The Hollows: A Midnight Gunn novel by C. L. Monaghan review and release blitz

THE HOLLOWS: A MIDNIGHT GUNN NOVEL by Claire Monaghan 

London 1860

Midnight Gunn is no ordinary detective- born during a solar eclipse as Halley's Comet blazed a trail through the sky- his supernatural birthright is both a help and a hindrance when solving crimes.

Detective Inspector Arthur Gredge, of Scotland Yard, is the only one who knows Gunn's secret.

When the body of a young aristocrat is discovered in a backstreet alley, Gredge enlists Gunn’s help in a race to discover the identity of the notorious Spring-heeled Jack- the monster that is terrorising London.

A trail of clues and victims leads them to discover the horrifying truth behind a legend. 

Midnight Gunn: The Hollows, encompasses the thrill of a traditional Gothic mystery with an extra twist of paranormal, a splash of romance and a hint of horror!

Available on all Amazon stores and on Kindle Unlimited

http://mybook.to/thehollows

Jem's review

What an amazing new Gothic mystery read this book was. It took me right back to the books I used to read before I became so obsessed with everything having to be about romance and boy did I forget how much I love reading these types of books.

From the very first page of this book I was dragged right into it's mysterious depths and I didn't put it down until the mystery had been uncovered and I couldn't turn any more pages on my kindle! The Hollows is set in London in the 1860's so that's already a great setting for any author, however this author managed to build her world into that setting so well that I could practically smell all the smells of that time as the characters did and felt as if I was stalking the streets of London right alongside Midnight Gunn whilst trying to work out the mystery. The cast of characters are also well built. Each character is memorable, no matter how small a part they played, and their description and characteristics are well crafted.

Now, down to the crux. Did I enjoy this story even though there was very little romance in It? Well yes! Yes I did enjoy it indeed, in fact I fell in love with it. It was magical, it was heart pounding and it was entertaining. I really didn't put this book down until I'd read it from cover to end and there are not that many books that I manage to read all in one sitting without picking up my phone to check it halfway through, but this is one that managed to capture my attention and I just had to know what was going to happen next. It is definitely a page turner of a book. If you're worried that you won't enjoy this book as there is very little romance, then don't be. Trust me, give this book a try as you won't notice the romance missing, also there will be other books in this series so there is plenty scope for the future.

The Hollows: A Midnight Gunn novel gets the full five stars from me. I really enjoyed reading this book and know that it's one I will pick up to re read again. I also can't wait to read the next one in the series to see what will happen next for our intrepid hero and his friends. This really is a must read book.

About the author

C.L. Monaghan was born and raised in Lincolnshire in the UK. Aged 8 she moved to Sth Africa (a land of adventure!) with her parents where she befriended a mother cheetah and her cubs, chased gigantic dragonflies after the rain and watched the most incredible forked lightning split the sky!

A headstrong tomboy; she climbed trees and rooftops to read books from a very early age. Her childhood favourites were Enid Blyton's The Enchanted Forest, The Wishing Chair, Famous Five and Mallory Towers.

Discovering The Hobbit began a lifelong fascination with Tolkien and the fantasy genre.
In 2000 C.L. Monaghan attended Lincoln University and gained her B.A. Honours degree in History and English Literature. From there it has been her ambition to write her own adventures to share with fellow book lovers. Her debut book 'Immaginario' was placed as a finalist in the 2017 IAN Book of the Year Awards.
She lives in her home town in Lincolnshire with her husband, 3 boys, 5 cats (it's customary for writers to own several cats) and Casper the miniature schnauzer.

C. L. Monaghan's stalker links

Author page:- www.clmonaghan.com

Facebook Page:- https://www.facebook.com/Joesbookbar/

Mahooligans Street Team page:- https://www.facebook.com/groups/1881184062098171/

Reviews of Haven by Karen Lynch

Haven (Relentless Series Book 5) by Karen Lynch

Things are going well for Roland Greene. High school is behind him, he has a sweet new ride, a good job, and he’s making plans for his future. At eighteen, he’s one of the strongest werewolves in his pack, and he already has more vampire kills than most wolves have in a lifetime. Life is good. Almost.

It’s time for the annual pack gathering. Wolves from all over Maine come to take care of pack business and socialize – and to find mates. Everywhere Roland turns there are unmated females, and as the Alpha’s nephew, he’s prime mate material. The last thing he wants right now is a mate, and he’ll do all he can to stay a free wolf.

Until he meets her.

Amazon UK

Haven

Amazon US

Haven

Pam's Review

I'm a huge fan of the Relentless series, I've re read the first 4 books countless times and I never tire of the story or the world the books are set in. I couldn't wait to get my hands on Roland's story because I've always loved him and Peter, I'm also a total sucker for werewolves and in a market were werewolf books are a dime a dozen I was intrigued to see what Karen's take on it would be. This book is everything I hoped it would be, it is different from the previous books, it's definitely more of a love story than the action packed thrill ride of the others but there is still lots of depth to the plot and I was gripped by the story. The Pack are wonderful and all the new characters we get to meet are just perfectly written, and I loved getting to know Maxwell, Brendan, Francis and a few others better, everything about how Karen has written their lives is how I image a werewolf pack to be....it's totally believable! She's definitely created a world in its own right separate from Sara's world and I'm really hoping Karen considers writing more books set in the Pack in the future....there is a certain rather grumpy werewolf I'd love to have his own book!!

There are lots of cameos in this book from other characters in the series which works brilliantly at giving us a little tease as to what they are all up to. This book is a dual POV story which is a new element to the series, I think Karen has totally nailed it....Roland is funny, charming, warm, thoughtful, and most importantly he doesn't know everything, he gets things wrong and he's still trying to figure out who he is....like most young adults. I'm not saying anything about 'the girl' because I want you to be as surprised and excited as I was!

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this book has been the return to New Hastings and The Knolls, although only Relentless was actually set here Karen did such a phenomenal job with the world building that I felt I knew every detail about this place! Reading this book and returning to this town gave me serious warm and fuzzy feelings lol, I want to live here!! I've only ever felt this connected to the place in a story once before, Hogwarts, were the place becomes it's own character, it's truly magical writing!! I want to walk on the wharfs, drink coffee in The Hub, have lunch in the diner and paint in Sara's apartment....who wants to join me?

This is another 5 star book from Karen, I wish I could give it a million stars! Well done Karen 😀❤️📚

Jem's review 

I think like many others I'm a massive Karen Lynch fan. Her Relentless series is just something magical. It's one of those series that I can just read over and over again and never get bored of. So overall that makes for some pretty high expectations that Karen Lynch had from everyone when it came to writing Haven. But you know what, she's more than lived up to those expectations and has bought us another magical experience.

Now, for anyone going into this book expecting another Sara & Nikolas story ram packed full of action and adventure, well stop right there! This is Roland's story and he has a different one to tell.

For me, this book is a much more emotional tale. It's a story of growing up, finding who you are and where your place is in this world. It's also a tale of forgiveness, hope and new beginnings. I found the title of this book, Haven, to be very apt for the situations and actions in this book. However, all of this doesn't mean to say that there was no suspense and or action in this book as there most definitely was. At certain points the suspense of not know where the story was going next and what would happen had me gripping my kindle so tight I was afraid I was going to break it!

I loved that we got to revisit New Hastings. There is just something about the way Karen describes the place that it just makes me want to pack up my bags and go move there straight away. This time around we got to see more of the place than we did with Sara's books. We also got to see more of the Knolls, which seeing as this is Roland's book shouldn't really be a surprise, and I loved it. Karen's world building in her books is just sublime. She doesn't go into too much detail, but she makes you feel as though you are there when reading. She made me feel like I was home, and for an author to do something like that is quite rare.

Now to the characters, I'm not going to spoil anything for you by telling you who the love interest is in this book as that's for you to discover yourself. But, I will tell you that this book is written from dual point of views, so you get to see both of their thoughts and feelings. We see quite a few familiar faces in this book who were in the first Relentless book and I enjoyed getting to know more of them and see then from a different perspective and view than Sara's. We also had a few cameos of our favourite characters in this book which gave a warning feeling like you were welcoming back old friends. There were also some laugh out loud moments from these said cameos, and other moments in the book. Roland has grown and changed a great deal from when we first me him at the beginning. I was never a great Roland fan to start off with, however as the series progressed I grew to like him. In Haven, he really has come in to his own. He no longer wants to be the life and soul of the party with a different girl on his arm each night. He's looking towards his future and he's thinking about what is right before running off or making decisions. I found myself several times forgetting that he's only 18 not 28! Roland is a character that I've grown to love and Haven really was him becoming who he's meant to be.

Overall this book is a guaranteed five stars from me. This is a must read book of the year and one that I think every fan of the Relentless series needs to read. I'll admit that I'm not a big werewolf fan! Of all the shifters, werewolves are my least favourite (with dragons being my top shifters) however I didn't let that put me off picking up this book, because come on, it's Karen Lynch and why wouldn't I want to read anything she's written! I don't think the werewolf theme was overdone in this book at all and as I got further into the story I almost found myself forgetting they were werewolves. So don't let that put you off picking up this book. Trust me when I say this is one of those books you don't want to miss. But also trust me when I say to have a pack of tissues handy whilst reading as you'll be crying tears of joy and sadness. Now go ahead and read this book and step back into the magical world that the genius Karen Lynch has created.

Jem's review of Storm by Ednah Walters

Pirates no longer roam the seas.
Phantom Islands don’t exist.

Nanny to a wealthy family, eighteen-year old Alexandria “Lexi” Greendale sends most of what she earns home to support her disabled brother. She is determined to help him get the surgery he needs to walk again. Her dreams come to an abrupt halt when she rescues a man from drowning. How does he repay her? Captain Storm Orath abducts her, claims her as his chosen mate, and takes her to a magical island that is centuries behind times with barbaric customs.

For Lexi to make it home to her family, she must fight the lure of the man and the island he controls or stay trapped forever.

This is Part I of a 3-Part Upper YA and New Adult Serial about a woman and her journey of discovery, adventure, and unforgettable love

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Phantom-Islanders-Part-I-ebook/dp/B01MYEN77O/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Storm-Phantom-Islanders-Part-I-ebook/dp/B01MYEN77O/

Jem's review

Ok, I'll admit that I am a humongous Ednah Walters fan and have loved every single thing that she has written so far. Storm however is something completely different from her previous books so I will admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first when I heard pirates mentioned. Yes, I enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean but reading about them is completely different to watching a movie on the screen and I have never really been drawn to picking up a pirate book before.


Oh, how Ednah Walters has completely thrown my thoughts on that straight into the water. Storm has stamped all over my original thoughts of pirate books and shown me how wrong I was! Storm swept me right up into it's clutches and had me consuming the book in one sitting. I loved it, no I floved it. I don't think I can wax lyrical enough about how much I enjoyed this book. After I put it down I went back and re read it all over again. The characters are just so well built and put together that they feel real. The world building is amazing, I mean I felt like I could smell the salty sea air at times and that I was in that ship's cabin right along with Lexi, feeling all that she was feeling.

I love that Ednah hasn't shown Lexi, the main female character, to suddenly be falling happily into place with the sudden changes she experiences in this book. Ednah shows that she's scared of what's happening around her and makes her feelings and apprehension of the new strange world real to us, and I think that's what made me enjoy this book even more because it felt realistic.

Now Storm is a serial, which means that this book is a little shorter than you may be expecting and that it may feel like it ends sooner than you thought, however essentially it's just a massive book that's been split into three separate books. I know that these books will also be relþeased in quite quick succession so that shouldn't really take away any of your enjoyment from what is an amazing read.

This part of the serial gets the full five stars from me (and if I could give it more then I would). I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to get my grabby little hands on book two. A tremendous job has been done with this book by Ednah Walters and I congratulate you in changing my mind on pirates, thank you