Book Review: The Vixen by Christi Caldwell

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read our full affiliate disclosure here

Want to know if The Vixen by Christi Caldwell is worth the read? Here’s my full review to help you out!

The Vixen Review

I should have researched this series first before I read it because The Vixen by Christi Caldwell is the third book in the series.

Thus, I am quite glad that most historical romance they’re mostly written as a standalone where the other characters who do pop back in are just in minor roles.

The Vixen by Christi Caldwell is not what I expected it to be, to be quite honest.

I had expected a typical light-hearted and steamy type of historical romance and instead what I got was a historical romance that dealt a lot with heavy things.

Heavy things such as sexual assault, murder, parental abuse and neglect, AND MORE.

So, trigger warning for people who want to read The Vixen as it is not a light-hearted read.

The Vixen by Christi Caldwell was not a book I liked instantly. Even though I wanted to.

I disliked our female protagonist, Ophelia Killoran, and mind you, I love all of Christi Caldwell’s female protagonists.

But Ophelia was a tough character to like from the get-go.

She was so annoying to read because she absolutely refused to give a chance or to give people a benefit of the doubt.

Ophelia sees people from the ton or the gentry as selfish and conniving and it ANNOYS ME SO MUCH.

Not because I am a big fan of the ton or the gentry but because I wish that Ophelia can see that by using their money and social power and standing she can use it to her advantage.

Use it to her advantage in the terms of helping the working class, as well as the poor who live in St. Giles, have better opportunities.

I understand why she would be so stubborn and prejudiced against them having herself live in poverty in St. Giles and seeing humanity at its worst.

Understanding as I can be, it doesn’t make the reading experience any less painful.

But, thank God, due to her experience with our male protagonist, Connor Steele, Ophelia becomes more open to the possibilities and the short-sightedness of her vigilante ways.

I am all for her vigilante ways but realistically you can’t save a whole city by being a vigilante.

Batman doesn’t count, he is a BILLIONAIRE vigilante.

That said, I really love the character growth that not only Ophelia has but also Connor.

They both started from the extreme end of the spectrum; one is completely against the gentry and the ton and the other completely for them.

But due to their shared experience, they see that one can’t be one or the other, not everything is black and white.

Sometimes the best option is a bit of both.

Christi Caldwell’s writing for The Vixen was superb!

MY GOD! I FELT THE ANGST! THE EMOTIONS!

As much as I found Ophelia annoying, the writing made me feel for her and wanted her to find her happiness.

I was so stressed out listening to the audiobook for the latter half of this book because that’s when all hell broke loose.

Just when you thought the protagonists found their happy ever after some drama starts brewing and like the Malay saying…

Sudah jatuh Di timpa tangga

Which roughly translates to you already fallen and a ladder falls on top of you. Apologies in advance for the terrible translation, my Malay isn’t the best.

The only downside I found in this book was the plot point before the ending.

It was just so bizarre and so ham-fisted that it took away the emotional impact it was supposed to have.

No spoilers but all I am going to say is, that the plot could have been done without that weird plot point.

If you tweaked it just slightly the plot would have stayed the same and be EVEN BETTER so why put it in?

It just feels like it’s cheap drama.

Overall, The Vixen by Christi Caldwell is an excellent read and I will continue to read the other books in the series.

The Vixen Synopsis

Author: Christi Caldwell

Published: 7th August 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Rating: 4/5

Set apart by her ethereal beauty and fearless demeanor, Ophelia Killoran has always been a mystery to those around her―and a woman they underestimated. No one would guess that she spends her nights protecting the street urchins of St. Giles. Ophelia knows what horrors these children face. As a young girl, she faced those horrors herself, and she would have died…if not for the orphan boy who saved her life.

A notorious investigator, Connor Steele never expected to encounter Ophelia Killoran on his latest case. It has been years since he sacrificed himself for her. Now, she hires orphans from the street to work in her brother’s gaming hell. But where does she find the children…and what are her intentions?

Ophelia and Connor are at odds. After all, Connor now serves the nobility, and that is a class of people Ophelia knows firsthand not to trust. But if they can set aside their misgivings and work together, they may discover that their purposes―and their hearts―are perfectly aligned.

Buy The Vixen now

Amazon | Book Depository

If you liked this post, checkout my other posts

Book Review: Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Book Review: The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

Book Review: Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade