Review // The Master of Whitehall - Rick H. Veal

Published - 2012
Published By - Indie Publishing
Format - Kindle
Goodreads Synopsis - After the brutal murder of her parents in a robbery, Katelyn Corbin, a thoroughly modern 21 year old college senior, finds herself attempting to re-start her life in Charleston, SC, where she finds love, healing and a brand new life in a most unexpected avenue.

Rick H. Veal's debut novel The Master of Whitehall follows the story of a young troubled girl, Katelyn, who after experiencing a traumatic event, moves away to a new school where she meets the elusive owner of Whitehall and begins a new adventure.

I was immediately impressed that a male author was writing through the eyes of a female character. Although it is not a rare thing, i'm always interested in how well it works out. In the case of Veal, he does it very well at the beginning but unfortunately he doesn't quite keep up the pace as the story progresses. I was also gripped by the suspense from the beginning of the novel and felt protective of Katelyn on the first page which was unusual for me. 

James Dubois, who is as the title suggests, the Master of Whitehall 'speaks' beautifully and more than once I was drawn in by his use of language in comparison to the every day vernacular of the other characters. There were even times when I was reminded of Mr Darcy...! Particularly when Katelyn experiences Whitehall for the first time, just as Elizabeth did with Pemberley. 

What made The Master of Whitehall stand out for me, was the attention to detail during the 'changing' between human and Vampire. I really enjoyed the in-depth explanation of what both parties were feeling during the entire process, and the care afterwards. I didn't enjoy it so much the second time as I knew what was going to happen but overall it was well written.

I also enjoyed the use of history in the novel. It was interesting to read and added an extra layer of development for the characters which helped the connection between the novel and myself. Just as a quick side note: the character Lexi lifted the novel for me. She was endearing and reminded me a lot of my own best friend. I would be interested in reading more about her and her life...

The Master of Whitehall was a good read and a different type of vampire novel which was great as there are so many out there! I would like to warn readers of some 'explicit' love scenes though! Recommended for fans of love stories and vampires :)