Review: It Started in Budapest

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Molly Cooper is haunted by one simple fact: it is her fault her twin brother, Matthew, has spent his life trapped in a frail body while she has thrived. Deep in her heart, she knows he can’t hold on much longer . . .

In her desperation to save her brother, Molly finds inspiration in an unlikely source: the newly published novel Dracula. When her family embarks on the Orient Express to seek treatment for Matthew in Bulgaria, Molly is prepared to set her plan in motion: she will sneak away from her parents and journey alone to Transylvania, where she will seek a vampire, whose blood can make her brother immortal. Molly’s rash plan is going flawlessly—until she encounters Percy Hunt, a handsome American traveler running from the shadows of his own past. When he discovers Molly’s plan, Percy’s concern for the naive young woman leaves him no choice but to accompany her on her strange quest. But neither Percy nor Molly is prepared for the feelings that quickly grow between them or for the death-defying escapade that awaits.

Genre: historical romance

Publication date: August 2020

Mature content: no

Review: I'm very much on the fence about this book. I love that the story takes place in the early twentieth century and portrays both the Paris 1900 World Fair and a trip on the famous Orient Express. From that perspective, what more could you want?

Molly, the main character, however, is the silliest girl you'll ever meet. I had to remind myself it was over one hundred years ago and some people were a lot less informed and more gullible then, but even with those reminders - yes, she's still way too silly. 

Molly's twin brother seems to be ill from birth (although the nature of his desease is never fully explained) and she believes that the blood of a vampire will cure him (and yes, how she would make that happen is also not explained). So when the Orient Express where Molly travels with her family stops at Budapest, she abandons the train and embarks in a journey to find a vampire, armed with Bram Stoker's Dracula as her guide. Luckily, she's followed by Percy Hunt, a man she's met on the train, and although he's the only one with a minimum of sense between them and manages to keep Molly alive through all her misadventures, there were a few places where I also doubted his mental sanity.

Even though Molly's told (and apparently knows) Bram Stoker's book is a work of fiction, she still believes she will find a vampire at the end of her journey - and will of course manage to convince said mythical beast to donate some blood to her brother's cause. Between that and all the other strange, unexplained things that happen in the book - such as the other passenger from the Orient Express who always seems to show up unexpectedly, smells of lemonade and has a smokeless pipe - the book loses part of its shine, in my opinion. 

So while I can't say the plot isn't interesting or original, there were too many details that just didn't work. In any case, It Started in Budapest is book one in the Romance in the Orient Express series, and I confess I'm curious about the other books, so I'm going to pick up the next one and see if it's better than this one.

Happy readings!

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