So this year, I’m doing something different with my reading. Usually, ever since I’ve had my handy kindle app, I’ve downloaded free novels from indie authors. I’d read the novel and leave a review, to help out an indie author. But this year, I’m going to tackle whole series. If the first novel merits five stars, in my opinion, then I’ll buy the next. I decided to start with the oldest novels on my kindle, books I’ve downloaded as long as three years ago. My goal is also to clean the books off my kindle app as I go. I give every novel 10 pages or so to hook me. If it doesn’t, goodbye. Right now I have 282 books on my kindle app. Let’s see how well I do this year.
I’m also going to review the series I read that I think other readers would enjoy.
So without further ado, here’s the first series that took me most of February to finish.
The Watchmen Saga by Kathleen C. Perrin. The Keys of the Watchmen, The Sword of the Maiden, and The Secret of the Abbey. I’d have to say this series could be described as a history of the Mont Saint Michel and it’s abbey, along with some pivotal moments in French history, plus, deep historic Christian religious controversy disguised as an epic time travel adventure with two heroes who are willing to put their love on hold to save the world. Each novel covers an epic moment in the mount’s/French history. The first novel thwarts a siege on the mount, the second novel involves Joan of Arc (which was pretty cool), and the third novel dives into the history surrounding Catherine de' Medici and the protestant and catholic conflicts. It is all really cool.
Now here’s the clincher. The author dives into long passages of history. But this didn’t make me put the novel down. Why? Because I was so into the fictional story of the two characters, Katelyn Michaels and Nicolas le Breton. I have not read a more awesome time travel adventure.So what to do about the deep history? It depends on the type of reader you are. I knew what parts to skim and what parts were pertinent to the story. Unfortunately, each novel does become longer on the history. Just skim it. That’s my best advice. Truly, what I would like to see is an abridged version of all the novels. But like I said—this is an excellent story. Check out my reviews below.
And just a note. Check out the Look Inside on Amazon to see if these novels are truly for you. Reading the sample will give you an idea of the author’s writing style. And don’t be thrown by the prologue of book one. That’s just a cool POV from Eve’s perspective. Keep reading all of the sample to be sure you’re hooked.
Book 1
This novel is exceptional!
I have never read such an amazing novel. The way the author wove in history with fiction was simply outstanding. The story was gripping. The characters, amazing. As the action unfolded, the story just kept getting better and better.
While this is a Christian read, with quoted scripture and reference to things that happen in the Bible, the details only added to the story. I was fully immersed. Katelyn did some unbelievable things, but the author wove it so that she was guided by the archangel Michael himself. So if you can believe the power of spiritual promptings, then you can believe the unbelievable in this story.
A few parts of the story were repetitive in that something would happen in one point of view and then it would be recounted in another point of view. A lot of history is laid down in the beginning. If you can get through it, the story is well worth the read. I would rate this novel 4.5 stars because of the slow parts, but I rounded up to5 because it means I plan to read more in the series.
Note. A few grammar and proofreading issues, even some formatting that’s wonky.
Reader Rated for ages 14+ for mild violence and language.
Book 2
This is an exceptional novel!
Like with the first novel, this one does not disappoint. I can’t express how much I enjoyed this story. Just know, it left me with a deep ache because I had been so immersed in the story. Once it was over, I was left empty. I will most definitely need to read the next one for more Katelyn and Nicolas.
As with the first story, and even more so in this one, the reader is immersed in deep history. Many passages are so long and heavy, I did skim over them. But whenever action happened, I was sure not to miss it. The last quarter of the novel was intense. I was moved extremely by Katelyn’s plight. And poor Nicolas! It’s amazing how the author invented the fictional story to go along with the real adventures of Joan of Arc. And I was intrigued by the author’s descriptions of Katelyn’s technology use in the past and how she made everything work while keeping her secret of being from the future.
Reader Rated for ages 14+ for mild torture and mild violence.
Book 3
You’ll still want to read this one...
I cannot tell you how much I love and hate this series at the same time! The fictional story is artful and emotional. Truly brilliant. But the historical information is just too much. I did enjoy this period of history in that I recognized many of the names, such as Catherine de' Medici, from the hit TV show Reign. That certainly helped a lot and pulled me into the story. But alas, I did skim most of the historical info. I would LOVE to see an abridged version of this novel and the two prior ones, with just the fictional story and an abbreviated history. Pull together every scene with Katelyn and Nicolas and all the ACTION—then this would be an unstoppable series. But, I must say, history buffs will love this and those wanting to learn about the history of the mount will love this regardless.
And just when you think the story is too bogged down by historical information, the action starts again and it is brilliant. Hang in there, especially past the lengthy beginning scenes of Katelyn’s actually getting to France. The story is a ride and is so worth it.
BUT, I love Katelyn’s love story and her adventures. All of it. From the very beginning novel to this one. I love her character. I love Nicolas. I always want more, more, more of them. Their interactions will always surprise you. That is what I felt—surprise around every turn.
Katelyn is masterful at deception. And the way she holds herself calm and is able to think through a crisis is commendable. Her poise with a minor character Paul! Oh, wow!
Unfortunately the ending drags when you just want to get to the happily ever after. The author chooses to dump all the untied ends into an hour of reading. But rest assured. No stone is left unturned and the novel comes full circle.
Reader Rated for ages 14+ for mild violence.