London Tales is a collection of short stories through time that all have a central London theme. There are a range of styles and some are more snippets of action rather than full tales.
I enjoyed the first few stories and I particularly liked the third one about Wat Tyler because it was told from the point of view of the peasants as well as the lords.
The story of Holly and the girl who fell through the ice in 1814 was fun to read during an ice cold day in my town. It made me glad to have heat and warm socks!
I thought that the build up to the story set during the London Blitz was good, but the ending left me a little disappointed.
There are several other stories in this collection but they were less appealing to me and overall the book was okay, but not as good as I had hoped.
I picked this one up when I was out shopping before Christmas as it sounded intriguing and the cover was enticing. I enjoyed it immensely and read it in one day.
A ten day camping/hiking trip gone wrong for the protagonist ends up affecting her whole life when she meets up with various strangers on the trail.
It is a fast paced story that keeps you on your toes. I figured out some stuff early on but didn’t figure out one of the main things until pretty late in the tale. Which I love since I usually figure out solutions easily. A book that keeps me guessing is always a joy.
This one has a cool premise and the author executed it to perfection. She writes in a way that keeps the tension going but also gives the reader a bit of a rest in spots so it’s not a frantic read, but rather a story that has ebbs and then spurts of high action. A veritable roller coaster ride of a story. I can’t say much more than that due to the risk of spoilers but I can say it’s in your interest to go grab a copy if you like suspense as it’s well worth immersing yourself in the ups and downs of this one.
It was a quick read even though it was a densely packed almost 300 pages.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
I really liked this story. I’ve read some of Ms. Armstrong’s work in the past and her prose is always easy to read and enjoyable. The premise here of a modern day female detective transported through time when she’s attacked in a dark lane in old Edinburgh is creative and right up this reader’s alley. Being a huge fan of Edinburgh and having experienced the magic of the city firsthand, in this reader’s opinion, it’s the perfect setting for the story. A very atmospheric town and extra creepy in 1869 when the lighting would have been candles or gas lights.
The heroine is plucky and savvy and learns quickly that she’ll have to work hard to try to fit in where most everything is unfamiliar. The work she has to do as a housemaid is tough yet she realizes a roof over her head in those hard times is worth the backbreaking chores. Even the cleaning of the chamber pots.
Ms. Armstrong does a great job evoking the era in housing and the sights/smells of an old city as well as the biases against women and people of mixed race.
The supporting characters are well-drawn and appealing with each having unique qualities. I especially enjoyed the brother and sister and how they interacted with the heroine as well as each other and the local police detective. There were parts that strained credulity, but being as it’s a time travel story, realism was always going to take a back seat.
The heroine was flawed and made mistakes which made the tale more exciting. A perfect heroine is always dull. The person whose body the heroine was transported into was a wicked person and I’m glad the heroine made many attempts to try to make things right with the people the real housemaid harmed.
It appears there will be more stories with these characters which is great as they each have their own unique back story and I, for one, look forward to exploring more of old Edinburgh with them and learning more about their lives.
I received a copy in exchange for a fair review. I give this one 3.5 stars for being readable and having a good plot. It’s clear the writer knows London, France and the military and she used that knowledge well.
Melisande, nicknamed Mel, is an unlikeable heroine. She’s a poor judge of character, quick to overreact and attack people (including slapping a colleague across the face in a moment of uncontrolled rage), and thoroughly annoying.
Despite that, I found myself drawn into the tale. It was a good story with a compelling plot.
The heroine is also a mass of contradictions. Some were hard for this reader to reconcile such as her compassion for the domestic partner of one of the villain’s while she was undercover living in the same home as the villain and his mate, all while scheming to bring down the villain and destroy the life of this man she seemed drawn to and befriended on a visit to the market. I know she was undercover and had to lie, but the way the author wrote the villain in the beginning and how she wrote him while the heroine was living with him (as well as his partner) was also a big contradiction. The man seemed like two different characters in places. Kind when he was in his apartment or car and ruthless and cruel when he was at his office or in the street. It was a little off-putting and odd. On the one hand, he seemed like he could kill the heroine without a thought and then, on the other, he was chatting with her as if they were cordial colleagues.
The heroine was also a contradiction in her dealings with her colleagues and other law enforcement members. Disrespectful to orders even though her actions ended up saving lives and just overall, someone who rubbed me the wrong way. I liked her partner, Jack McCracken as he reminded me of heroes who grow on the reader during the course of the story. He was unkind and annoying at the beginning, but he had motivation as he was investigating a murder where the heroine was a potential suspect. He eventually changed and softened.
I liked the intricacy of the plot, starting with the death of Mel’s fiancé and heading into the adventure of her working with the agency to solve not only his death, but an international intrigue involving a large cast of characters. The ultimate villain was easy to figure out as the author seemed to bang the reader in the head with his behavior.
This book made me angry in parts—mostly due to the heroine’s behaviors and attitudes—but ultimately, she seemed to have a straight moral compass and I liked that. She was adept at her job, a great shot, and savvy when it came to her military training, but she didn’t offer much in the way of interpersonal skills. She also didn’t appear to have any character growth at all during the course of the story. And I guess that was all right as I kept reading…
Dracula’s Death is a retelling of a Hungarian silent film that has been lost to time. The author has meticulously researched this film as well as the novelization of the story. He has translated the tale from Hungarian and it’s a gem of a story. This is not your standard Dracula tale. This one involves a mental asylum, a young girl in love but sad due to her father’s impending death, and a lot of creepy inmates of that asylum. The heroine is a sweet character and I found myself rooting for her throughout the story.
The story is evocative and well-told. The descriptions are lovely and this reader was transported to the snowy mountains of Europe just reading the prose. The illustrations are also lovely and amazing. Even the cover of the book is delicious. I very much enjoyed this story and appreciate the efforts made by the author to translate this to English as otherwise, it wouldn’t be available for us here to enjoy.
After the story—which is very creepy and exciting—the author shares his research into the film. He translates many articles that were published during the time the film was being made as well as publicity ads during the era of the release of this silent film. Photos are also shared that bring this movie to life. It’s sad that its been lost to the annals of time, but wow—good job to Mr. Tamasfi for his work in bringing it to us—as well as the articles about it—and the Mr. Svab for his wonderful illustrations.
If you like horror or Dracula tales, this one shouldn’t be missed as it’s a different take on a popular character and suitably creepy. If you’re a film buff—silent or talkies—this is a great resource for a missing piece of film history.
It’s out in the world now. The Thirteenth Gate is a Christmas story about a runaway. It’s a magical tale.
BLURB:
Clarissa, a teen raised in foster care, runs away in the middle of a Christmas snow storm and learns valuable lessons from a mysterious old man who may hold the secret to her future.
I got the news last night that I’ll be receiving a contract on my story set in my hometown of Pensacola, Florida. The title is Til Murder Do Us Part. Here is a short blurb:
Margot Jenkins is a one-time coroner on a mission to bring her former brother-in-law to justice for killing her sister. Richard Higgins is the hot-shot detective assigned to assist her. Margot tends to lead with her heart and gets into numerous dangerous situations that imperil not only her investigation but her very life.
I’m excited to bring this tale to the world and share some of my favorite places to eat in Pensacola- my characters eat at a number of locally-owned restaurants that serve awesome food! I’ll be posting some pictures of the places soon.
Sorry I’ve been MIA from this blog. I fell on June 16 and broke my right elbow and my left foot. I spent some time in a splint and sling for the arm and still have a cast on the foot. It’s been a rough month for sure. I am very lucky I didn’t do more damage and I will heal but I’m still a bit whiny in the midst of those blessings.
I did receive news today that Senior Assassin, my romantic mystery set on The Orient Express has been fully edited and will be released October 4, 2014. I’m super excited for it to come out and as soon as I get the cover and the okay to share it, I will be posting it here. October is my favorite month of the year so I’m hyped to bring my book out to the world then.
I have no idea who took it so I can’t credit it here but if anyone seeing this knows, please let me know so I can take it down or give proper credit. Thanks!
My novel coming soon from Black Opal Books is called Senior Assassin and this is the picture I sent in that I think evokes the mood of the book- of course the cover itself will look quite different. The story is a murder mystery set in 1935 and takes place on the luxury train, The Orient Express. I’m excited for it to come out. I’ll share the blurb soon.
Ramblings of a Writer 