Yes, Angelika quite literally "makes" her match—out of corpses---and its a rom-com!
This is not your typical romance. It's a delightful mash-up of genres, a Regency-era historical rom-com with gothic horror elements and some mystery. It is also very camp, a bit bonkers, sometimes macabre, and darkly humorous.
Angelika is the lovesick assistant to her older brother Victor Frankenstein. They are regulars at the morgue, trying to perfect their technique for reanimating the dead. Wealthy but spoiled and a bit odd, Angelika has been unlucky in love. She has no current suitors and fears being a spinster, so she has been trying to make herself a husband. She experiences insta-love the moment she lays eyes on a very handsome corpse. This time, her reanimation attempts are successful, and "Will" comes back to life. Unfortunately, he has amnesia, and rather than embark on a romance. He only wants to find out who he is. Stymied but not one to give in, Angelika tries to help him uncover his past, hoping it will bring them closer together.
This isn't a straight retelling of Frankenstein, and in the author's note, Thorne herself describes this as Frankenstein fan fic. So it's very different from her previous books, and you need to let go a little and suspend disbelief to inhabit the Frankenstein's world. But once you do, you'll find offbeat characters, witty banter, romance, a unique plot with an irreverent tone, and some laughs. My favorite character, Victor, was a fun eccentric, and I enjoyed his scenes. He and Angelica are both outspoken and hysterically honest.
If you're looking for a spooky season read that is a bit creepy but not horror (because you're a chicken like me) you might want to pick this one up!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the gifted ARC; all opinions are mine.
My steep was La Pomme by Fauchon Tea Paris, an apple-flavored black tea in honor of Victor and his love of apples.
Synopsis:
From USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game Sally Thorne comes something a little unexpected… a historical rom-com that imagines Victor Frankenstein’s sheltered younger sister, and her attempts to create the perfect man.
For generations, every Frankenstein has found their true love and equal, unlocking lifetimes of blissful wedded adventure. Clever, pretty (and odd) Angelika Frankenstein has run out of suitors and fears she may become the exception to this family rule. When assisting in her brother Victor’s ground-breaking experiment to bring a reassembled man back to life, she realizes that having an agreeable gentleman convalescing in the guest suite might be a chance to let a man get to know the real her. For the first time, Angelika embarks upon a project that is all her own.
When her handsome scientific miracle sits up on the lab table, her hopes for an instant romantic connection are thrown into disarray. Her resurrected beau (named Will for the moment) has total amnesia and is solely focused on uncovering his true identity. Trying to ignore their heart-pounding chemistry, Angelika reluctantly joins the investigation into his past, hoping it will bring them closer. But when a second suitor emerges to aid their quest, Angelika wonders if she was too hasty inventing a solution. Perhaps fate is not something that can be influenced in a laboratory? Or is Will (or whatever his name is!) her dream man, tailored for her in every way? And can he survive what was done to him in the name of science, and love?
Filled with carriages, candlesticks, and corpses, Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match is the spooky-season reimagining of the well-known classic that reminds us to never judge a man by his cadaver!
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