Flora's Musings...: Debut Author

Saturday, 15 April 2017

Flora Reviews... The Fallen Chronicles: Dark Angel by Amanda Jones

Flora Reviews...

The Fallen Chronicles: Dark Angel

by Amanda Jones

Read: 9^th – 15^th April 2017

Format: Kindle

My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

So, before we go any further I just want to tell you that I was lucky enough to be given a digital version of this book for free after making a request to the author via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Ms Jones!

...So what’s this book about?

This is basically a paranormal romance novel (approx 298 pages) which feels to me very much like an occult thriller; it features many paranormal characters including, of course, angels, demons and humans. Dark Angel is the first book in Ms Jones’ new series The Fallen Chronicles. The series will follow the seven angels who were cast out of heaven for rising up against The Deity and causing a war; Asmodeus, Azazel, Baliel, Bataryal, Lucifer, Samael and Yetarel – now known as The Princes of Hell.

This book focuses on Lucifer Morningstar; when a human sells his soul to the devil, Lucifer is the one tasked with bringing that soul to Satan in Sheol (Hell). As my regular followers will know, I don’t post spoilers or reveal any plot twists in my book reviews so here’s what the official blurb has to say:

Katia may be a celebrated musician, but she'd always felt a little like an outsider looking in. Who knew that being abducted by a handsome stranger would set her on a crash course with her destiny...

Luc has spent an eternity keeping everyone and everything at a distance as an unstoppable darkness consumes his soul. Will his beautiful captive be his salvation, or will they both be consumed by the ultimate evil...

...So, what did I like about it?

I found this book very easy to read and liked Ms Jones’ writing style; the way she created a very unique interpretation of what Hell is and how she spun her tale. I like the fact that she brought humanity to Lucifer and his fallen angel brothers. My regular followers will know how I crave characters who are a complex amalgam of good and bad, dark and light; I feel it makes them all the more believable.

I liked the fact that although the romance part of the story develops early, we don’t actually see Luc and Katia take their relationship to that physical level until later in the story. The sex scenes were not graphic or OTT but they still managed to convey the feelings of the characters while getting my temperature rising.

As well as our two main characters, Luc and Katia, we have a few important secondary characters too; I liked the way that Ms Jones wrote sections of every chapter from different character’s point of view without making the experience confusing.

Now, I must confess, there were scenes in this book that made me actually laugh out loud like a lunatic, being the soppy soul that I am it also made me shed a tear once or twice too but rest assured dear follower, the smiles did outweigh the tears.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

No, I didn’t dislike anything about the story or how it was told. No cliffhanger, so I’m a happy bunny.

I read some reviews that spoke of a few editing and grammar issues but nothing really jumped out enough for me to mention in the copy that I read. I remember a couple of times feeling a bit lost when a scene was being described but again not enough to mention specifically. I just wish that the cover was a real model rather than a drawn one.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I really enjoyed this book; it was a wild adventure that kept me reading from start to finish – I was hooked! I look forward to reading Broken Angel, book 2 in this series (we get a chapter 1 at the end of this book) and hope that eventually each of The Princes of Hell get their own book.

I recommend this to anyone who wants read a heart-warming romance with a thrilling story to boot that will keep them turning the pages from start to finish.

So, has my review of THE FALLEN CHRONICLES: DARK ANGEL sparked your interest? Just click on any of the links below to check out the book yourself, or to find out more about other books I’ve read, take a look at my profile on Goodreads.

See THE FALLEN CHRONICLES: DARK ANGEL on Goodreads.com

Buy THE FALLEN CHRONICLES: DARK ANGEL on Amazon.com or through Amazon.co.uk

Visit AMANDA JONES own little corner of the web

Sunday, 18 October 2015

Flora Reviews... The Hidden Legacy by Graham Minett

The Hidden Legacy

by G.J. (Graham) Minett

Read: 11^th – 17^th October 2015

Format: e-book

My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

...So what’s this book about?

This is Mr Minett’s debut novel; a crime/thriller/mystery tale of about 436 pages. Although our main character is Ellen Sutherland, it’s also written from the perspective of various other characters throughout this engaging story.

The official blurb says:

1966. A horrifying crime at a secondary school, with devastating consequences for all involved.

2008. A life-changing gift, if only the recipient can work out why . . .

Bearing the scars of a recent divorce - and the splatters of two young children - Ellen Sutherland is up to her elbows in professional and personal stress. When she's invited to travel all the way out to Cheltenham to hear the content of an old woman's will, she can barely be bothered to make the journey.

But when she arrives, the news is astounding. Eudora Nash has left Ellen a beautiful cottage, worth an amount of money that could turn her life around. There's just one problem - Ellen has never even heard of Eudora Nash.

Her curiosity piqued, Ellen and her friend Kate travel to the West Country in search of answers. But they are not the only ones interested in the cottage, and Ellen little imagines how much she has to learn about her past . . .

Graham Minett's debut novel, The Hidden Legacy, is a powerful and suspenseful tale exploring a mysterious and sinister past.

The publication date for this book is 5^th November 2015 but I was lucky enough to be given this book for free from the publisher (Twenty7 Books) via Netgally.com in exchange for a fair review. Thank you.

...So, what did I like about it?

I was very impressed with Mr Minett’s writing style; his use of language, the way he built the plot and added clever twists and turns to his tale. I liked the way this story was told; revealing different aspects of the tale using the viewpoint of his ongoing characters while transporting us to 3 important time frames to expose pertinent situations as they happen. Don’t worry, I think I’m making it sound more complicated than it is ;-) Mr Minett subtitles each section so that we know who we’re reading about and which time period we’re in. It all flows beautifully allowing the plot to deepen and our connections with, and understanding of, the characters to grow.

I was definitely gripped. I feel as though I’ve been on an amazing journey, I’ve giggled, I’ve cried and I’ve been entertained with a well written mystery that’s also left me asking my own questions about how I choose to treat the people around me. I am the sort of person who sees the glass as being half full rather than half empty so my interpretation of the ending may differ from yours – this is not a definite “happy ever after” ending but it did leave me with a smile on my face. I liked it.

...So, ummm, was there anything I disliked about it?

I must confess that when I read in the blurb that part of this story was about a child who’d killed another child, I was reluctant to start reading (it’s not a theme I feel comfortable with) however this part of the story was very well written and left me questioning how we view these tragic instances and the people involved, how the media almost certainly play their part in these events and how the ripples of that one moment in time can still be felt throughout the decades.

...So, basically what I’m saying is...

I loved this amazing mystery novel. What twists & turns! What raw emotions! I enjoyed every part of this journey! It sort of reminded me of a few of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple mysteries in that it had a wealth of well written characters and a plot that exposes the human complexities of life while keeping me reading right to the last page. If you’re a fan of mystery stories I’d definitely recommend buying The Hidden Legacy!