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Sweet Revenge - Zoe Archer 3.5 stars

This review is for a free copy courtesy of St. Martin's Press via Net Galley.

Sweet Revenge is not your typical historical romance, it is much more.

It is set in London in Victorian times, but as the story unfolds, it does not take us from one ballroom to another and from one town house to another, the setting, the surroundings and the characters are all unique and interesting.

We are first introduced to Jack Dalton, a prisoner in the process of escaping from jail, described as a huge strong man, in his former life Jack was a boxer and later a bodyguard to a corrupt Noble man in times when the Nobility could get away with almost everything. When 5 years earlier Jack tries to take justice in his own hand he is thrust in prison where thoughts of vengeance is all he has for company.
I admit at first I thought of Jack sort of Jean Valjean, very strong prisoner on the run, then I thought AHA, Hugh Jackman, but Jack Dalton's character is so well written that he was Jack and no one else.

Soon after Jack leaves prison, he finds himself in the grasp of a secret group who call themselves "Nemesis Unlimited", their goal is to help those in need against the gentry, a mixed group of men and women.

They need Jack because their new assignment is about the man he tried to kill and as he used to be his bodyguard he must know enough information to help them in their mission.

Jack is paired with Eva on the mission, and sparks fly between them instantly. Eva is not your typical Herione, she is one tough girl, she goes undercover, points her gun around and uses her fist. She barges into a brothel and breaks into a house, all the while trying to control Jack and what she feels towards him .

The book has lots if action, with Jack and Eva going around London, from the slums to ballrooms, chasing and spying, shooting and getting shot at. At one point I was wondering why the other Nemesis members didn't participate much, I know it was building up on Eva and Jack relationship, but really there was some action that didn't have to be Eva! And it might have been interesting to see more action from the other members ( which I'm sure we will in the next books in the series)

I really enjoyed how this book stayed away from all the victorian glamour and I LOVED the ending.

The 3.5 stars is because I was a bit uncomfortable with the language and some of the descriptions. It was out of my comfort zone and bothered me a bit. It was my first book by Zoe Archer, I know now what to expect.

I'm looking forward to the next book, Simon's story.