Review of Vow of Deception by C. J. Archer

December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Vow of Deception
Ministry of Curiosities Book 9
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Historical Fantasy, Gaslamp Fantasy
Number of Pages: 308

Date Started: December 7, 2017
Date Finished: December 8, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
With the wedding only days away, the Ministry is thrown into turmoil when another murder is committed by a shape-shifter. But this time the newspapers make the connection to werewolves – and the Ministry. Suddenly the attention is focused on Lichfield Towers and its residents as the police investigate and parliament wants to shut the organization down. It could spell the end of everything Charlie has come to love. As the authorities close in and ministry secrets are exposed, past allies can no longer be trusted. Can Charlie save her home, her loved ones, and herself? Or will she lose Lincoln and her friends forever?

Review:
Oh. My. Goodness! So many enemies, so much intrigue, and far too perfect a conclusion that we’ve been waiting for so long to see. Alliances were tested, some broken, some strengthened. The near ending nastiness was not something I expected, but for karma–it was well deserved.

While I have been looking forward to this last installment, and getting to know if Lincoln and Charlie will ever get a happily ever after, I have to say I’m quite excited for a tenth book! I have many predictions of what might happen in Wonderland, but I am not sure if they’ll come true.

C. J. Archer is such a great, wonderful person on top of being a great author. She has a fan group on Facebook, CJ Archer’s Ministry of Fans, where people who like her books can talk about them, and Ms. Archer interacts with her fans frequently (which makes her even more endearing). If you are like me and adore her books, join the group and chat with like minded individuals.

Author Biography: (From Amazon)
C.J. Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. While she has written historical romance in the past, she now writes exclusively in the historical fantasy genre (with a large dose of romance). She has several series which occur in the same Victorian-era “world”, one after the other. Each series can be read alone, but it’s more fun to start at the beginning with THE EMILY CHAMBERS SPIRIT MEDIUM TRILOGY. Follow that up with all 9 FREAK HOUSE books, then the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES series. GLASS AND STEELE, her newest series, is set in an entirely different alternate Victorian London.

Subscribe to C.J.’s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book, as well as get access to exclusive content and subscriber-only giveaways. Join via her website: http://www.cjarcher.com

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Review of Veiled in Moonlight by C. J. Archer

June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Veiled in Moonlight

The Ministry of Curiosities Book 8
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Historical Fantasy, Historical Romance
Number of Pages: 320

Date Started: June 20, 2017
Date Finished: June 23, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon) Veiled in Moonlight
When a young gentleman is murdered by a shape shifter, Charlie and Lincoln interrogate their contacts and uncover a plot with links to the royal family—and links to more than one member of the ministry’s committee. At the heart of the mystery is a sinister love triangle, corruption, lies, and treason. As they close in on their suspects, the dangers close in on them, and Lincoln’s protective instincts come to the fore, setting Charlie on edge. The last time he worried this much, he sent her away from her home and the people she loved…

Review:
This novel let us see more of many of our favourite characters, but in my opinion, never enough of Gus and Cook! (I was really rooting for Cook to walk her down the aisle– there’s still time!) Lady Vickers is slowly becoming more understood, and while Julia might finally be getting her just desserts… I don’t think she’s truly learned from her downfall.

There were plenty of times during this novel that I worried Lincoln might regress to the way he was before, might push Charlie away and call everything off. Realizing everything in your life has changed in a short time can’t be easy for someone who was as bottled up as Lincoln.Alice’s rabbit makes an appearance, so when a prophesy is told saying to beware of the queen, I thought it natural to assume they didn’t mean the current queen, though this will likely be resolved in the next novel.

This book read too fast, and while there were great spots of character and relationship development for Alice and Seth, I wish the novel had been longer. Anyone who has been following this series, like me, cannot wait for the wedding of Charlie and Lincoln! Of course, I think another wedding might not be out of the picture either between our Ministry friends.

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Review of Of Fate and Phantoms by C. J. Archer

January 30, 2017 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Of Fate and Phantoms
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 7
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 128

Date Started: January 25, 2017
Date Finished: January 27, 2017

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
As Charlie and Lincoln’s lives settle into a harmonious pattern, a new threat arises that could have far reaching effects for the royal family and Lincoln’s parents. When a seer warns the Prince of Wales that his life is in danger, only Charlie and Lincoln take her seriously. After all, what sensible person would believe a gypsy who claims the danger will come in the form of the prince’s dead father? A meeting at the palace sets them on a path that takes Charlie back to her old haunts in the London slums, on the hunt for a man who can change his appearance. The new threat is their most dangerous yet, but for Lincoln, the biggest concern isn’t confronting the shape-changer or meeting his parents for the first time, it’s whether Charlie will put his engagement ring on her finger.

Review:
Ah, my favourite literary couple, how I get to join your life once more. This book, like the others in the Ministry of Curiosities series, was wonderful. There were a few editorial errors but that in no way diminishes from the storyline.

I loved that we got to see more of Gilly’s wife and see how Lincoln and Charlie would try to help someone who is different, like them, yet in a horrible position. I absolutely loved getting to see Charlie in action again, doing the boyish things she once did, even though she’s put on some weight so she isn’t quite as slender as before, and that no matter what’s happened, Charlie still cares about her gang and wishes she could do more for them. There were a lot of secondary characters and side plots going on, but I felt that added to Lincoln and Charlie’s dynamic.

It is great to see Lincoln trust Charlie’s judgments and allow her to help him on cases. While it is nice to see Lincoln become more man and less mechanic, in some ways it seems he is becoming a completely different person altogether. It would have been nice for them to have a few more scenes of development, but I was quite pleased with the interactions between the two throughout the novel, and I quite love the ending.

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Review of From the Ashes by C. J. Archer

August 24, 2016 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

From the Ashes
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 6
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 308

Date Started: August 23, 2016
Date Finished: August 23, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
When Charlie returns to Lichfield, she steps into chaos. The killer is still on the loose, Lady Harcourt’s secret is out, Seth and Gus are gone, and Lady Vickers has come to stay. But nothing compares to the chaos inflicted on Charlie’s heart by seeing Lincoln every day.

Despite their frequent clashes, Lincoln and Charlie manage to work together to narrow their list of suspects. No one can be trusted, especially not the members of the committee who are not what they seem. Long buried pasts are dug up as Charlie and Lincoln attempt to restore peace to Lichfield.

But when danger enters her home, Charlie’s world is shattered.

Review:
I have come to realize I will never get enough of Charlie. I absolutely adore this series, and this is one of my absolute favourite novels in the series thus far. Every character is so well developed with such depth that the reader cannot help but empathize, even with the ones who might be villains (most of the time).

The reader gets a better glimpse at Lady Harcourt’s true nature, as well as a more intense understanding of the others that make up The Ministry of Curiosities. Although Lichfield is growing more full, it still has an intimate feel, and the characters realize more about how they work together, and how they feel about each other.

When I started the novel I was a bit worried at the angle it seemed to take, which was different from where Charlie and Lincoln’s supernatural stories tend to go, but the tying in of characters and situations when Charlie was away was expertly done. Despite my irritation with Lincoln’s actions and thoughts in the past novel, I do truly feel he redeemed himself. Charlie and Lincoln remain my favourite literary couple, and I cannot wait to see them continue to investigate more cases of the supernatural.

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Review of Ashes to Ashes by C. J. Archer

June 28, 2016 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Ashes to Ashes
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 5
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 128

Date Started: June 28, 2016
Date Finished: June 28, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Charlie is gone, and Lincoln finds that Lichfield Towers offers no sanctuary. With reminders of her at every turn, and employees threatening to mutiny, he must try to find the murderer who is killing supernaturals on his own. And keep the murderer away from Charlie.

When the strongman from the visiting Barnum and Bailey’s circus is murdered, Lincoln suspects a link, but piecing together the clues becomes dangerous and difficult work. He can’t afford to be distracted, yet he finds he can’t concentrate fully on the task. Even worse, Seth’s mother, the incomparable Lady Vickers, has come to stay.

ASHES TO ASHES is a bonus novella-length story, told entirely from Lincoln’s point of view. It is shorter than the rest of the books in the Ministry of Curiosities series.

Review:
This book was a complete shift– everything is from Fitzroy’s perspective. This book, unlike the last, doesn’t have a complete conclusion, perhaps in part because Charlie isn’t there. Fitzroy is learning that while he might have gotten along fine on his own, things change when you care about people. Seth, Gus, and Cook take to being Charlie’s champions and one can only hope that Fitzroy will come off his pedestal and realize that he shouldn’t let her go. This book left me with more questions than answers.

I had thought that book six was the end of the series, and that I’d get to soak it up as soon as I finished this one. I was wrong. The sixth book isn’t due out until August 23rd, and there is no mention of the 6th book being the last one. I quite wish I could read more now.

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Review of Grave Expectations by C. J. Archer

June 28, 2016 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Grave Expectations
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 4
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 252

Date Started: June 27, 2016
Date Finished: June 28, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
Charlie’s life is perfect. She has everything her heart desires. Until it all goes horribly wrong.

Charlie and Lincoln return to London to find two supernaturals have been murdered, and Charlie might be next. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the man who adopted her has escaped from prison, and the committee members have just learned some news that infuriates them. Now there’s talk of sending Charlie away again. Far away.

But the worst is yet to come. Charlie is kidnapped and forced to summon one of the murder victims – but she’s unable to send him back. With an angry dead supernatural on the loose and the committee determined to get rid of her, Charlie’s time with the Ministry of Curiosities, and Lincoln, is in grave danger of coming to an end.

Review:
Finally, we see Lincoln drop his defenses and admit his feelings! Unfortunately Charlie might just be high on the list of supernaturals that will be exterminated, and it seems the person behind the supernatural deaths has decided using her adoptive father to “save” her might work well. Charlie shows she is brave and thinks fast in the face of danger and that she works well with both the men in Lincoln’s house, and becoming the mistress of that house. Due in large part to Lincoln’s previous lack of being social, he finds that although she can be quite a help, he isn’t sure he can deal with the potential for her being hurt. The ending made me cry.

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Review of Beyond the Grave by C. J. Archer

June 28, 2016 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Her Majesty’s Necromancer
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 3
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 284

Date Started: June 26, 2016
Date Finished: June 27, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon)
At the request of Lady Harcourt, Charlie and Lincoln begin searching for her missing stepson. Still recovering from her ordeal at the hands of a diabolical villain, Charlie is supposed to be resting. But resting is dull, so she throws herself into the task at hand, much to Lincoln’s frustration.

The search leads them down a dark path littered with family secrets and titillating scandal. Using her necromancy to expose those secrets, Charlie unwittingly raises a spirit with the power to override her control. With a dead body on the loose in London, Charlie and Lincoln must work together to send it back before havoc is unleashed, and the committee members find out.

Because if they do, they will have more ammunition in their fight to send Charlie away from her home and everyone she loves.

Review:
Charlie can’t stand to be idle while those she cares about are off fighting and doing dangerous things. Unfortunately this sometimes leads her to go against what Lincoln has told her to do. Despite learning that her necromancy can’t always be used to help, Charlie knows that her people skills can help get answers far better than some of Lincoln’s tactics. Again, the characterization and tension is perfect, and through this book you begin to see a deeper side of some characters, which reinforces what, as the heroine, is disliked about them to begin with.

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Review of Her Majesty’s Necromancer by C. J. Archer

June 27, 2016 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

Her Majesty’s Necromancer
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 2
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 247

Date Started: June 26, 2016
Date Finished: June 26, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon) her majesty's necromancer
When bodies go missing from the cemetery, Lincoln and the Ministry of Curiosities investigate. But not Charlie. As a housemaid at Lichfield Towers, she doesn’t get involved in Ministry business.

Instead, she conducts investigations of her own. She searches for details about her real mother, and makes inquiries into Lincoln’s background. What she learns has the power to destroy the fragile trust they’ve built, or bring them closer together.

As secrets are revealed, and investigations don’t go as planned, Charlie finds her necromancy sucking her into a whirlpool filled with betrayal, lies and danger.

Review:
Another fantastic book, that was again impossible to put down. I dedicated much of the morning and early afternoon to soaking up this delicious tale. The tension between Charlie and Lincoln continues to sizzle, especially as she begins to gain more independence and strength on her own, as a woman. Charlie is quite resilient and an easy character to become while reading. The characterization is quite well done and each action and reaction is entirely justified– there is never a point where one thinks that anyone is acting out of character. Charlie continues to forge her own path, showing that she can be more than just a pretty face or a maid, and that her ability with people can gain more information than force or looks alone.

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Review of The Last Necromancer by C. J. Archer

June 26, 2016 / authoramysbrown / Leave a comment

The Last Necromancer
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 1
By C. J. Archer

Star Rating:

Genre: Fantasy
Number of Pages: 270

Date Started: June 24, 2016
Date Finished: June 25, 2016

Synopsis: (From Amazon) last necromancer

For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man. Charlie hasn’t raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. That time, her father banished her. This time, she brings even more trouble upon herself.

People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her.

Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly “made” creatures. There was only one known necromancer in the world – Charlotte – but now there appears to be two. Lincoln captures the willful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. But what happens when he discovers the boy is in fact the young woman he’s been searching for all along? And will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will, and for an organization she doesn’t trust?

Because Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they’re hunting.

Review:
Oh my goodness, this book is fantastic and almost impossible to set down once you’ve started. Transported back to Victorian England, this book starts and ends with action packed adventures. Charlie does what has to be done in order to survive, even if she finds it scary, even if she doesn’t necessarily want to, until she’s thrust into a completely new order of people who might understand. Charlie is faced with trying to find herself among the facade she’s built, and learning that what some might see as monstrous makes her different but not necessarily evil. As Charlie has to fight to figure out who she really is she is also faced with a daunting choice of who she should rely on and trust, having to hope she’s made the right decision.

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Vow of Deception Ministry of Curiosities Book 9 By C. J. Archer

The Ministry of Curiosities Book 8 By C. J. Archer

Of Fate and Phantoms The Ministry of Curiosities Book 7 By C. J. Archer

From the Ashes The Ministry of Curiosities Book 6 By C. J. Archer

Ashes to Ashes The Ministry of Curiosities Book 5 By C. J. Archer

Grave Expectations The Ministry of Curiosities Book 4 By C. J. Archer

Her Majesty’s Necromancer The Ministry of Curiosities Book 3 By C. J. Archer

Her Majesty’s Necromancer The Ministry of Curiosities Book 2 By C. J. Archer

The Last Necromancer The Ministry of Curiosities Book 1 By C. J. Archer

Vow of Deception
Ministry of Curiosities Book 9
By C. J. Archer

The Ministry of Curiosities Book 8
By C. J. Archer

Of Fate and Phantoms
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 7
By C. J. Archer

From the Ashes
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 6
By C. J. Archer

Ashes to Ashes
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 5
By C. J. Archer

Grave Expectations
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 4
By C. J. Archer

Her Majesty’s Necromancer
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 3
By C. J. Archer

Her Majesty’s Necromancer
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 2
By C. J. Archer

The Last Necromancer
The Ministry of Curiosities Book 1
By C. J. Archer