An enjoyable King and Maxwell story
354356
Another suspenseful King and Maxwell saga. Lots of intrigue. A fun read.
1248810
Gillian Gill has written a lovely book; by providing facts and dispelling fictitious stories about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, I came away with a better understanding of these two historical figures as well as this married couple. It's nice to find that just as we commoners, the Queen and Prince had their ups and downs and moments of struggle. What is at the heart of the story is the love they had for one another. Well written, it made what could have been a droll, dragged on recount of their history, you get a true glimpse into the lives of two very private people told in such a way that kept me interested and riveted.
3730701
The book is told not only from the Queen's perspective but also from that of some of her attendants. When they discover that she has maybe taken the train to Scotland, they follow suit in pairs. What follows is a story about modern England, about old values, becoming friends, homosexuality, war trauma's and a lost son.

The plot is a bit on the light side and the fun of this book comes from the way it is written and from the way the characters relate to each other. A butler and an equerry partially come out of the closet that they never knew they were in. A lady in waiting and a dresser who loathed each other for years travel together and become friends. The Queen herself learns to talk to common people and about the price of a train ticket to the North.

It was a pleasure to read this book. Recommended to anyone who likes a well-written, but light and gentle read.
4346572
I enjoyed this book, and think it makes a good companion read to In the Land of Invisible Women, which is the story of an American female doctor of Pakistani origin. These 2 authors were in Saudi Arabia at about the same time. The strange social stratification by gender and by country of origin is explored in both books. Mr Notestine writes a good story, his very casual writing style did not bother me. It is amazing how close he got to the Crown Prince. It is not surprising to me that the Crown Prince chose paramedics to attend him, since they are people of quick action, much more used to emergency response than most doctors.
4109123
King and Maxwell carry their assignment with dignity and the reader is left in no doubt that the conclusion will be reached with satisfaction-no loose ends.
These two make a good team ..
4599986
I enjoyed reading Kings. Moves along at a nice pace with unexpected twists and turns and I look forward to reading the following in the series
2571294
I remember when King's Envoy by Cas Peace was originally released. The cover etched into my mind. Maybe it was the colors used, which are very pleasing, or the beast, Tangwyr (hopefully I got that right). The cover captured a great early scene from the book. I was delighted that the writing was even better than the cover it was bound in. It is written in a clean, concise style that's easy to follow. Cas Peace does a great job building characters (especially Taran) and makes it easy for you to step into their shoes.

I had some trouble following the story early on. Maybe it was me, maybe it was a slightly jarring switch of POV. I say that, though I love George RR Martin so how could I complain really? By the time of Taran's duel, I didn't want to put King's Envoy down. You fall into a politically intriguing tale that pits two realms against one another. The realms are well built and you can tell that Ms Peace paid attention to detail in her world building.

King's Envoy takes you down an enjoyable, memorable ride as a reader and makes you want to keep reading the series of Artesans of Albia.
2648830
David Baldacci keeps you reading in this King & Maxwell tale as Michelle is facing her own demons as well as the job.
2030072
"The God of the Hive" takes up the story begun in "The Language of Bees," and is the latest entry in King's suspense series featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes.  I am a serious fan of King's series, although I will confess some books in the series have been less impressive than others.  This is not the case with either "The Language of Bees" or "The God of the Hive."  A caveat though:  while you do not need to go back to the first book in the series to follow this story, reading "The Language of Bees" first is more or less essential.

"The God of the Hive" takes up the story, then, and opens at a scene in which Mary Russell is carrying Estelle Adler, three and a half year old daughter of Damian Adler away from a murder scene while her husband, Sherlock Holmes, whisks seriously wounded (and recently discovered) son, Damian away across the sea in a borrowed fishing boat.  Russell has flown to the scene in a prop plane-- this is 1924 -- and her companion, Javitz, a retired American RAF pilot waits for her.  Meanwhile, Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother, has been abducted by a mysterious assailant.  The story alternates between these three narratives and in her usual expert manner, King manages to bring all three narratives together nicely -- although the well-crafted suspense of the narratives kept me reading late into the night.

Also notable in this wonderful tale is King's honed ability to create three-dimensional, often very quirky characters at the same time that she stays true to the Sherlock Holmes legend.  A shellshocked war veteran living in a green forest and a female Scottish doctor become integral to the story -- and they are enjoyable characters to get to know.

I highly recommend this outing into the wonderful Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series.
58526
One of the best King books I've read. Was glad to see he still had something up his sleeve after the disappointment that was 'Cell'. Though the book is a bit long, I flew through it as I found King's ability to describe the ordinary and mundane really helped bring the story along. My only gripe is that the mini-series that's being released by Hulu seems to detract from all the qualities that made this story so great.
2796109
Admittedly, for me, the first half of the story proceeded rather slowly.  That's the buildup of the story.  Once in motion, it really took off.  The characters, often it seemed, did some illogical things, but that's fiction.  And I give the last quarter or so of the book great marks for invoking the emotions of the reader.  At least it did for me.  If you are following the series, do not stop at this one.  And I realize I'm rather late to this series, but will read it on through the current King and Maxwell story.  So 2 to go to be current.
987946
Maxwell does not disappoint. This adventure and compasses three kingdoms, a great sea that needs to be traversed (complete with serpents); a dying kings thirst for Gold, a young princess who yearns to learn how to fight, and a young second son who learns that he is something very different then a prince. A captivating read. Character development is  a little weak but the plot is well paced & has some good twists
495073
Black is a modern day play on the fairytale "Beauty and the Beast".  Whilst this book is a nice romance, and an enjoyable read it wasn't one that I absolutely loved.
The book features and insta-love between Elle and Maxwell.  It's very well written for a debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Elle and Maxwell both have secrets and whilst they are both strong, they are also quite vulnerable. They are both scarred, Elle on the inside whilst Maxwell wears his scars. Their paths have lead them to this point in time.
This romance has heat, suspense and a little bit of angst with a happy ever after.
2618740
The book was a good addition to the King and Maxwell series. While it wasn't as fleshed out as some of the previous entries, it still provided the same thrill. The storyline, particularly the motivation of the antagonist was a bit far fetched but we receive more information on the backstory of our favorite P.I.s, particularly King. Love to say they finally get together but that will just have to wait for another installment.
3634357
4.5 star review:

I gobbled this up in two sittings, and really liked it, though something at the end didn't sit well with me.

SPOILER ALERT:
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Sophie agrees to her father's plan to trap King in a marriage to save her dad's business and her sisters place in the aristocracy. After talking to her sister Sera, Sophie decides not to go ahead with the plan, but she still goes to King's room to tell him she loves him and makes love to him, knowing that her father would come to King's room to catch them together in a compromising situation and thus force King to marry Sophie. Did I misinterpret this? Sophie knew what was going to happen if she went to King's bedroom, and even though she didn't want to trap him into marriage anymore, she still went along and put King in that position. Or she could've gone to her father first to tell him she didn't want to carry on with the plan to trap King into marriage?

Also, not sure if Sophie's sister Sera is a future heroine in this series, but a word on what happened to her would have been nice in the epilogue as well!

However, all things considered this was a fun road trip story with fun characters, a swoon worthy hero and a feisty heroine, who refuses to fit into the aristocracy's mold.
4967667
I gave this book 5 stars because I enjoy the author's further development of the main characters in this particular series. If you like this book you may also enjoy the Kingfountain series.
549436
This story was a good read, but a little different from most of Maxwell's other books. Here, we have a flawed heroine and a nurturing hero. We come to see the grown of Leonie - as she faces demons from her past and present. We also have a hero (Roman) who learns to truly accept his love as she is, and that sometimes strength means standing back - instead of charging in. I hope we are given a peek into their future as we follow the stories of the other two Spinster Heiresses.