The Amazon description of Step Into Darkness called the book “a Gothic romance” and its hero “an infamous thief.” That was all I needed to know to ask to review it. It didn’t take me long to discover this isn’t really a gothic romance, nor is the hero truly a thief. Normally, such dashed expectations would be cause for disappointment, but Naomi Bellis’s debut romance was strong enough to remain a satisfying read.

When her father disappears in Paris during the French Revolution, Sarah Leaford seeks out London’s most notorious thief Gentleman Jack for help in finding him. Only someone with Jack’s skills could get into France, locate her father, and bring him back safely. She doesn’t know that Jack is actually John Tremaine, accused years earlier of murdering her grandfather. What’s more is that her father let Tremaine take the fall for the crime. But “Gentleman Jack” is merely a cover for his true activities: like so many heroes in historical romances today, Jack’s a spy. He was saved from execution to become an undercover agent and prevent the forces of revolution sweeping France from crossing over into England.

At first Jack rejects her request, having no interest in helping the man who did him such a grievous wrong. But retrieving Lord Carleigh might allow him to finally prove his innocence and reclaim his name, or possibly afford him an opportunity for revenge. The situation is further complicated when Jack learns that Sarah is being courted by Stephen Layton, another key figure in the circumstances surrounding her grandfather’s murder. Eventually, Jack makes his way into France with Sarah in tow, and as they confront perilous situations in their search for her father, they discover a mutual passion.

For the first half of the book, my grade hovered between a B and a B-. I liked Jack a great deal and the premise was strong, with plenty of inherent drama to draw the reader into the story. The plot is intriguing and fast-paced, the action moving at a steady rate that kept me turning the pages. I ultimately read the whole thing in one sitting. It’s easily one of the most engaging romances I’ve read in this (admittedly weak) reading year.

At the same time, the story felt underdeveloped. This was particularly true when it came to Sarah, a somewhat bland heroine whose character felt sketchy and lacked focus for too long. It could just be that she’s less interesting (and at times less intelligent) than most of the rest of the cast, but it took me a long time to respond to her. The love story seemed rushed and some romantic moments felt forced as well. I also wished Jack’s French colleague Gabriel had been developed more. He’s one of the book’s most compelling characters, yet we’re only given a few brief glimmers of insight into him.

There’s also a very light paranormal element, enough to give the story a touch of magic without coming close to making it a full-fledged paranormal romance, that could have been expanded upon. Sarah receives some guidance from her mother’s ghost (which is how she finds Jack in the first place), Jack begins to have his own dreams of his dead father when she gives him a ring, and some references are made to both Sarah and Layton coming from magical families. In the overall scheme of things this was all so slight and vaguely defined that it felt somewhat tacked on. The magical aspect would have worked better had it been developed more or omitted entirely.

Still, this is a book that improves as it goes along. While I liked the beginning well enough, I grew more interested once the action moved to France. And in its final hundred pages, the story jumps up to another level entirely; the romance blossoms as the feelings between the hero and heroine become thoroughly convincing. The author raises the stakes for the characters, delivering some heartstopping moments and scenes that crackle with tension. The kind of emotion and urgency that seems too rare in romance these days emerged. A book that had been simply enjoyable suddenly became engrossing because there’s so much more on the line. After remaining ambivalent about Sarah for most of the book, she finally and firmly won me over in some key scenes where she demonstrates fierceness and backbone. If the climax and resolution were a little too perfect, I was too invested in the outcome and glad to see their happy ending by then to quibble.

My final grade for Step Into Darkness is a flat B. It’s not perfect and could have been better developed in several areas, but on the whole this is a solid book and a promising first effort for this new author. I look forward to seeing what she delivers next.