A very short story - only about 30 pages - but with a pair of very intriguing MCs and a nice setting. It's Victorian England, but with one surprising,A very short story - only about 30 pages - but with a pair of very intriguing MCs and a nice setting. It's Victorian England, but with one surprising, and crucial, difference.
Written in the present tense, which I always consider to be a bit of a narrative gamble but can be utterly involving when successful, A Lord to Love pivots on a story devoid of major turning points and that focuses instead on the evolution of the characters.
It's a short bit of narration that can be enjoyed over a cup of coffee but I truly appreciated the author's writing style and I certainly enjoyed the book to the point of regretting to not be able to read more about John and Harrison.
Really nice!
Merged review:
A very short story - only about 30 pages - but with a pair of very intriguing MCs and a nice setting. It's Victorian England, but with one surprising, and crucial, difference.
Written in the present tense, which I always consider to be a bit of a narrative gamble but can be utterly involving when successful, A Lord to Love pivots on a story devoid of major turning points and that focuses instead on the evolution of the characters.
It's a short bit of narration that can be enjoyed over a cup of coffee but I truly appreciated the author's writing style and I certainly enjoyed the book to the point of regretting to not be able to read more about John and Harrison.
Another convincing period piece by Sebastian Nothwell.
My favourite still remains the lovely Mr Warren's Profession but this novel does deliver some inAnother convincing period piece by Sebastian Nothwell.
My favourite still remains the lovely Mr Warren's Profession but this novel does deliver some interesting characters and a plot full with twists and turns that make the story a real page-turner.
Morgan is endearing and long-suffering, Evelyn an out-of-place baronet if ever there was one. And together, they make a lovely couple (despite a distinct tendency of avoiding communication, but this serves the plot well).
After the events of the first novel, Aubrey and Lindsey retire to the Althorp Wiltshire estate for a shoA very sweet sequel to Mr Warren's Profession.
After the events of the first novel, Aubrey and Lindsey retire to the Althorp Wiltshire estate for a short holiday.
Horse riding, painting and unexpected events will render the holidays much more exciting than planned.
Even without a more complex plot, this short sequel confirmed the author's writing skills. Aubrey and Lindsey are two characters that it's impossible not to love and cheer for and I must confess I've finished the book hoping for a third instalment.
It must be read as a sequel and not as a standalone, but it's really worth it to immerse yourself in the books' Victorian world....more
I've had Sebastian Nothwell's Mr Warren's Profession in my Kindle for a while and I now regret not reading it any sooner.
It's been a delightful surpriI've had Sebastian Nothwell's Mr Warren's Profession in my Kindle for a while and I now regret not reading it any sooner.
It's been a delightful surprise, that kept me hooked to the pages as if I was reading a 19th century's serial full with plot twists, cliff-hangers, forbidden loves and villains.
The aristocratic, eccentric and generous Lindsey Althorp falls head-over-heels for Aubrey Warren, a lowly clerk working in the mill Lindsey has just won gambling with a friend.
The trope of the insta-love is played by Nothwell in a clever fashion by making Lindsey the kind of character driven by an innocent and endearing enthusiasm. His blunders when dealing at first with Aubrey (e.g. giving him absurd gifts or asking pointless questions without realising the social chasm between them) makes him a sort of lovable fool. There's a darkness however surrounding him and (view spoiler)[the more the reader progresses with the story, the more it becomes evident how much Lindsey's life has been manipulated and controlled by those who have his utmost affections. (hide spoiler)]
Aubrey Warren is Lindsey's perfect counterpart. (view spoiler)[An orphan raised in a Victorian workhouse and with a past as a rent boy, (hide spoiler)] Aubrey is wary and extremely reluctant in relinquishing control and trust someone besides himself. When faced by Lindsey's interest, he reacts through dissimulation and retreat.
The push and pull between the characters is also effective because it's not based on unnecessary miscommunication - I've found refreshing the scenes where Aubrey and Lindsey express their inner thoughts and fears to each other to try and take further their tentative relationship. Once they finally get together, their relationship is equal parts support, friendship, trust and sexual attraction.
The characters surrounding them provide a solid cast of friends and foe. Emmeline Rook is particularly surprising, whilst Rowena, Lindsey's sister, is ambiguous enough to provide some narrative tension and suspicion when it comes to her motivations and actions.
The sense of location is strong and convincing. Manchester in the full swing of the Industrial Revolution is vivid and loud, but I also appreciated the pockets of quiet provided by Lindsey's Wiltshire mansion and by the various well-stocked libraries he possesses in his multiple houses.
The writing is overall solid and engaging - there are a few drops in tone but the tension remains consistently high and there are some very nice touches of understated irony that add an interesting layer to the story.
A thoroughly delightful novel, which I don't hesitate to recommend if you enjoy well-written historical novels with nicely-rounded and sympathetic characters....more
A very nice short story - melancholic, angsty, tender, with two characters deeply enveloped in their own personal grief.
Two downsides for me: the coveA very nice short story - melancholic, angsty, tender, with two characters deeply enveloped in their own personal grief.
Two downsides for me: the cover that doesn't do any justice to the book's atmosphere and the fact that it was way too short a read. I really would have liked a much longer story.
Can a book blow you away with each subsequent re-reading? In the case of Alexis Hall's Prosperity, the answer is most certainly YES and no matter hoCan a book blow you away with each subsequent re-reading? In the case of Alexis Hall's Prosperity, the answer is most certainly YES and no matter how many times I read it, by the last page, I'm always left in awe of a story that is at the same time hyper-creative and very human, full of flawed but sympathetic characters, and where form and substance are equally important.
A picaresque, moving, funny, philosophical adventure set in the wild skies of 1863 - where cities are suspended on skyhooks and aetherships fly and breathe in unison with their astonishing captain - Prosperity follows the ups and downs of a motley crew made up of a small-time crook, a lord of the criminal underworld, a tormented clergyman, a dashing skycaptain and a female navigator addicted to opium and plagued by horrible visions.
Told by the POV of Piccadilly - the guttersnipe born and bred in the mean streets of Gaslight and used to survive by means of dangerous expedients - the novel recounts not only the breathtaking adventures of Shadowless and its crew but follows its main character while he realises that destiny can be changed and that friendship, loyalty and love can be found in the most unexpected places.
Prosperity is also a story that testifies the importance of words and of the ability to leave a testimony of one's life by being able to write it down and pass it on to other readers and generations. One of the most moving moments in the book is for me the chapter where Piccadilly learns to read and write thanks to the help of Byron Kae thus discovering an entirely new world of possibilities.
'Having words' - and using them - translates in the novel into a wild ride of slang, Victorian English and imaginative neologisms that are never a simple display of the writer's amazing talent, but become a reflection of Piccadilly's free spirit and ironic view of the world.
Prosperity is a book to read - and re-read over and over again - with the certainty that each time something new will pop out from the page, some detail of its fabulous worldbuilding, a line of dialogue, an intimately quiet description, a simple moment between the characters.
I truly loved Astrid Amara's The Devil Lancer. The novel is a very exciting combination of great characters, historical accuracy and supernatural ocI truly loved Astrid Amara's The Devil Lancer. The novel is a very exciting combination of great characters, historical accuracy and supernatural occurrences that conjure up a book that is in turns compelling, scary, moving and even, on some occasions, unexpectedly amusing.
Captain Elliott Parrish and Cornet Ilyas Kovakin - the devil lancer of the title - are two amazing characters, full of nuances and with very nicely layered personalities. Apparently opposed - Elliott with his intellectual pursuits and rationality and Ilyas, dark and passionate - the two MCs complement each other and provide the story with a very well portrayed sense of progression in their mutual trust and relation.
The supernatural element in the story, a dark tale of 'ghost coffins' and demonic possessions, is perfectly weaved through the historical reality of the Crimean War, with the tragic Charge of the Light Brigade and the siege of Sevastopol taking centre stage and giving to the plot a solid anchor.
Despite some changes and a few factual liberties, listed by the author in her Afterword, the novel is infused with a beautiful sense of time and location and the hardship of life on the frontline through the merciless Crimean winters and summers is so vividly depicted to be almost palpable.
I really loved Amara's writing style, elegant, relentless and moving and thus perfectly suited to a plot full of unexpected events.
Highly recommended!
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The Charge of the Light Brigade (Richard Caton Woodville, 1895)...more
Another fabulous historical novel from the pen of K.J. Charles who never fails to surprise me with her stories, characters and writing quality.
Any OlAnother fabulous historical novel from the pen of K.J. Charles who never fails to surprise me with her stories, characters and writing quality.
Any Old Diamonds presents a complex plot that sees a young dispossessed aristocrat get into cahoots with a diamond thief to steal a diamond parure from his father's second wife. In order to achieve this act of spite and revenge, Alexander will have to force his way back into the graces of his estranged father.
The beginning of the story presents us with two characters with opposite personalities. Lord Alexander is burdened by a tragic past and by his conscience and insecurities, whilst Jerry seems to sail through life with an insouciance that can only be provided by deep amorality and lack of respect for social rules.
Little by little, we get to discover new facets of their personality and a great plot twist around the 60% mark of the book will take the story in a new and unexpected direction.
I loved everything about this novel. The setting is amazing and moves from a slumbering summer London to the remote and unwelcoming Castle Speight with a wealth of great details and locales. The plot is gripping, full of twists and turns that make the book a real page-turner. Above all, however, I adored the two main characters. Alex is way more complex than the endearingly insecure man he comes across to be at the beginning of the story and Jerry is deliciously wicked and unrepentant.
The finale, open and exciting in its many possibilities, left me really wanting for more.
Set in the seedy and disreputable world of Holywell Street - with its bookshops selling illegal, pornographic matAnother wonderful read by KJ Charles.
Set in the seedy and disreputable world of Holywell Street - with its bookshops selling illegal, pornographic material - the plot appears to be following the mystery of the disappearance of a young prostitute. The search for Sunil, however, brings back together two old friends: Gilbert Lawless, bookseller and writer of 'unfit to print' books, and Vikram Pandey, a brave and principled lawyer.
As always with KJ Charles' books, the setting is so well portrayed that the reader truly feels dragged around the muddy streets of London and in and out of shops looking for Sunil.
Both main characters are sympathetic and perfectly rounded - I loved Vikram's crusading attitude and Gil's more disenchanted outlook. The dialogues between them and the characters' individual interior monologues are compelling and involving.
This was a truly lovely read, whose setting and background made me think of another novel I really enjoyed, Richard Rider's Captured Shadows.
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