a story about a dying woman who was courted by Death personified in the time of Jack the Ripper.
It's a romance novel with a slight gothic bent and a mystery about who is Jack the Ripper.
It's well written and didn't get bogged down. I enjoyed it, would consider reading more by this author.
It's a romance novel with a slight gothic bent and a mystery about who is Jack the Ripper.
It's well written and didn't get bogged down. I enjoyed it, would consider reading more by this author.
December 23, 2024
I can understand why this hasn't taken off. The pace was unusually slow, especially for such a short book. Also, Death isn't Prince Charming.
That brings me to my next point this is a mild dark romance.
I do have one question. After I grabbed this book, I found out it was part of a trilogy. So, can anyone tell me if the other two are connected by plot?
That brings me to my next point this is a mild dark romance.
I do have one question. After I grabbed this book, I found out it was part of a trilogy. So, can anyone tell me if the other two are connected by plot?
September 1, 2023
This is a must read
for the romantic who believes anything is possible. the story is unbelievably believable . one of the best. can’t wait to read more of this author’s vision of a good book
for the romantic who believes anything is possible. the story is unbelievably believable . one of the best. can’t wait to read more of this author’s vision of a good book
April 11, 2024
First book in my new favorite series. Steampunk meets Werewolf. Great book!
April 11, 2024
Ok
It was a very good and different Jack the Ripper and Fate and Love story. But it was about 2/3 of the way too long. It was exciting and then bizarrely boring!
It was a very good and different Jack the Ripper and Fate and Love story. But it was about 2/3 of the way too long. It was exciting and then bizarrely boring!
November 5, 2024
This book gave me the creep factor and not in a good way. Ew.
October 6, 2023
_Goodreads giveaway winner _
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews