#AtoZChallenge 2019 #Audiobooks ‘C’ is for C. J. Archer @CJ_Archer @Audible #TuesdayBookBlog #Fantasy

I’m thrilled to continue my AtoZ Blogging challenge with another of my favourite writers, C. J. Archer is an Australian author of historical fantasy and mystery novels.

I don’t normally read fantasy novels, especially not a ten book series, which I never expected to finish! So far I’ve read the first five, and I’m looking forward to gradually working my way through them in between contemporary psychological thrillers!

l’ll be totally honest with you, I didn’t expect to like this book, so why did I start the series? Well, I love Victorian fiction, I don’t mind fantasy that’s rooted, at least partly, in some form of reality, I love the covers, (aren’t they stunning?) The title of book one was intriguing (what’s a necromancer?), the blurb drew me in, and book one was free, so nothing would be lost, except my time, and if I hadn’t liked it, I wouldn’t have given it more than thirty minutes to convince me to continue reading (that’s my maximum, sorry, life’s short and there are so many books to read).

This is the AUTHOR’S NOTE, which was a great incentive for me:

If you like some or all of the following then you’ll enjoy THE LAST NECROMANCER: plot twists, waifs, assassins, secret societies, supernatural or paranormal fantasies with romantic elements, feisty heroines, cold-hearted heroes who melt, a slow-burn romance, ghost stories, a dash of humor, mysteries, history, quirky secondary characters, strong female characters, dissident noblemen, Victorian London.

****

Well, I didn’t need half an hour, the first paragraph of the first novel drew me right into the story. I checked on Audible and saw that there was a boxed set available with the first three novels, over 26 hours of listening. I listened to a sample and loved the narrator, Shiromi Arserio’s voice, so I bought it with my monthly credit and enjoyed every minute of the story!

Here’s my review of Book 1

It’s such a fun series, with likeable characters, nasty villains who get what they deserve, intricate plots, fantasy mixed with steam punk, mystery, the supernatural, and a sweet, ongoing romance.

Here’s the blurb:

A waif, her abductor and a twist you won’t see coming.

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.

****

The Ministry of Curiosities Series is an escapist read, especially for lovers of historical fantasy with supernatural elements, set in Victorian England.

C J Archer’s Audible Author Page

What? You’ve never read an Audiobook? Here are my 34 reasons why you should be reading audiobooks! 

I’ll be reviewing an audiobook a day throughout April, so come back tomorrow!

Would you like to read about the other authors and audiobooks I’ve posted about during the challenge, which started on 1st April? Here they are!

Find out more about this blogging challenge here!