Doctor D'Arco, Sorcerer of London: A Victorian Gothic Romance

by Kathryn Colvin

A dark sorcerer. His widowed apprentice.
A Victorian Gothic Romance for all time.

In the midnight fog of Victorian London, the young widow Elizabeth Buckingham was destitute and alone, sustained only by her vow of revenge against whoever—or whatever—caused her Egyptologist husband’s uncanny demise.

Everything changes when a mysterious encounter at a fortuneteller shop leads Elizabeth to join the Esoteric Order of Magisophists, a secret society and college of magic. But with her new life comes new peril, and even the occultists of the Order dread the infamous Doctor D’Arco: a grim, brooding, demon-summoning professor of sorcery, his imposing presence intensified by his black cloak, steel mask, and the unsettling sensation of darkness that emanates from him like a deep shadow.

Now the sorcerer Doctor D’Arco seeks an apprentice to join him in banishing a ghastly rival—and Elizabeth proves to have precisely the talent he requires.

Inspired in part by vintage Gothic, Romantic, and Victorian literature and written in compelling, sensual prose, Doctor D’Arco, Sorcerer of London is a tale of mystery, adventure, supernatural thrills, eerie suspense… and most of all, of a young widow’s secret, longing love for the dark sorcery professor to whom she is apprenticed, her fear of him slowly smoldering into a dangerous desire.

Genres: Fantasy, Gothic, Romance, Romantasy, Fantasy Romance, Historical, Magic

648 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2024

About the author

Kathryn Colvin is a weird novelist and an independent researcher. Her articles on Gothic and strange literature have been published in the peer-reviewed journals Supernatural Studies, Brontë Studies, and Mythlore; she has written and directed several theatrical adaptations and a B-movie, and has intentionally never taken a creative writing class. As an author and a woman, she is culturally expected to tell you her marital status and where she lives, and then to say something cutesy and self-effacing at the end.

Reviews

[abi]

DNF @ 47%


I think this book could have been excellent: if over 400 pages were cut off of it. This authors writing style is very detailed, info dumpy, and self indulgent and she desperately needs an editor. This book does not need to be 900 pages, which is already evident from reading almost half the book (so yes, I’ve read almost 500 pages of this damn book). Most of it is exposition and being inside of the FMC’s head. There’s at times over 6 pages of info-dumpy exposition, and it was so boring. I just need an editor to come in and make this unique book actually readable. I really tried to push through because I was enjoying the slow build romance, but I kind of realized, “wow, I’m going to have to slog through another 400 pages of nothing” and I just can’t do it.

I skimmed the rest, and I liked how this ended, but this is really almost unreadable. You either have to love this authors writing style going in, or there’s no way you’re finishing this book. I think fans of the style of The Golden Enclaves series by Noami Novik would like this book; it’s written pretty much the same way. I am going to count this one as read though because, yeah I did just read almost 500 pages which is usually a full novel.

[Stress Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doctor D'Arco (Darko) Sorcerer of London is a study in the desire to be seen, to be known, to be loved and cherished full of depth and darkness, magic and gorgeous Victorian gothic prose, that puts you in the middle of it all, fully immersed in a world where "all words are magic."

The plot is phenomenal. The twists and turns kept me guessing and turning pages. Kathryn Colvin hooked immediately, and not once did I look back. For 900 delicious pages, I lived in a gothic Victorian romance - swooning all the while trying to figure out where the journey was headed next.

I cannot say enough about Colvin's prose - she transports you to 19th Century London and you'll truly feel like you're walking the catacombs with them. Just read this:

"The entire far left quarter of the room dripped with calcium formations like dropping ivory flowers and venom-slick vipers' fangs, trickles of cold mineral water shining on the sides of long stalactites and falling drop by slow drop onto the striving stalagmites below."

Or

"Strength of imagination is our shot, force of will is our gun; in these are our power, and in these are the misfires of lesser men. Half-hearts are broken, scattered with their brittle bones, and what is left of them I have buried in these catacombs."

World building is excellent. Colvin does a great job of setting the scene and making you feel as though you're truly there by descriptive writing that captures your mind and your senses. The magic system is unique and interesting, well developed and explained. The ending is beautiful.

The characters are well developed, nuanced. Elizabeth (FMC) is smart, strong, and inquisitive, focused on learning and revenge. The MMC (Victor) is the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome - yet so much more. He's a Victorian gothic shadow daddy, who supports, strengthens, and empowers Elizabeth - it's beautiful to read. Their banter is so good! At times it's poignant, at others there's some dark humor, and then the tension! 🥵 I just love a MMC that is content (or better yet, happy) to empower the FMC - and Victor does just that.

The burn is deliciously slow. They meet as strangers, then she becomes his apprentice and the develop a working relationship that quickly evolves into a friendship as well. Until they become lovers. The build up of tension between them is excellent. If you like to feel tension and chemistry down into your marrow - read this.

If you enjoy dark academia, Victorian gothic romance, slow burn - this is for you! If you like The Night Circus, The Phantom of the Opera, Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Eyre - read this. It also has some bits of The Mummy in its lore.

I love that Colvin delicately sprinkles in themes of feminism, sexism, and misogyny. I love that we get Victor's POV and are transported in time to live through his backstory. I love the slow build, slow burn Colvin treats readers to in this book.

I can't say enough about this one. You all need to read it. If this gem catches some traction, I can see it blowing up as the next big indie book. 100% it deserves that, and more. This author is one to watch, her writing is exquisite.

I feel truly lucky and blessed to have been givin the opportunity to read this beautiful story. Thank you @kathryncolvinauthor for the eARC. This is my unbiased review.

[Allie Pysell · Rating 2 out of 5]

For about half of this book I was fascinated. The prose is well done, the characters are intriguing, and the different take on magic was new and exciting to learn about. I thought that the focus on revenge for the main character and her arc in relying on it, to almost forgetting about it, to then embracing it again was compelling. However, after about halfway through I became tired of the main character's constant repetition of what is going on around her and her over analysis of everything. I understand that the character is analytical but sometimes she'd repeat thoughts that we've heard a millions times and that was exhausting. As for the second half, I felt like we miss out on a lot of characters and plot that we are briefly introduced to. It feels like once the characters get together it's like the rest of the story no longer matters: no more class, no more classmates, no more magic practice. I understand the explanation in the book as to why they shouldn't practice magic before the final fight, but it takes away from the Professor/Student aspect of the book that is the basis for the entire story. While I enjoyed some parts of this book, (the magical debates, the growth of Elizabeth into her own magic, the weird dynamics of the characters to the main character, the order, and others), others I could do without (Elizabeth always crying, the same three descriptors of Victor, the loss of plot near the end, and the few plot holes that I couldn't understand).

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Meg (fantasybook.adventurer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨Doctor D’Arco - Sorcerer of London✨


Goodness, I was so daunted by this book; it is VAST, but I am SO GLAD Kat messaged me so I could read it because it’s WORTH every page. To read this, I think you need to know what you’re committing to ONLY for the reason that it is long (but so good). A dedication as if you were reading The Historian or Tess of the D’Urbervilles or Wuthering Heights but with a BURNING delicious romance and harrowed mission that leads to plot twists and spice.

Doctor D’Arco is a beautiful and intricately written dark gothic romantasy set in Victorian style London that follows Elizabeth Buckingham as she longs for revenge after her husband’s death leaves her with nothing but an Egyptian amulet. So she embarks to the dark parts of the city to join an academy of magic.

With her keen ability, she soon finds herself apprenticed to THE sorcerer everyone fears: the masked and enigmatic Doctor D’Arco. It is here that Elizabeth steps into a world of shadows, summoning, lies, and forbidden love.

DDSOL is a story that is written DEEPLY. That is the best word I can think to describe it. It is completely encompassing and enrapturing as you go through the pages; you LIVE the story. You LIVE Elizabeth. And the aloof D’Arco as mentor is a connection that builds through each chapter; a story that allows you to not only see events but to FEEL them. Such slow a burn, when you are rewarded even the tiniest bit, it makes your toes curl.

A story about the the desire to be free, truly known and loved for it even in the darkness, I found myself falling deeper into the story and loving each moment we had of intimacy between the characters - physical and emotional. Elizabeth is a strong, talented and curious character. I adored being in her brain. The plot twists were SO good and were so interconnected it made you giddy as things tied together. Not to forget, the LORE and the theory classes within are so descriptive and intriguing. It was like a literal class on magic.

Tropes you may find in Doctor D’Arco are dark academia, gaslamp urban fantasy, gothic romance, forced proximity, forbidden love, mentor x mentee, angst and pining, lots of lore and knowledge, carriage scene, masked morally grey shadow daddy, spirits and fae, spice 2.5/5, “who did this”, wound tending, and touch her and be “banished”.

Thank you SO MUCH, Kat, for letting me read this gifted debut arc. I LOVE it and can’t wait for book two!!

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is the throne scene that will live rent free in my head.

[abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, buckle up for this review.

This is EXACTLY why I am so adamant on supporting indie/first time/‘smaller’ authors. Thank you so much, Kathryn, for reaching out and allowing me an arc copy of your book.

Get ready to be completely immersed into the realm of the underground, unseen London. The writings sets the tone of the gothic, haunted, and unknown world- think of the vibes from any writings of Edgar Allen Poe, and the story of Sherlock Holmes. The writing itself felt so classical, yet it was new and fresh and I loved every second of it. The passages and Elizabeth’s perspective were eloquent and flourished. You cannot help but enthralled by this writing and be transported to the tunnels under the streets of London.

Elizabeth is an inquisitive, perspective, and lovely FMC. Wondering to the Witch’s Corner during the witching hour to find the secret society of magic. All in hopes to get revenge on her husband’s murder- not in an act of love for her late husband, oh no, but for herself as she was left with nothing because her misogynistic husband🙄 So from the very beginning I knew I would love her. She grows so much into her own strong willed personality and never falters in what she wants. Her journey was amazing to read through. The underlying feminism of her thoughts were so understated but impacted how I thought of her so much.

Doctor Victor D’arco🫠 this man. A brooding, mysterious man, who wears a mask? Who wields a strong shadow?? Sign me up. He was so snarky and dark, but the gentleness that he held for Elizabeth was so sweet. He held so much space for Elizabeth’s power and never let anyone, including herself, diminish her worth. And he ABSOLUTELY will burn down the world and kill anyone for her. Do not threaten her life🫣 I loved how we didn’t just get to hear his background story through conversation he had with Elizabeth, but we actually got to transport in time and read it through his POV.

The SLOW BURN! I could go on and on about the tension that built up between these two characters. Reading every single moment these two were together I could literallyyyy feel the tension in my bones. I have never viscerally felt this much passion, and chemistry between characters by just words before. SERIOUSLY BRAVO. Kathryn had me giggling and blushing from just quick, accidental touches of hands between the two of them. And when they actually gave in, UGH. The pay off, the romance, the spicy scenes, the sweet nothings that were said. I couldn’t get enough.

The main plot line of her revenge, and her passion to learn magic did not go to wayside, though. The master/apprenticeship relationship was such a good dynamic. The magical atmosphere and how the magic actually worked was so interesting, and very, very real. The book felt like such a mystery, even beyond the mystery of who killed her husband, and left me wondering to know more and more. There were a few twists at the end-and even in Victor’s story- that I did not seem coming. The ending was satisfying, and beautiful, and I loved the epilogue. It will be hard for me to leave this world, even after 900 pages.

If you love gothic, dark academia, occult vibes, please please read this book!! 🖤

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Props to the author for fully committing to the Victorian writing style. This felt like a novel of its own time. That was, until the first sex scene. The language was too explicit and contemporary compared to the rest of the book. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind explicit scenes. But when the main character is swooning over the brush of a hand, and waxing poetic about her love interest for 80% of the book, seeing the word "clitoris" multiple times felt comically out of place.

To add to the weirdness of the sex scenes--and the romance overall--Elizabeth never wastes an opportunity to remind the reader of how tiny she is compared to large, muscular Victor. I got so tired of hearing about his "Hessian boots" and her "little shoes." Even after Elizabeth comes into her own as a sorceress and is married to Victor, she still calls him "sir." I was so constantly beaten over the head with reminders of the power imbalance between these two, I could never get fully on board with their romance.

Not to mention, Victor's entire personality was being mysterious and grunting every other line of dialogue. When Elizabeth says she's in love with him, I can't help but wonder why? They know almost nothing about each other until their backstories are presented as massive infodumps that bring the plot to a screeching halt.

For a book that's a whopping 900 kindle pages, the plot wraps up too quickly. After so much buildup about how dangerous Gremio is, he's defeated quickly with little effort. And after that, there are still several loose ends. Elizabeth faces zero consequences for murdering a member of the order, and barely reflects on it (compared to rest of the self-reflection she's done up to that point). And what happened to the guy in Victor's dungeon? He's mentioned maybe once, then quickly forgotten.

This book had so much potential, and it might have been a 5-star read for me if a good third of it had been edited out. The plot was intriguing and the writing style was a breath of fresh air in the fantasy romance space. But it soon became a slog of endless, internal monologuing that repeats the same handful of descriptors.

[Rachael · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book is just overthinking personified. why on earth didn’t elizabeth ask this man ANY questions throughout her time in his company? instead she waited till we basically got info dumped on and then after that info dump we got her then EXPLAINING the info dump in great detail AGIAN to victor.

i don’t know if the author had a word count to hit but this book could have been 600 pages shorter if it weren’t for the drawn out purple prose (don’t get me wrong i loove purple prose but it has to be done right) i also don’t know if she thinks the average reader is stupid from the over explanation of the most simple things the reader could deduct from the information we were given.

elizabeth and victor had zero chemistry either she also showed absolutely no growth and learned nothing when it came to magic yet we are meant to believe she’s this super interesting magical being? she has no personality and she throws out her revenge because of how good looking victor is.

this book just pissed me off i could go further but i’d end up writing a 900 page bunch of waffle but that’s already been done for me

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 40%. I’m not necessarily saying I’ll never finish, but this book is killing me. I’m nearly at page 400, which is not yet halfway, and it feels like absolutely nothing has happened, even though I know it has.

It’s first point of view, and only the fmc, and by the gods is she longwinded. It takes her paragraphs or even pages to get through a single thought, and by the end of it I dare say I’m not there to notice because I’ve fallen asleep. One needn’t describe every minuscule thing with the utmost detail, it doesn’t actually matter that much.

Eventually, I just started scanning.

The other annoyance for me is the way the mmc is described. Yes, I get that he’s older, but the way the narration describes him, it seems like he’s ancient. In a bad way. We can’t see really any of him but his eyes and a touch of grey speckled black hair. So there’s no gain there. He’s big and firm but he “chuckles” about once every three pages and he “grunts” just as often. Elizabeth is 26 and she seems about that, maybe older. He is who knows how old and he seems like a flatulent old grandpa grunting his way to the armchair by the fire, telling ghost stories to the grand kids and chuckling at their reactions. Then trying to teach them lessons like the old, geriatric professor he is. He’s grumpy, too. Really it does fit the bill of a grandpa. And the fmc keeps calling him “sir” to the point of madness. “I don’t know, sir.” “I can tell what you mean, sir.” “Can you explain it more, sir?” I’m at the point where imagining them together romantically makes me a touch ill. What are you doing Elizabeth!? He’s an old and dying man! Potbellied! Tired! Grunting! I cannot picture him any other way.

Instead she is obsessed. And describing every single thought she has about him… it’s just tiresome. He says some thing about why he became magical, trying to fight for the layman against an increasingly hostile society of authority abusing their power (along those lines anyway) and he says it in a mildly poetic way, and Elizabeth immediately starts crying because it’s “so beautiful” ugh. I can’t.

Anyway, I’m a cozy fantasy kinda gal, but this is just dull. Her “revenge” and the talisman and his curse/bargain, all of it just seems silly. Like the author is reaching to make the details work together but it’s not convincing.

The prose is pretty decent, I’ll give it that, and hence two stars rather than one. I think the author has potential. I would not have kept up for that long had I not originally loved the prose. Not flat, not simplistic, it tastes like intelligence, and that’s what I like. It just got to be too much.

Maybe I’ll finish. Probably not.

[adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I GET IT NOW. I get why there’s such mixed reviews, & why those who liked it rated it so highly. This had a sophisticated, Victorian prose within a gothic atmosphere that demands to be savored.

The story started with the fmc, Elizabeth, entering the world of magic & occult academia. She is an over-thinker, someone who gets frequently lost within her reverie. The story is her single pov & is comprised of a lot of her internal musings that are filled to the brim with detail, & you’ll either appreciate this deeply immersive approach, or find it taxing— I personally loved it, but I will admit there were a few instances where her tangential line of thinking took me a bit out of the moment.

Elizabeth is ambitious, driven with purpose & curiosity. While her late husband & surrounding society did nothing but try to constrain her, she refused to continue to bow to their expectations & sexist limitations, which is what led & endeared her to Victor, who was another lonely soul.

Victor is mysterious, with a powerful, ominous aura. While most cower from him, Elizabeth can’t help but to be drawn in by his presence. Their romance is the definition of a true slow burn. Thanks to the narrating style, the reader really gets to relish the small touches & lingering glances, to build up that tension so deliciously until the anticipation finally bursts.

Experiencing Elizabeth fall in love with Victor, become confident & grow into her power, while also learning about the magic & otherworldly creatures of this world is worth a full five stars (regardless of how many times her “little shoes” made an appearance).

I listened to the audiobook & highly recommend it.

[Ameenah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75★
Started out promising. But there was way too much inner monologue rambling describing every last detail. I get it was emulating the classic Victorian era books, but it was just over done.

[sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woooooow!❤️‍🔥🖤🤤🫨

There’s a new shadow daddy in town in Victor D’Arco!

I LOVED this book so much. I will be thinking about this book for a long time and will absolutely re-read in the future.

This is a slooowww burn. So so slow but the tension between Elizabeth and Victor is intense almost immediately. Idk the last time I read a book where the tension was this good. Maybe A Court of Mist and Fury. Even then, this exceeded it.
The language was an adjustment since it was written in the 19th century style for the Victorian time period, but I settled into it after a couple chapters.
The magical aspects were also so well-written. The way the magic is manifested and expressed felt real. When reading I felt it was how magic could actually work!

This is a long book but the payoff is so so sweet.

The vibes are dark and gloomy and warm and I never wanted this book to end.

The ending was somewhat anticlimactic and there were a few things I would have liked more explanation or resolution around but overall I had the absolutely best time reading this!

I recommend this book if you like dark academia, gothic romance, Jane Eyre, and slow burn ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

[Eva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I stop? On every page there is a small paragraph of yearning for Doctor D'Arco. I would read 3 pages one day, the next day I read another two pages that were just the same. After a week, another page with the same stuff. I high fived myself for a finished chapter.
I realized that either the book is written for someone who reads infrequently, or it is overblown and overwritten by someone who writes infrequently (and forgets the feelings they described two pages ago).

[MariaReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gothic romance at its FINEST!!!

I love reading lesser known or debut authors because so often you can find amazing gems just like this 👏🏻 I truly hope and believe that this book will blow up because it definitely deserves it!!!

Let me start by saying that this book delivers on its promise and beyond. There’s spooky gothic atmosphere, death and revenge, dark sorcerers and a mysterious brooding love interest. This story gives you the feels of Jane Eyre, Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe with a sprinkle of the Mummy, but with its own distinct voice thanks to the beautiful writing and gripping storyline.

And OMG the writing! It’s intense and lyrical making you feel as if you’re truly transported to the 19th century London but with a modern take that makes it easy to follow. You can see how much love and work the author has put into creating this story and her appreciation for the great gothic writers simply shines through! I truly felt like I was 16 again reading the Brontes gothic romances for the first time!

I’m not gonna focus on the plot cause it’s a ride you have to take on your own but trust me, you won’t be disappointed! There’s magic, secrets, death and toe curling romance ❤️‍🔥

I love a good slow burn and the tension between MCs was sooo good. You could feel it dripping of the pages and the passion and chemistry between them is undeniable. And when the spice hits, it hits well 🥵

It’s a long book, around 900 pages but I flew through within a couple of days so you love gothic romance, dark academia and magic, this book is for you!

The tropes include:

🔮 gothic atmosphere

🔮 dark academia

🔮 magic, demons and ghosts

🔮 revenge

🔮 slow burn

🔮 strong FMC

🔮 brooding shadow daddy MMC

Rating: 5/5⭐️

Spice: 2/5🌶️


I received and ARC of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily

[Lost in the Library23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This girl is THICC at about 900 pages (Kindle edition) so be aware of that!

Doctor D’Arco was such an interesting and unique read. This book offers immense detail plunging readers into a secret society within Victorian England. There is sensual tension between the FMC and MMC with major Jane and Rochester vibes 😏

The vibes…
🖤 Phantom of the Opera
🥀 Jane Eyre
🖤 Dark Academia
🥀 A little bit of The Mummy

The tropes…
🥀Masked MMC
🖤Secret society
🥀 Professor/apprentice
🖤 Age gap
🥀 Sorcery
🖤 Gothic


Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

[Baška]

dnf at 60%

I did not mind the overly descriptive langauge of the book (the inner monologues are LONG), but the *constant* yearning of the FMC over the MMC was at a certain point unbearable - literally every page was about the same thing, how she thinks about him and how big he is. But my biggest problem probably was the motive of the FMC as to why learn the magic. The revenge made zero sense to me, she did not love him, the author could have made her motive being her curiosity - bad husband banned her the books, so she could have sneak up in the library and learn and after he died embrace it or something. She stated multiple times she hated her life with him so the revenge for the old life just didnt make sense to me.

[Corey Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING! 👏🏻 Just read it now 👏🏻

If I could give Doctor D'Arco more than 5 stars, I would! I so enjoyed this book! I thank r/fantasyromance subreddit for bringing it to my attention: I likely would've passed over it without their suggestions due to the unimpressive cover (never judge a book by its cover!). If the appearance has put you off allow me to change your mind! I loved EVERYTHING about this dark academia gaslamp gothic paranormal/fantasy romance. Everything from the character development to the intricately detailed worldbuilding to the beautiful prose & haunting gothic setting is absolutely perfect.

Elizabeth is a great FMC. Readers are thrown into the deep end & learn about the magical world at her side. Fascinated by magic but forbidden by her late husband (because magic is not fit for a woman) Elizabeth dives into Victor's dark world with abandon. As Elizabeth learns the art of sorcery from Victor, she grows in confidence. One of my favorite parts was her triumphant creation of her signature phrase of power. Unique to each sorcerer, the moment it comes to her was such a triumphant, powerful scene! I loved her development, how her goals changed as she came into her own.

The romance was also perfect. Elizabeth feels a connection to Victor from the moment they meet, but is warned by nearly everyone that he is dangerous, even evil. As his student, she learns to respect him, though a part of her still fears his formidable art. His gentle encouragement & complete belief in her abilities gives her the strength she needs to believe in herself. Eventually she realizes she has fallen in love with him, but knows it can never be; he's her teacher, & she cannot imagine he feels the same— though eventually she begins to suspect he loves her too. I don't think I've ever read better romantic tension. So many parts had me giggling & kicking my feet at the tension so thick it was palpable through my Kindle. When they finally, FINALLY, come together, the spicy scenes are just as well executed.

Victor is a terrific MMC. Dark & brooding, with a terrible power that intimidates & frightens all who know him, he has been isolated by his art for a long time until he finds a kindred spirit in Elizabeth. We get glimpses into his character. Elizabeth suspects he is lonely, a man who stands apart from both people who cringe from his power & magical beings with whom he can never truly belong. Victor's past is so interesting & detailed; learning his origins was another favorite part. He is big & hulking, kind of gives Shadow Daddy vibes, & has a sweet kindness just for Elizabeth. He is a perfect male lead that will make even the most dedicated romance readers swoon.

The worldbuilding was stunning as well. The historical elements are spot on, right down to the language. No modern slang or other anachronisms took me out of the story. Instead, it is populated with gorgeous descriptions of the haunting, gothic setting, including the underground caves Victor calls home (Phantom of the Opera vibes). The level of detail to the magic rituals— summoning disprites, creating potions, working minor spells, using Sight to see imps, elves & spirits wandering London— is nothing short of stunning. Every aspect is rendered in vivid detail that played in my head like a movie. I'm so impressed with the intricacy of Kathryn Colvin's magical world.

The prose was lovely. I often got lost in the flowery writing, but it might not be for everyone. If you don't enjoy long, detailed descriptions, or lengthy internal monologues providing insight into every thought & whim of the MC, this book may not be for you. I can honestly say that for me it never dragged. The action scenes were exciting & fast paced, perfectly spaced between pages of exposition & Elizabeth's thought process so I wasn't overwhelmed by too much action, nor bored by too little. The plot was never rushed, & the ending was completely satisfying. This standalone does not end on a cliffhanger, though it leaves things open to the possibility of more.

Overall, Doctor D'Arco: Sorcerer of London is one of my favorite reads of 2024. I was surprised how quickly I went through the 900 pages. This book is a true slow burn, with delicious tension & plenty of pining; featuring a brooding, intimidating, but nontoxic male lead with unmatched dark power— Victor truly is a morally grey king— a strong & fierce female lead who can take care of herself & is unafraid of her emotions & sexuality; written in vividly descriptive flowing prose; set in a grim & gorgeous Gothic school of magic, brimming with atmospheric detail that renders Victorian era London a palpable presence. I don't know what else I can say to convince you: this book is d@mn near a masterpiece, & I can't recommend it enough. Fellow fantasy romance readers, Doctor D'Arco is the gothic paranormal romance you have been waiting for! Pick it up now, don't hesitate!

[Talya · Rating 4 out of 5]

happy to say that this book’s writing and editing was of a quality that I hardly ever see in recent romance releases! I definitely feel it could’ve been cut down by a couple hundred pages (for instance, a lot of the class scenes didn’t need to be there) because the pacing felt slow sometimes, but I enjoyed it a lot

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always on the hunt for a good gothic romance and this one exceeded expectations. The fact it is an indie author’s debut at that is amazing. I picked this up on KU and once I was about 2-3 chapters in I went back and bought it because I knew I would never want to return it.

It hits all the right notes. It’s a true gothic, not a wannabe. The atmosphere is there and persists through the last page. Fully conceptualized plot and magic system that doesn’t overtake the character development and romance. Written first person perspective which is perfect for a gothic, and written well enough we do not for a moment miss our hero’s point of view. It is paced well, expect the prose to be purple and somewhat overwrought, that is what we want in a gothic. Elizabeth is a perfect heroine, innocent (at first) yet inquisitive and brave, truly strong (not sassy), mature without a hint of self-righteousness. The hero is peak gothic hero. Both hero and villain, dark and mysterious, you know it’s probably a bad idea to love him but you really just can’t help it. This is the hero you will let slip your traditional morals for.

Not a hint of YA/NA tropes anywhere which is so much appreciated and can be very difficult to find in today’s indie/self-published market. Well edited. Easily on par with traditionally published works. This is an author with skill and knowledge of the genre they are writing and I am definitely grateful to have been recommended this book, and will certainly recommend it in turn. Easy 5 stars from me.

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This started stronger than it ended. I enjoyed the characters (though the fmc was a little bit too Mary sue / perfect / powerful), the setting, and the arc of the plot.

But the author indulged in a bit too much meandering, and it really hurt the pacing of the story at some parts. Cutting out 10-20% of the fluff and the unnecessarily descriptive prose (and I say that as a person that loves purple prose!) would have gone a long way to tightening up the story.

Also, I never want to read the phrase “little shoes” again.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over written, verbose, yet interesting.

This is written in the style of a 19th century serial novel. I enjoyed the central characters... But the book is in need of aggressive editing. I skimmed through entire chapters yet lost none of the storyline. In fact, I was searching through countless pages just to keep the storyline in sight. This author has a lot of true potential, but they are lost in a sea of unnecessary word salad.

[avasbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @ 728 pages. If there wasn’t so much descriptive writing i would have enjoyed this book. Victor had zero personality. I really enjoyed the premise of the book and the plot but the book is about 300 pages too long.

[tee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! At 900-something pages, I was excited to dig into this world, and it sucked me in enough that I finished it in 2.5 days. It takes a little bit to get settled into the way it is written (it is styled as a gothic romance and delivers on that style of writing), but once you pick it up, you're set.

The slow burn was absolutely my favorite part. Angst, pining, the works! It is a slow, fiery burn that pays off! Elizabeth is a little one-faceted at first, but she has character development. D'Arco was tall, dark, and handsome—a brooding man with some mystery. Say no more.

If I could nitpick about anything, some of the words used were redundant (surely, there is another word to be used for swooning or a different way to capture the feeling of a swoon). But I understand this is the author's first work of fiction. It's so well done! I wonder if there will be a sequel to continue their adventures.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I've been looking for

Thank you for writing this, it was absolutely brilliant and I look forward to what comes next! The FMC and MMC are over 25 and the world building and romance building was 10/10

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gothic, atmospheric love story was no easy read for me, since I am not a native English speaker. It took me quite a long time to finish, but it was absolutely worth reading! I my opinion a few parts of the story could have been shorter an more compact, but still four stars!I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, this took me a minute to get into, but oh my goodness! When I got there? Everything!!

This book gave me all the vibes I wanted from a Victorian set Gothic read.

And excuse me, Doctor D'Arco, you have no right making me feel that way 😅

I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading this book. The concepts and the story really came together, and I couldn't be happier to have read it.

I love our girl, her bravery and determination are everything.

Now excuse me while I go into a book coma wishing I was back in this world.

[Bookwyrm_in_KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Buckingham is a widow on the brink of destitution, in search of answers behind the mysterious death and disappearance of her husband. A late night trip to a fortune teller changes the entire course of her life and she soon finds herself learning magic from a secret society.

This was such an atmospheric read. I have only recently gotten into gaslamp fantasy, but this is the first one that I have read that accurately captures the dark and the dirt of a coal powered industrial revolution era city. I also loved the way the Victorian era fascination with the occult is tied to the magic system in the book.

If you love slow burn romance, shadow wielding sorcerers, dark academia with older protagonists, "touch her and 💀" and morally gray everyone read this book!

(I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)

[kiwi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is pretty good, the smut is absolutely amazing, but the book is way too long, in my opinion. There's way too much inner dialogue, too many long, detailed thoughts of the FMC... At 400 pages, I felt like I'm just as far in the story as I'd usually be at 60 - 80 pages in other books. I didn't mind at first, but at page 400 I started to feel like it's simply too much. It felt like a stand still, I wanted the story to finally progress.

I ended up skimming through roughly half of the book. There was an almost 100 pages flashback that I was not interested in reading at all, not to mention that by what I read of it, I actively disliked it because I don't like reading of the MMC's last relationships, even if it was a long time ago. I don't mind that he had one, I just don't want to read much about it. But since I didn't read all of that, I won't judge that part further.

The smut was absolutely amazing though. It's pretty frustrating that I wasn't as immersed as I could've been. I need a shortened, 300 - 400 pages version of the book!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I meant to write a more thorough review of this way, waaaay back when I first read it, but at the time was struggling with exactly how to put my reaction to Doctor D'Arco into words. I want to come back to it now because this was an interesting book that I feel deserves a bit more consideration than a drive-by rating. And fortunately, waiting this long to review has in this case given me the benefit of recognizing only the most persistent, lasting impression I had from reading.

The long and short of it is that this self-published Gothic fantasy romance comes from a new author who I think has an interesting voice and point of view, but I don't think this book quite achieved what it set out to. The first thing is that it is 900 pages long and absolutely does not need to be. I'm comfortable with long books and even with long romance books, but there's a lot of wheel-spinning in Elizabeth's narration where she tends to revisit the same internal arguments and contemplations repeatedly with the same points of emphasis. There's clearly a level of angst that is essential to Elizabeth's character and that is in keeping with the Gothic novel tradition, but the story should feel like it's moving forward. This book at many points feels like it's standing still while she's monologuing.

The other thing, not unrelated to the first, is that given the author's clear and professed love for Gothic storytelling, Romanticism, and particularly the Brontës, the writing here is an obvious homage to that style and influence. I appreciate that and love the direction, but it just felt at times like the writing was not natural but rather fell into heavy-handed pastiche. Unfortunately I can't really articulate more specifically where/how/why I was bouncing off that feeling of inauthenticity, but those moments of being caught up scrutinizing the technical aspects of the writing meant I was less engrossed in the story.

I'd like to see what Colvin comes up with when her writing matures a little more into this style, but for me this was an unfortunately unpolished debut.

[Deanna (femchonk) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gothic romance told from the perspective of the female protagonist, Elizabeth. The main themes in this involve revenge and acquiring knowledge and power. It is a slow-burn. Hot take: both the FMC and MMC are villains.

The prose in this novel was exquisite and very much like the romanticism of classic gothic novels. This novel is LONG, though, and while I didn't let that stop me, the MC's analysis and observations were a bit repetitive. I also appreciated how the author didn't give us all the answers, especially in the first half when there was still a lot of mystery around the professor, Doctor D'Arco.

This novel also had an interesting way of explaining and exploring magic. I appreciated that Colvin went into detail about the feeling and sensation of magic instead of just stating the spells. As mentioned previously, I found it interesting that the characters' motivations were selfish. The FMC was also somewhat wishy-washy about standing by her revenge. She goes back and forth often.

I might change my thoughts about this later, but given the length of the story and the amount of detail involved, a few things were surprisingly casually brushed off. An example is the FMC's history of being an orphan; this could have been explored a lot more and would have given Elizabeth a bit more depth in her perceived need for revenge or justice. Another example of this was how there was a whole erotic montage between Victor and Lilith and how Victor fathered thousands of demon children, but this didn't end up being significant to the plot at all. It just gave a snippet of some backstory.