Hi, my name is Sophie Duncan. I'm an author of fantasy, paranormal, horror and erotica. Welcome to my blog. Here I'll ramble on about the books I'm reading and writing, ebooks, publishing and anything else I happen to think of.
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This one's going to be short today, because this post is in way of a mea culpa, since the monster today is me! Yep, that's right, and I'm blaming it on a very long Sunday at work. It wasn't a bad day, or anything, in fact it was rather rewarding, but I have to say that I am falling asleep on my feet this morning. And tiredness turns me into a monster of absolute unreasonableness!
Everything is too much trouble, I mean, this morning I caught myself being upset about having to go upstairs and collect laundry for washing - how unreasonable to expect myself to have to go and get the clothes that I wanted to wash, I was grumbling all the way up and all the way down the stairs. And everything takes too long - I had to wait for the kettle to boil - actually wait - me - Super Grouchy Morning Diva!
I also got very annoyed with inanimate objects. This morning I swore at and threw my coat across the room because it had the audacity to slide off the banister where I had rather haphazardly put it. Heaven forbid that my coat should obey the laws of gravity!
So now I have to go to work, and so I think I shall need to sit with a cup of tea for a little while and reign in my tetchiness, my impatience, and my monster of irrational unreasonableness...
Do any situations turn you into an irrational grouch?
~
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If I had to sum up this book in one word, I don't think I could, because it has so many qualities. It is irreverent, thrilling, dry-humoured and gripping all in one story. The only reason it doesn't have 5 stars is because it needs a bit more of an edit for spelling and misused words, something the rest of the series does not suffer from, I might add.
Mrs Beatrice Knight, widowed and dependent on her uncle and his family, is not quite your ordinary widow, in fact, she is extraordinary. She knows how to defend herself against many different types of paranormal trouble, she tramps into danger with very little regard for herself or Victorian etiquette, and she has a gloriously irreverent view of her position in society. In short, she's a great lead for this and the other Society for Paranormals series.
Apart from Beatrice, I also like the fact that not every character is black and white. They have flaws, they have their own agendas and Bea is often conflicted about them, which leads to some great plot twists and turns.
I smiled, I sighed, I frowned and I laughed with this book. Great story!
After reading the first book in this series, I went and bought the next one and started reading it immediately, because there were a few tantalizing strings of thought left dangling in the previous book, not too much, it was its own story, but with just enough teasing ideas to make me want to jump to the next story.
Bea continues her adventures in Africa with the help and also complications of her friends and family. And there is extra depth to her character in this story as she worries about her dead husband's motives for disappearing on her (yes, she is haunted by his ghost), while also handling the absurdity of a horse possessed by a snake spirit. In this story, Bea is beginning to question all she knows and has been told by people she trusted and loved.
This story is compelling, I didn't want to put it down. Great characters, great plot and a romping good read.
Bea's past is catching up with her in this story. A creature so deadly she haunts Bea's dreams is on the move and coming for revenge!
This is the tightest written of the books so far and I was totally hooked all the way through. Vered throughout these books has been dropping breadcrumbs about what is to come with an art I would love to be able to replicate. There is never a moment of dullness, something is always taking place, moving the story on, whether that moment is tragic, or hilarious.
All the characters continue to develop, some in surprising ways, some to my gratification as the reader. This book is an easy, entertaining read and you'll want to finish it.
By the time I got to this book, I was so hooked on the series, that I read it in one sitting.
Bea is slowly losing confidence in all that she has been told about herself, her family history and the Society for Paranormals for who she has been working. Her life is changing, her outlook is widening and Africa is turning into her home, not just a place to stay while her uncle rejuvenates the family finances. The development of her character is well done, and I was rooting for her all the way through.
I hated the bad guys and loved the good guys and hmmed about the characters in between.
This book features more about the society, which has been sitting behind the plot for most of the other stories. They are front and centre and widen the perspective of the series as other motives and background information come into play.
About the blogger: Sophie Duncan is an author of genre fiction from paranormal adventure to murder mystery. For information about Sophie's books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:
We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.
We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.
I have a stack of brilliant books that I finished while I was on holiday that I need to review and, since I just finished this one and I have time to write a review, here it is - this is a great paranormal thriller with good characters, I couldn't put it down!
I loved this book. I don't think I'd have read it if there hadn't been a paranormal element to it, because the rest of the book is a pretty realistic thriller about a woman who is released from prison after serving 15 years for stabbing her abusive husband to death and the choices she had to face. However, I was surprised, I really enjoyed everything about the book, I loved Savannah, the main character, she is relatable, down to earth and she felt real. In fact this whole book felt very real, even the ghost.
The interaction between human and spirit is handled calmly, logically and pragmatically, because, above all, Savannah is a pragmatic woman. She is methodical in her choices, taking a little human companionship where she can, hoping the best for her mentee from prison, Tamsin, and deciding who to befriend in the small village where she takes up residence as housekeeper for Ashwood House.
There is spookiness to this book, despite Savannah's sensible outlook, and there are thrills too as she handles hiding from her husband's murderous family. I found myself liking Savannah a lot, rooting for her and wanting the best for her. Her character makes the book and I would like to read more about her.
Just a final note about the author and the way the book is written. There are quite a lot of typos/missing words, but I didn't care, since the text itself was so engaging. And this author knows how to write a really good story, gradually building up the tension and giving a really good finish. I am beginning to think that the last part of the story is the most important for me, the round up, after the climax, the bit that leaves me thinking about the characters and what they are going to do next. And this one's a keeper :).
About the blogger: Sophie Duncan is an author of genre fiction from paranormal adventure to murder mystery. For information about Sophie's books, sign up for The Wittegen Press Newsletter:
We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.
We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.
