Monty's Book Reviews

Publishers Blurb Kier Vorsmith, the youngest son of an influential count, dreams of studying at the University and living a quiet life as a historian. However, when he fails his high school’s final exams, whirlwind events force Kier to become the official heir of the Vorsmiths’ county and an officer in the Imperial Special Corps. At the will of his father, the young man arrives at a remote arctic base to serve as a local weatherman... Review - 4 Stars Sometimes I find that Sci-Fi novels try just too hard with the background explanations for the various tech and world order, leaving no room for any character development or storytelling. This is NOT one of those novels. It manages to blend the storytelling with the wider explanations and isn't afraid to shock the reader with character arcs that end prematurely. If you like a combination of Sci-Fi with Murder-mystery and a bit of political intrigue then I'd...

Publisher's Blurb A monstrous woman flees across Arctic sea ice, pursued by an implacable nemesis. Three shadowless brothers prowl through wolf-haunted forests in search of fresh victims. And in a subterranean laboratory, an undead Countess conducts a gruesome experiment... Mina Harker’s journey to Transylvania is supposed to advance her career, but instead, it plunges her into a war between an ageless evil and a hideous new form of life. As the streets of London run red with blood, Harker takes up the wooden stake, crucifix, and Kukri knife against her nightmarish foes. But when one hunts monsters, a terrible price must be paid. In this gender-flipped mashup of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus," storylines and characters are combined in unexpected ways, and familiar horrors are transformed into new nightmares. Review - 3 Stars I've read Bram Stoker's Dracula but not Mary Shelley's F...

Publisher's Blurb Brilliant new series from the author of The Mangle Street Murders , perfect for readers of Agatha Christie, Jasper Fforde and M.C. Beaton. September 1939. A new day dawns in Sackwater, not that this sleepy backwater is taking much notice... Inspector Betty Church – one of the few female officers on the force – has arrived from London to fill a vacancy at Sackwater police station. But Betty isn't new here . This is the place she grew up. The place she thought she'd left behind for good.   Time ticks slowly in Sackwater, and crime is of a decidedly lighter shade . Having solved the case of the missing buttons, Betty's called to the train station to investigate a missing bench. But though there's no bench, there is a body . A smartly dressed man, murdered in broad daylight, with two distinctive puncture wounds in his throat .   While the locals gossip about the Suffolk Vampire , Betty Church readies herself to hunt a dangerous ki...

Publishers Blurb Taho-the-Quick, a poacher, has an encounter with the animal totem of his people, the dragon queen, who entrusts him with the dangerous mission of carrying her egg to her dragon brothers up in the mountains. On his journey, Taho-the-Quick will not only have to fight enemies but also join forces with unexpected allies, including the mysterious White Claw, a warrior with unparalleled skills. The survival of the dragon species and that of a whole people will depend on their partnership. Review Most of the comics I read are superhero based by either Marvel or DC so it was a refreshing change to read something a bit different. The artwork is sublime, especially the scenery and landscape panels and the characters are easily recognisable which helps with the flow of the narrative. The story flows well and doesn't get bogged down with extraneous exposition. I like that certain panels are used to convey story points without dialog . This is well worth ...

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I found the mix of drama and historical information blended well.   Until reading this title I had no knowledge of the Huguenots so this was a great way to learn about their persecution in catholic France.   The story was captivating and flowed well in most parts. The characters were well developed and overall this is a good read.   My only problems with the book were that there were parts where the narative regurgitated facts that we were already fully conversant with - for example the retelling of the aborted trip to Paris whilst in the prison. The use of french words as greetings felt a bit out of place as the rest of the book was in plain english and I felt it was not necessary to remind us we were in France.   The last point is the overuse of the word hearty when describing meals - not a major problem but one that is easily solved in the edit.   I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in history or Fran...

The Tiger's Tale Undercover Cat Series Book #3 Kelle Z Riley 3.5 Stars Pages: 272 Published: 15 January 2019 Publisher's Blurb Is she hitting her stride? Or going nowhere fast? Fresh from a successful undercover operation, scientist/spy-in-training Bree Watson should feel on top of the world. Instead, the ground is shifting under her feet. When her handler abandons her to follow a lead with his sexy ex-partner, Bree must choose between a normal life, or proving her worth as a spy. Not an easy choice, when she factors in: •A police detective’s amorous intentions •Her handler’s mixed signals •A teaching post at a university filled with intrigue •A dead administrator with a sordid past •A timid tiger and her tenacious trainer—both being framed for murder Combined with fanatic football fans, beatnik poets, an orphaned monkey, a demanding boss, quirky colleagues, and her angry cat, the result may be a recipe for disaster. Can she take the heat? Or will she get burned? “A plot ful...

A Snapshot of Murder Frances Brody 4 Stars Publisher's Blurb Taking the perfect photograph can be murder . . . Yorkshire, 1928. Indomitable sleuth Kate Shackleton is taking a well-deserved break from her detective work and indulging in her other passion: photography. When her local Photographic Society proposes an outing, Kate jumps at the chance to visit Haworth and Stanbury, in the heart of Brontë country, the setting for Wuthering Heights .   But when an obnoxious member of their party is murdered, the group is thrown into disarray. Is the murderer amongst them, or did the loud-mouthed Tobias have more enemies than they might have imagined?    Armed with her wit and wiles, and of course her trusty camera, it's up to Kate to crack the case, and get that perfect shot too . . . Review This is the first Frances Brody novel that I've read and overall it was a good well paced read and has all the hallmarks of a good murder mystery - plenty of suspects...