Dark Angels: A Novel

This prequel to Through a Glass Darkly does not disappoint. If you like Charles II and the period of The Restoration, you'll love this book. The character of Alice Verney is intelligent, charming, controlling, manipulative and sympathetic. She is fiercely loyal to those she loves and unforgiving to many. Through her story the reader learns a great deal about the personal and political history of King Charles - the tragedy, the whimsy and the fascinating people that orbit his sphere. Great book. Highly recommended.

Unlike a lot of other reviewers below, I had never read any of Koen's previous books, so I was able to judge DARK ANGELS on its own merits and not how it stacked up to my expectations. And I loved it. It started a bit slow while I sorted out the enormous cast and the author built up the historical backdrop, but the characters are so strongly drawn and the details of court life are so fascinating that I found myself staying up all night to keep reading. I think I'd call it a mystery first and foremost, not specifically a love story--I'm not sure which loose ends should have been tied up because the author answered all questions about who did what to whom. The missing boy was DEAD (this won't be a spoiler), and I didn't need Koen to spell it out to make it more obvious. Give DARK ANGELS a chance on its own merits and you won't be sorry. Alice springs to life almost instantly and even though she's not universally admirable, she's always fascinating. The book is complex, brilliantly plotted, engrossing, engaging, and even--dare I say it?--educational with all the intimate, intricate details of life in Charles II's court. I was afraid that she wouldn't wrap up the love story to my personal expectations but, relief, she did. (BTW, did the rest of you notice that Ned, a minor character here, is the subject of the movie STAGE BEAUTY?)

If you enjoyed "Through a Glass Darkly" I think you will like "Dark Angels." This prequel tells the story of Barbara's grandmother Alice and her grandfather Richard. Koen gives us a story rich with detail and does a wonderful job of bringing the period to life. The Restoration period in it's grandeur and degradation is fully presented. She doesn't spare her characters the warts and all approach either. Alice particularly, is a three-dimensional character capable of kindness, generosity, and terrible, hurtful pride. A real person, not a cardboard character. I enjoyed the book enormously, but please, Ms. Koen, we need another volume taking us from Alice's time to Barbara's! And don't skimp on Diana's story, either. Thank you!

It is true that Dark Angels is different from Koen's first and very successful novel, Through A Glass Darkly (as well as different from the sequel Now Face to Face), however, this is truly Koen's finest work to date. Barbara of TAGD and NFTF was the conventional romance heroine: beautiful, plucky, encounters misfortune but ultimately prevails. Alice, the grandmother of TAGD, is a more complex, more realistic, more human character. I found myself rooting more for Alice than I ever did for Barbara, who had too much going for her too young. People who have never read Karleen Koen, and who would scoff at the typical romance novel, should read this book. It is full of carefully-researched details about the late 17th century (an extremely interesting time that truly lays the groundwork for the modern era in which we live). Koen brings this century to life. I felt transported to that time, which I have found very rarely in books and movies that attempt to portray times other than our own. Whether you're a TAGD fan, looking for a good story, or a European history buff, I recommend this book. It has enough of the "old" to remain interesting to Koen fans, with plenty of the "new" style to attract first-time Koen readers. Don't miss it.

Being a huge fan of Koen's first novel (originally drawn to her last name...LOL), Through a Glass Darkly, I was extremely excited when I heard that she was publishing a prequel, focusing on my favorite character in the first book...Alice Verney (The Duchess). Set against the backdrop of the court of Charles II, this novel has it all...romance, suspence, mystery and power. Really worth the wait all these years. Once again, Koen weaves a blend of fictional and non-fictional characters into a masterpiece that had me up most of the night reading! Highly recommended to all...