This WIR-Wednesday I've decided to use my free Amazon Prime trial to borrow a Kindle book..
The Carlswick Affair by SL Beaumont
Blurb:
Who do you trust when everyone around you has secrets?
Stephanie Cooper is visiting her English grandmother in the village of Carlswick before starting her university studies at Oxford in this romantic suspense novel - the first book in The Carlswick Mysteries, a young adult mystery series.
Her fateful meeting with James Knox, guitarist for indie band The Fury, sets off a chain of events. A family feud dating back to World War II threatens to keep them apart and the return of Stephanie's erstwhile boyfriend Sam only adds fuel to the mix.
As Stephanie delves into the mysterious circumstances surrounding her great-aunt's death, she uncovers the secrets and deceptions of a previous generation. But someone does not want her to discover the truth about either family's past and that someone may kill to stop her.
However great the danger, Stephanie knows that she must uncover the secrets that lie beneath the ancient roof of Knox Manor.
Why I Chose This Book / What I Think So Far:
This was another book I had seen on Ripley's Booklist. The synopsis really interested me and I'm really looking forward to diving into this book. It seems like a perfect book to read while I'm stuck inside thanks to yesterday/today's continued snow storm. I'm really liking this book so far and I can't wait to find out the origin of the feud between Stephanie and James's families. James is swoonworthy and Stephanie is a great main character.
Update: I finished this book this afternoon; here are my thoughts: This book has it all: mystery, romance, sexy musicians, historical backstories, and a shady art dealer. This book grips you from the beginning and keeps you turning pages. The reason of the feud between James and Stephanie's families is only the tip of the iceberg and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the ending. A really great read.
My rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Here's what else I read since last week...
Cogling by Jordan Elizabeth
Blurb:
When fifteen-year-old Edna Mather tears an expensive and unfamiliar pocket watch off her little brother’s neck, he crumbles into a pile of cogs right before her eyes. Horrified, Edna flees for help, but encounters Ike, a thief who attempts to steal the watch before he realizes what it is: a device to power Coglings—clockwork changelings left in place of stolen children who have been forced to work in factories.
Desperate to rescue her brother, Edna sets off across the kingdom to the hags’ swamp, with Ike in tow. There, they learn Coglings are also replacing nobility so the hags can stage a rebellion and rule over humanity. Edna and Ike must stop the revolt, but the populace believes hags are helpful godmothers and healers. No one wants to believe a lowly servant and a thief, especially when Ike has secrets that label them both as traitors.
Together, Edna and Ike must make the kingdom trust them or stop the hags themselves, even if Ike is forced to embrace his dark heritage and Edna must surrender her family.
What I Thought of This Book:
I received a free copy of Cogling in exchange for an honest review.
After a hag takes fifteen-year-old Edna’s brother in the middle of the night and replaces him with a “cogling”, a sort-of clone version of the child made up of cogs and held together by a watch; Edna knows there’s something wrong with her brother the next morning. He is not acting like himself at all.
It isn’t until the butler of their employer spots a fancy watch around Harrison’s neck and Edna is forced to take Harrison home where she pulls the watch from his neck and he disintegrates into a pile of cogs that she learns the horrible truth.
But how could this happen? Nobody believes what Edna is trying to tell them, not her neighbor, nor the man at the theater where her mother works, and especially not the police. Then she encounters Ike, a thief out to rob her of the watch she holds… as the whole awful story spills out of her she finally finds not only someone to believe her, but someone who knows what is happening.
Ike tells Edna that children are being kidnapped by hags and are being forced to work in their factories. Coglings are left in these kidnapped children’s places. The police and the King seem either oblivious or unwilling to do anything. Ike agrees to take her to the hag’s factory in the swamps so Edna can save her brother… for a price.
As Edna and Ike set off on their journey they travel into the seedier side of the world. Will Edna be able to save Harrison? And is Ike someone she can really trust? Especially when Edna learns the huge secret that Ike is keeping about his true identity and his real motivation to help her?
I liked this book. Ike was my favorite character by far. The story was interesting overall and it’s not the type of book I usually read, so it was a nice change. If you’re a fan of steampunk you’ll gobble this book up!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
