[bookreview] R L Davennor - The Hells of Notre Dame (The Phantom Of Notre Dame #1)

 

When I first signed up for this ARC I had not really an idea what this was about except that I needed to read it because first "Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "Phantom of the Opera" combined in one! Sign me tf up! 

To my shame, I'm not fully finished with the book yet (life got in the way like usual so I apologize and try to finish it asap and finish this review as well) but so far I'm truly enjoying it! 

Here's the official synopsis first:

One night was all it took.

I should have stayed away. I should have thrown away her scarf, banished Esmeralda from my mind, body, and soul, and never thought or spoke of her again. That would have been the best thing, the right thing. 

But our Lord works in mysterious ways, and before I know it, the walls of Notre Dame become her prison as much as they are my sanctuary. 

And with temptation front and center, neither of us have the strength to resist. Our days become longing glances and coded whispers, our nights stolen kisses and caresses on borrowed time, because we both know the inescapable truth. Our love can only end as it began—in fire.

But as each day passes, and the more I fall under her spell, eternal damnation seems a small price to pay. 

If Esmeralda is hell, I’ll go willingly.

Now do tell me that this does not sound amazing?! 

The story starts with Claude Frollo regularly wandering off with their son Quasimodo to look at the Embermage in a street show organised by other mages. And to her own surprise, Claude is fascinated by her and falls head over heels. But then Claude is not one to fall in love, ever. 

Yet Esmeralda has her own goal when she sees Claude in the crowds at first but what she doesn't expect is that one night changed everything for them.

Claude is back to their duties in Notre Dame while Esmeralada is waiting for a word of her and getting more and more impatient. Accidentally - due to one moment of loss of control on her magic - she burns the chief of the guards Phobeus who then starts a city wide witch hunt on the mages. From this point, things go downhill and Esmeralda has to hide. She does so in Claude's chambers with the help of a friend and reunited, the two have their own moments and problems to face, mostly figuring out how they feel about each other. 

Then her father puts her on a quest - when things with the mages in the city get out of hand - and Esmeralda has to find a ghost that lives in the Opera Garnier. A Phantom her father is sure can help them in their fight against the guards. 

That's how far I am at the moment - the opera scene is done and shit starts to go down, but - with life and all - I didn't manage to read more so far, but believe me when I say, I will pick this up and continue this review. 

So far I really am enjoying the whole thing. Claude is just a sweetheart and Erik is just perfect! :) 
I also love that the whole story is so thoughtful on genders and identity and I think that should be highly appreciated. R.L. Davennor does a wonderful job with this, altho sometimes I am a bit confused with all the pronouns for one character bc I have never read a book like this before, but you get used to it in a few pages. Also there's a lot of steamy stuff in this, combined with sweet moments.