Dark Passage by MJ Putney

Dark Passage
MJ Putney
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: September 13, 2011
Pages: 320

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Irregulars return home to 1803 England safely, but their worldview has changed. Not only have their heroic efforts at Dunkirk given them pride and confidence but their dangerous mission has increased their magical powers.

Tory delights in the ever deepening bond she shares with Allarde until she discovers how powerfully he is connected to his ancient family estate—the lands he will not inherit unless he denies his magical powers and chooses a nonmagical mate. If Tory really loves him, she must walk away—but does she have the strength to leave the love of her life?
Cynthia’s heroic efforts at Dunkirk have won her the respect of the Irregulars, but her sharp tongue keeps everyone at a distance. Isolated and very alone at Lackland Abbey over the Christmas holidays, she reluctantly agrees to join Jack Rainford and his family for their celebration even though they’re commoners, far below her own noble rank. The warm welcome of the Rainfords makes her feel happier and more accepted than she has ever been. But she can’t possibly be falling in love with flirtatious Jack! Can she?
Then the Irregulars are drawn into a dangerous attempt to rescue a vitally important French scientist from Nazi-occupied France. Tory and Allarde must work together because countless lives are at stake. Disaster strikes and not only is their mission threatened, but their very lives. Can magic and their loyalty to each other help them survive to return home?

I was very eager to continue with the story of The Irregulars after finishing Dark Mirror, and Dark Passage did not disappoint at all. In fact, I loved it even more than Dark Passage. Everything was set in place, and the story just took off from there.

Dark Passage wonders away from solely letting Tory be the main character, and readers really get to know Cynthia as well. I loved this split. It was so much fun to get more inside Cynthia's head, as she wasn't the most likable character in Dark Mirror, but I did get a sense that there was a lot more to her than it appeared on the outside.

Dark Passage was a ton of fun to read. I love the adventures the Irregulars have. MJ Putney really plays with your emotions in this one - I was so happy at some parts and so scared for some of the characters at other points. Again, I did have to suspend my belief of reality a bit in this one, but this one flowed a lot better than Dark Mirror and I found it much more believable. The Tory and Allarde scenes are just adorable, and I hope there are in even more in the next book! I am curious to see where Cynthia and Jack's relationship will go as well.

The characters in Dark Passage are just wonderful. All the characters from Dark Mirror are back, along with some new characters you meet along the way. I thought all the characters really developed over the course of this story from where they were. It really helped move the story along.

I really enjoyed Dark Passage. This series is a ton of fun to read. It is rare for me to like book 2 more than book one, but Dark Passage simply blew me away. I really would  recommend this series as it's filled with fun adventures and great characters.

Side note, but isn't the cover just GORGEOUS? I love it so much!