Love Reading review: "Insurrection" by Robyn Young

I love a good solid, weighty book, with a story that is sweeping and has depth and the scope for you to get lost in. And, if it is part of a longer tale, especially a trilogy, then what could be better?

This is a weighty novel, coming in at over 600 pages and is the first in a trilogy telling the story of Robert The Bruce as he grows from a young boy into a young man.  I enjoy historical novels of this nature and have read a few by Bernard Cornwell, Philippa Gregory and the likes and was very excited to dive into the pages.

It is very well written with exquisite attention to detail and a host of interesting characters; I am not familiar enough with this period of British history to know which were the authors’ creations to add flavour and plot to the real people. The battle scenes were vivid showing the brutality of combat in stark detail and the descriptions of weapons and armour were detailed.

I liked the authors’ portrayal of Robert and wanted to enjoy the story. However, I am still unsure how, but I got very lost in this story. The sheer size of the cast was daunting and the story appeared, to me, to leap backwards and forwards, suddenly jumping years at a time. I simply got lost. I couldn’t follow which Lord was which or what clan was aligned to which family. Having to go back over the previous pages became a nuisance.

Despite putting in the time and effort, I only managed to get as far as page 234 before I had to, regrettably, call time on this book and consign it to my own personal book history.

The-Mustachioed-Reader

My Rating: 2.5* out of 5.0*

PUBLICATION DATE: "Kingdom" the third in the "Insurrectio Trilogy" will be published in June 2014 (anticipated)

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Love Reading Review: M.J. Arlidge "Eeny Meeny"

Victims are being abducted in pairs. Each victim must make a terrible choice; will you kill in order to stay alive? DI Helen Grace and her team must find the links between each pair before a sadistic killer can strike again.

This is a terrific read. The plot moves along at a cracking pace and the characters are interesting, well structured and develop as the story unfolds. The crimes are shocking and the anguish that the tortured victims experience helps to build the sense of menace and suspense as the story builds to a gripping climax.

DI Grace, is an interesting and likeable lead character who I instantly liked and wanted to learn more about. Likewise, the supporting cast of Mark and Charlie are well defined and are not merely "fillers" as can sometimes be found. As for the killer? A wonderfully complex and grotesque villain!

The short, punchy chapters, evidence of the author's background in television drama, help to drive the action along and further crank up the tension of this thrilling read.

There was nothing about this story that I disliked; everything worked superbly together to create a thoroughly enjoyable read. I eagerly await further instalments.

The-Mustachioed-Reader

My Rating: 4.0* out of 5.0*

PUBLICATION DATE: May 2014 (anticipated)

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**COMING SOON** My next Love Reading review: M.R. Arlidge "Eeny Meeny"

Love Reading Review: Jake Woodhouse "After The Silence"

A man is found hanging under an Amsterdam bridge. The bodies of a couple are found in a burnt-down house in a coastal town and a child is missing. The crimes lead Inspector Jaap Rykel and a young female detective from out of town on a dangerous race through the darkest side of Amsterdam in their attempt to prevent further deaths.

I found this to be a fast paced and lively novel that pulls you into the life of Rykel and his colleagues. It’s a bit “twisty and bendy”, leaving you wanting to turn the pages and discover more. We have become quite used to, and desperate for, the recent Scandinavian crime genre and this book offers a little detour nearer home. The setting of Amsterdam is interesting and allows plenty of scope for villainy and various shenanigans.

This is the first instalment in a promised quartet of “Amsterdam” novels and is an engaging introduction to the series. All in all, I found it to be a good read. However, I have a few reservations; the cast of characters is quite long, with a good number popping up early in the story. This isn’t a bad thing as it helps to develop the sense of depth and confusion in the investigation; but it does make for some difficulty in keeping track of who is who. The relationships between some of the leading characters is also quite complicated and, perhaps, unlikely.

In some respects this is yet another police procedural story and has the, by now, standard departmental politics, frictions and resentments. Also, most characters have a “back story”, explained in varying degrees of detail, that show them as haunted/troubled/broken by their pasts. Can cops in fiction ever be simply “normal”?

These few gripes aside, this is an enjoyable and, ultimately, satisfying read.

The-Mustachioed-Reader

My Rating: 3.0* out of 5.0*

PUBLICATION DATE: April 2014 (anticipated)

Find out what my fellow book reviewers thought: www.lovereading.co.uk/book/10917/After-the-Silence-Inspector-Rykel-by-Jake-Woodhouse.html

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Love Reading Review: Tina Seskis "One Step Too Far"

I'll come clean right from the off; I thought this book was superb.

Contemporary stories about relationships, especially those from a female viewpoint, do not usually appeal to me but I was hooked from the initial few pages of this gripping read. The writing style and pace of the story seemed, for me at least, to be a perfect fit with the character's we meet.

Emily/Cat is an interesting and intriguing character. I liked her very much and I wanted to know more about her; why is she leaving her life and family to start anew in London? What has happened to her to lead to such an upheaval?

The story is told predominantly from Emily’s viewpoint, both in the current and the past, and we also get snapshots from other characters lives as they intersect with Emily. This helps to build up our understanding of Emily but also adds different layers to the initial conundrum of why has she started her life anew.

The storyline develops magnificently and kept this reader guessing as to the reasons behind Emily’s life changing decisions. And the revelation, when it occured, was a genuine “Wow” moment for me.

I liked Emily and rooted for her throughout. I will also keep an eye out for more from debut novelist Tina Seskis.

Loved it!

The-Mustachioed-Reader

My Rating: 4.5* out of 5.0*

PUBLICATION DATE: April 2014 (anticipated)

Find out what my fellow book reviewers thought:
www.lovereading.co.uk/book/10890/One-Step-Too-Far-by-Tina-Seskis.html

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