Skip to main content

Scarlet - Genevieve Cogman

 
No one could ever accuse me of playing it safe with books. 

Intrigued by the gorgeous cover and the promise of an adventure set amongst the backdrop of the French Revolution - Scarlet was an intense and ambitious crossover of history and fantasy. 

When young Eleanor is likened to a member of French aristocracy, she is employed into service as part of a scheme to release an infamous member of the royal family from imprisonment. 

This is a heavily plot driven story which very little weight behind the characters BUT as it promises to be the first in a trilogy, this may be something that develops as the saga continues. 

Did I enjoy it? I did. at once I had some Les Mis flashbacks as the Parisian sewer system made an appearance but other than that - the story had some really great twists and turns throughout. I could only spot one plot hole but again, I feel this is going to be developed as the series goes on so I'm not too concerned about it. 

If you like your historical fiction to dabble in a bit of fantasy, then this is a great choice for you!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Merry Little Meet Cute - Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

What a bloody lovely Christmas beaut this was! If you're venturing into spicy romance books and have been on Instagram or TikTok recently, it's likely that you would have seen this little gem doing the rounds.  Bee is a content creator for ClosedDoor (think.. OnlyFans) and Nolan is an ex-boyband bad boy that are both cast in a Hope Channel (think... Hallmark) Christmas movie, Duke The Halls. Nolan is reinventing his career and trying to rid himself of the bad boy image whereas Bee is brought in last minute because the Lead Actress has been taken ill.  The best part? Bee was a massive fan of Nolan in her teenage years and Nolan has been following Bee on social media for a while. And they're getting paid to get to know each other.  I adored this book. It was everything I wanted it to be and is perfect for those of us who love a Hallmark Christmas movie but wished there was a bit heat in the romances. the positive message around Bee's work is brilliantly handled, not to me...

The English Fuhrer - Rory Clements

  There's something about an alternative Second World War or a "What If?" that intrigues me. After my somewhat disappointing experience with The Man In The High Castle a few weeks ago - I was hesitant that this would also miss the mark slightly but thankfully - it hit all the right spots.  A few months after the end of the War, Tom Wilde is back from his OSS placement and is settling back into academia at Cambridge. But a visit to a sick friend lands him in the midst of a biological attack on British Soil and he's called up on by his previous colleague to investigate.  I really enjoyed this story. I didn't realise that it was part of a series of novels based on the central character, Tom Wilde but that didn't stop my grasp of what was going on. The departments and fractions of military were easy to pick up though there are a likely a few backstories that would have been useful to piece things together quicker.  My only criticism is that Clements' writing s...

My Killer Vacation - Tessa Bailey

I think I've found my new favourite Tessa Bailey.  I really enjoyed It Happened One Summer and Hook Like and Sinker so when this one was on offer - I ust had to add it to my basket. But I definitely didn't expect to love it!  Taylor is taking her brother on vacation - they've gone all out on a beach house in Cape Cod but when they turn up, they made a gruesome discovery. A Bounty Hunter-come-Private Detective rocks up on his motorbike and the fun starts.  I won't lie - I think Myles is the reason I enjoyed this one so much. Long hair, tattoos and 2 wheels? Sign me up. Fox and Brendan were hot, but they didn't quite push the right buttons for me. And what I enjoyed most is that the murder mystery element of the story was just as good as the rest of it. I was definitely a little hesitant because, it takes a different type of skill, but Bailey aced it.