Here are my reviews for the books I read in October 2019.
The Angel Monument by Kath Middleton - 3 stars
Recap: Emily, daughter of Sir John & Lady Oxborough, is rather taken by the arrival of a new gentleman to the neighbourhood but is he everything he seems?
Review: Whilst the storyline was interesting, what put me off was the continual repetitiveness of the prose. Possibly done in an effort to enhance the period setting, unfortunately, it didn't work for me. That said, I enjoyed the unravelling of the story and finding out what happened to the characters. Both Laura and Cissy's stories were so sad, there was a real emotional connection to them. The happenings in the chapel were certainly spooky although the modern-day section right at the beginning felt a little redundant. Lady Oxborough embodied the mother character we have learnt to expect from Jane Austen-type books and even those below stairs had unique foibles making the whole household come alive. I am glad that Emily at least got her happy ending.
Ten Minutes Past Bedtime by Elizabeth Chatsworth - 3 stars
Recap: A time-travelling spinster changes reality.
Review: Minerva was a great character and the story was charming. The Viking pirate captain wasn't always quite in character but I enjoyed the time travel twist and the consequences it came with.
Recap: Charly wins a holiday of a lifetime but the movie set tour doesn't quite go to plan!
Review: First of all I love the fact that this book is written by a father-daughter duo. I liked the premise of the book and thought the pacing was good, the character concepts were interesting. The message was delivered a little woodenly at times with some forced dialogue in places. But Charly is a cool character and I hope she has lots more adventures.
The Scattered and the Dead, Book 0.5 by Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus - 5 stars
Recap: A recluse writes a letter to the girl across the hall as the world ends.
Review: A compelling page Turner as first you waited to see if he would mail the letter and speak to the girl and then to see the aftermath of the plague and the EMP and the mass exodus of the city. Soooooo many questions so obviously, going to have to read the next one!
Recap: Marina ventures into the Amazon to find out what happened to her colleague, Anders, at the mysterious camp of Dr Swenson.
Review: Excellent world-building and characterisation, you really felt you were there in the jungle with everyone. I was in bits at the initial reaction to Anders death so the ending really took me by surprise. I loved the unflinching character of Swenson and the bizarre set up in the jungle. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars was because I felt terribly let down at not knowing what happened to Easter, whether they ever finished their research and if Marina went back or not. Also whether she fell pregnant!
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Making Your Novel Stand Out and Succeed - 4 stars
Recap: non-fiction, a novel writing guide
Review: I'm a pantser discovery writer with an idea for a big series who decided to do a bit of planning before this year's NaNo and you know what, working through this book has really helped me think about who my characters are, the overall plot ARC and how I can work that with my subplot. I've had lots of aha moments and a couple of wow this is a lot of work moments lol. The proof I guess will be in the next novel I write - fingers crossed!
Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find all her books on Amazon. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.
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