The Silver Currant

A Gaslamp Trinkets Novel (The Luella Winthrop Trilogy, Book 2)

By: Kenneth A. Baldwin

Narrated by: Naomi Rose-Mock

Magical illnesses require magical cures, and time is running out.

It's been months since I left my hometown. I'd never traveled outside its wall before. It seems like only yesterday that my biggest concern was writing my next hit article. Now, I'm running from the police and desperately searching for the only man who may know how to cure me of a magical ailment.

I'm not alone, but I can feel the patience and energy of the man by my side diminish day by day. It's hard to persuade him that I'm spending all my time looking for another man so I can be whole for him. I fear that the green monster of jealousy grows in him as surely as my own demons do in me. What's worse; as I discover more about my disease and its source, trust in even my closest friends is starting to wane. There's a calm in understanding your misfortunes and terrible anxiety in learning you know so much less than you thought.

I just want to be free of all this and marry the man who has offered his heart to me. But, I'm afraid I cannot go where the remedy calls from. Some doors must remain closed, despite how well they're hidden. Whatever my path, I'd better move quickly because I'm starting to lose track of what's real and what's fantasy.

A suspenseful historical fantasy full of witty banter and difficult dilemmas! Don't miss the sequel to The Crimson Inkwell. Get your audiobook today, and follow Luella on her fantastical journey through memory, mystery, and love.

©2020 Kenneth A. Baldwin (P)2021 Kenneth A. Baldwin

This second-in-the series hits a high note!

I came into The Silver Currant with a touch of dread. At the end of The Crimson Inkwell, I could see that Luella was in something of a fix, and that things were probably going to get worse before they got better (presumably in Book Three). Well, forget Second Book Syndrome: It turns out The Silver Currant is far more charming and riveting than its predecessor!

It’s not that Book One wasn’t good. It had me intrigued and wanting to hear what happened, but… well, you can read my thoughts in that review. But Book Two is whimsical and magical, full of surprises and plot twists.

Ignoring her own comment from book one that “the true weight of secrets is borne by our loved ones,” Luella continues a pattern of hiding things from people in whom she should, by all rights, be confiding. I find this an irritating personal flaw, because it seems clear that this is going to bite her—is perhaps already biting her—in her flannel petticoats. On the other hand, she ends up having reason to question whether the very closest of her companions might have caused her harm, intended or accidental. She continues to make odd, emotional choices about whom to trust and whom to keep at arms’ length (and sometimes those are the same people)…. But then, is any of us truly logical in the face of our own crises? As Luella comments in Ch. 5, “Desperation causes many people to do many things they would never normally consider.”

Naomi Rose-Mock continues to do a great job with the narration—and she can sing, too. There is a song woven through the book, a key component to the plot. It first appears in Ch. 18, where it is described as “something like a lullaby, haunting and moody,” but the first rendition left me dissatisfied. However, it comes back in Ch. 23, and again several more times throughout the book. Each time the melody varies slightly, and I found it grew into itself. The fact that initially Rose-Mock is singing an octave lower to emulate a man’s voice might have something to do with my disappointment; subsequent versions are all in a female voice. But in going back to Ch. 18 to analyze my reaction to the first presentation, I noticed there was a whole step in the melody, where later iterations use a half step, lending a more hauntingly minor-key feel. Yet the mere fact that the song is changeable, with a personality of its own, adds further charm to the reading of the story and is in keeping with the nature and purpose of the song.

There are only a couple of minor editing issues. In one place a phrase is immediately repeated, suggesting a retake that was not seamlessly integrated. And early in Chapter 27 there is a mixup where Rebecca is referred to as Luella and Mrs. Crowe is referred to as Mrs. Barker. (I wonder if this is a flaw in the original source rather than a mistake on the part of Rose-Mock.) Other than that the book flows beautifully, and Baldwin continues to showcase occasional word gems through Luella’s musing narrative.: “A widower’s love,” she observes, “lives suspended in mid-air, like clothes on a line.”

As with Book One, the last couple of sentences are riveting, though this time in a more ominous way. I absolutely want to dive right into The Onyx Door—a title that has been beckoning seductively ever since a foreshadowing event early in this book. The entire story was well played, so on to the resolution!

/ I had the privilege of receiving a complimentary copy of the audiobook, and this review reflects my honest opinion. Look for my reviews of the remaining two books to complete my reflections on the series as a whole. /

a search for truth in a shifting reality

When Luella took off in search for a cure to her magical malady, not even her wildest imaginings could have predicted where the journey would take her. Nor would she ever guess just how close to home - and her heart - the search would end up.

I enjoyed how this book cleverly flipped upside down so many things Luella thought she knew - the more she learns about magic and Bram and his friends and past - the less she knows about her own life and friends and family. Suddenly she has a new perspective on events from book 1 that make her re-evaluate everything. Surprising allies and bitter betrayals. Who can she really trust? This book had both more danger and adventure than book 1 and more melancholy and introspection. Luella remains passionate, clever, stubborn, but overall still desperately clinging to her need for conventional respectability and responsibility towards her loved ones despite the extremely unconventional situation she finds herself in.

Book 2 in the Luella Winthrop trilogy, this book picks up with the unsolved problems from book 1 and ends with a cliffhanger for book 3. Read the series in order! Naomi Rose-Mock does a fabulous job narrating and capturing exactly they type of attitude I would expect Luella to have.

Wildly creative and thoroughly entertaining

Kenneth A. Baldwin is a master storyteller. This second book of Luella Winthrop's escapades is just as full of unpredictable twists and turns as the first. As soon as Luella seems to be untangling one disaster she has landed in, she finds herself completely unraveling in another. All the supporting chatacters in the story are as full of life as she is. Naomi Rose-Mock is the perfect narrator for this saga. She seemlessly flows into each character without hesitation and enhances the story. I wonder if the final installment will answer all the riddles or leave us guessing once again!

Magic Books!!!

This was a great sequel to The Crimson Inkwell! I love the voice acting from Naomi Rose-Mock, especially the song parts. It's easy to tell who is speaking during the narration and their moods. :)

The story itself had me on edge to find out what was coming next. It seems like theres a cure and then... something new happens! It delves even further into the magic and even some lore behind it, which I appreciate. There's plenty of romance and a lot of it is so warm and sweet. Also, I really enjoyed the use of a magic book in addition to the inkwell and pen from the first book.

I'm excited to know how this trilogy ends!