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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
*ambivalent hand wave*
Opens with the discovery of a young woman's murdered and violated body in a church. She was an actress and a sex worker with a rich clientele, which I assume is why the authorities cared? That and political shenanigans. Anyway, least favorite plotline! I was tempted to nope out but kept reading while trying to decide, and before I knew it I was a quarter of the way through.
Competent writing. All of the tropes you might expect by throwing the words Regency and sex crime murder mystery together. Nothing particularly surprised me, but I am considering reading more in the series. Maybe. But I'm going to scan reviews first.
Opens with the discovery of a young woman's murdered and violated body in a church. She was an actress and a sex worker with a rich clientele, which I assume is why the authorities cared? That and political shenanigans. Anyway, least favorite plotline! I was tempted to nope out but kept reading while trying to decide, and before I knew it I was a quarter of the way through.
Competent writing. All of the tropes you might expect by throwing the words Regency and sex crime murder mystery together. Nothing particularly surprised me, but I am considering reading more in the series. Maybe. But I'm going to scan reviews first.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
got sucked into this series. I started with book 10 in the series, Who Buries the Dead in November 2021. I had bought that at the Seattle Mystery Bookshop while on vacation.
Good thing is that I wasn't lost when reading book 10 first. They can stand alone. So now I went back to book 1 and it's fun seeing how it all started and knowing where some characters are headed. It's like seeing the prequels after the originals, only these books really were released in chronological order.
I think it is obvious that I am invested in these characters being that only a month later I went back to book 1. I want to see how they developed into the people they are when I met them in book 10 (maybe I'll even reread book 10) and then once I have caught up, continue on.
I love the historical fiction aspect because I like learning about the start of the Regency period and the war with France.
I like the pacing and trying to figure out the who-done-it and the red herrings. It's a real page turner. I've made a bunch of little notes and even wrote down who did to it, incase I forget in the future.
I think I'll read one book from this series either once a month or every other month. Just an intriguing page turner.
5 out of 5 Fugitives.
Good thing is that I wasn't lost when reading book 10 first. They can stand alone. So now I went back to book 1 and it's fun seeing how it all started and knowing where some characters are headed. It's like seeing the prequels after the originals, only these books really were released in chronological order.
I think it is obvious that I am invested in these characters being that only a month later I went back to book 1. I want to see how they developed into the people they are when I met them in book 10 (maybe I'll even reread book 10) and then once I have caught up, continue on.
I love the historical fiction aspect because I like learning about the start of the Regency period and the war with France.
I like the pacing and trying to figure out the who-done-it and the red herrings. It's a real page turner. I've made a bunch of little notes and even wrote down who did to it, incase I forget in the future.
I think I'll read one book from this series either once a month or every other month. Just an intriguing page turner.
5 out of 5 Fugitives.
3 1/2 stars. Very good historical mystery - liked the main character, well developed. Did not like his live interest , Kat Boleyn - lets hope she does not appear in future episodes. Well researched . Will continue with the series
An intriguing and somewhat gruesome murder mystery. The politics woven into the story helped ground the book in its Regency era setting: King George III’s son is set to become prince regent and Britain and France are in conflict. I’m used to reading Regency romances that lack historical context and could really be set in any vague historical time period. These historical details really helped to immerse myself in the story. I think I should start prioritizing reading historical mysteries or historical fiction more, because I miss that sense of place.
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed Davina Porter’s narration. She had distinct inflections and accents for each character so I never had trouble keeping up with who was saying what. I especially liked the ‘husky’ voice she did for Kat. I have in the past listened to samples of Porter reading the [b:Outlander|10964|Outlander (Outlander, #1)|Diana Gabaldon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529065012l/10964._SY75_.jpg|2489796] books, but didn’t like what I heard. So, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to this. I’ve been converted to a Porter fan. (I started listening to [b:A Breath of Snow and Ashes|10965|A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)|Diana Gabaldon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388197203l/10965._SY75_.jpg|1750497] immediately after finishing this.)
The biggest detractor for me was the underdeveloped characters. We get the point of view of so many people, which works to serve the mystery plot, but doesn’t work to connect with any particular characters, even Sebastian. It seemed like we were only given a surface level idea of who Sebastian is. Perhaps the plan is to slowly unveil the depths of his character as the series progresses. I hope that’s the case. Because I didn’t feel a strong connection to Sebastian, I also didn’t feel invested in his romance with Kat. I wish his love interest wasn’t someone from his past, because we missed out on seeing the organic growth of that relationship. Instead, the reader is asked to buy into them as a couple as soon as Kat is introduced, merely because we’re told that they were former lovers. I didn’t buy it.
I do plan to continue this series and will probably listen to some, but not all. Unfortunately, I’ve got a bunch of other books higher up in the queue, so it may be a while before I try book 2, [b:When Gods Die|39148|When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr, #2)|C.S. Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200754l/39148._SY75_.jpg|38858].
I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed Davina Porter’s narration. She had distinct inflections and accents for each character so I never had trouble keeping up with who was saying what. I especially liked the ‘husky’ voice she did for Kat. I have in the past listened to samples of Porter reading the [b:Outlander|10964|Outlander (Outlander, #1)|Diana Gabaldon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529065012l/10964._SY75_.jpg|2489796] books, but didn’t like what I heard. So, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to this. I’ve been converted to a Porter fan. (I started listening to [b:A Breath of Snow and Ashes|10965|A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)|Diana Gabaldon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388197203l/10965._SY75_.jpg|1750497] immediately after finishing this.)
The biggest detractor for me was the underdeveloped characters. We get the point of view of so many people, which works to serve the mystery plot, but doesn’t work to connect with any particular characters, even Sebastian. It seemed like we were only given a surface level idea of who Sebastian is. Perhaps the plan is to slowly unveil the depths of his character as the series progresses. I hope that’s the case. Because I didn’t feel a strong connection to Sebastian, I also didn’t feel invested in his romance with Kat. I wish his love interest wasn’t someone from his past, because we missed out on seeing the organic growth of that relationship. Instead, the reader is asked to buy into them as a couple as soon as Kat is introduced, merely because we’re told that they were former lovers. I didn’t buy it.
I do plan to continue this series and will probably listen to some, but not all. Unfortunately, I’ve got a bunch of other books higher up in the queue, so it may be a while before I try book 2, [b:When Gods Die|39148|When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr, #2)|C.S. Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200754l/39148._SY75_.jpg|38858].
3/16/2008 read this in hardcover while sitting in hospital with Grandma Betty Johnson few weeks before she died. I finished it there and then lent it to Dad to read. Reread 2/28/2014
Somewhat interesting, but I probably won't read the rest of the series.
The first 2/3 of the book was a hike, it's rather unfortunate that I only gained interest in the last third. I'm actually quite intrigued by this series, to my surprise!
Interesting plot, slightly romanticized characters, and a good eye for historical details!