Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: The Shooting Season
AUTHOR: Isobel Starling
PUBLISHER: Decent Fellows Press (Self-published)
LENGTH: 175 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2019
BLURB:
Monday 20th December 1897.
Mr. Benedict Hannan, the owner of Hannan’s Auction House in Fitzrovia, receives a letter inviting him to attend the sale of a private collection of Fine Art and antiquities belonging to the Late Lord Percival Ardmillan. Ardmillan is known to Benedict, or rather his son Euan is, and so, Benedict hurriedly travels to the West Highlands to fulfill his dream of owning a particular item from the Lord’s collection—something that he has coveted for thirty years.
In Scotland, Benedict meets the collectors who were invited to bid in the auction. He discovers that the auction of the private collection is not as straightforward as he had imagined.
Forced to come to terms with his past and present desires, Benedict finds himself in the thrall of a mysterious traveler and in turn, gets more than he bargained for this Christmas!
REVIEW:
I haven’t read a truly unique historical romance in a while. This book continuously delighted and surprised me while still making me sink into a gorgeous Scotland winter setting. There’s some steam, some mystery, and plenty of chilly holiday atmosphere packed into one excellent book.
Benedict Hannan is a gruff, private, and devoutly religious owner of his own successful auction house who has just gotten word that Lord Percival Ardmillan, a famous antiquities collector, has passed away. He’s eager to bid on the late Lord’s treasures, but he dreads meeting up again with the Lord’s son Euan, who he had a tawdry affair with years ago. Benedict has buried his shame over his sexuality in layers of piety, hoping to lead a quiet and solitary life, but once he sees Euan again, all of those feelings come back. But that’s just the beginning of his wild Christmas weekend in Scotland that includes a fire, a midnight fling, and an ancient phallic staff said to cure whatever ails the one who wields it.
In most historical romances, I can see pretty clearly where the plot is headed. Especially in the 1890’s in the UK, issues of class, politics, religion, and propriety were all prominent, which is what I love about the genre and setting. But this book takes a different route, presenting characters and themes not often examined. We are led to believe that Benedict is going to get back together with his boyhood crush when they meet again at Euan’s West Highland castle. But the story takes a turn halfway through, throwing us a mysterious artifact, mysterious motives, and most importantly, a mysterious thief who is not as he appears. Gone is the sweet reunion between childhood companions—instead, we get a story about an older man finally finding himself in places least expected.
I hesitate to write more because I don’t want to spoil the story, but I can offer some more reasons to pick this one up. Benedict is an excellent and well-rounded character. At fifty years old, he’s denied himself pleasure his entire life, and his religious devotion and self-conflict come through in such a sad and bleak way that you just want to give him a hug (and don’t worry, he gets a happy ending). He’s almost rude at the beginning, keeping his distance from others, but we soon learn how he’s shunned intimacy for so long its like he’s kept in a glass jar. When the mysterious character comes to help peel back those layers, it feels so warm and authentic, happening at just the right time in just the right way.
Though a series hasn’t been announced, the ending has a “to be continued,” and I’m certainly ready to read more about these peculiar characters. It feels like just the beginning of their adventures. This is a definite holiday hit for me!
RATING: 
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