Colleen Gleason

I love this historical cozy series, and the latest installment is absolutely enticing (realky, each book has been fantastic).. The characters are charismatic, the mystery is complex and well-written, and the author has researched the setting and historical era to showcase not only the Parisian theme but to illustrate several historical events, historical figures, and infamous places. Recommended, especially if you enjoyed the previous books or the author's other works. Wickedly funny and show more some of the best armchair cozy stories around.

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Angels of Music Unbound

The story of the Phantom of the Opera is a well known one. It has been recreated on paper, music, film and for the stage, over and over. Colette Gale has once again breathed life into the legend of the Opera Ghost, the Angel of Music, by telling his tale in a more romantic, erotic way.

The author pretty much retains the basics of the original tale, taking the character s of Christine Daae and Erik de Chagny to new heights. Christine Daae, a budding opera singer one day show more finally gets her chance to stand solo on stage, singing the lead aria for Romeo and Juliet. For months she had been coached in secret by none other than the mysterious Opera Ghost, whose only wish is to see her shine in the limelight. Winning the applause she craves, Christine takes the crowds by storm and becomes the most wanted new opera diva France has ever seen. We all know the story of how Erik falls in love with her and kidnaps her to his underground lair, warding off her courting boyfriend Raoul who has come to marry his childhood sweetheart. Erik becomes obsessed with Christine and claims her for his own, forbidding her to see any other man but himself.

Colette Gale has imagined a whole new world of the luxurious Opera House and has added depth and sensuality to both Christine and Erik like we have never seen before. The writing is polished and exquisite. Opulent descriptions of lavish opera house surroundings and of Erik’s underground palace, combined with scenes of tender sweet love and erotic interludes of lust and carnal sex, make this novel a multi-faceted shining gem. The story is suspenseful and nothing short of intense. Readers will be holding their breath as each page turns, caught up in the rapture these two lovers present. You will hear the keen notes of passionate music from the Angel’s violin, harp and piano, as Erik plays his instruments that add to the seduction of his captured Christine. You will feel the sensuality of the historic costumes; satins, lace, silks, and velvets as the players dance and preen in and out of these delightfully wicked scenes of decadence, deceit, debauchery, and through one dalliance after another. This is a very visual book, so incredibly detailed and evocative of 19th century France.

This is not your average romance novel. It is a remarkable, and memorable, serious tale of passion, murder, family betrayals and forbidden love. Where Gale’s true talent lies though is in her ability to create a blend of tender sensual intimacy, with soft erotica and carnal sex that goes above and beyond the norm. The sexual adventures throughout this story are far from vanilla. There is great creativity here within the erotica realm scenes and I found this factor alone to be such a breath of fresh air. This erotic novel is quite different and will evoke many opportunities for the reader to feel the depth of love, intimacy and ravenous need that Erik and Christine have for each other. This might not be a book for the light of heart due to the advanced and unusual erotica scenes graphically depicted, but if you are bored with the average cat and mouse tame love stories and want something in between the average genre paperback romances, and offensive hard core degrading porn, this book is for you. A Fantastic debut, highly recommended for adventurous readers. I can’t wait to read the next two installments of this series that will involve more erotic adventures with Maid Marion and the Count of Monte Cristo! show less

With awesome clockwork, a multi-level steampunk London I wish I could inhabit, and two tenacious but mismatched female main characters, The Spriritglass Charade has twice its share of fun. Gawky analytical Mina Holmes, niece of Sherlock, and impulsive vampire-hunting Evaline Stocker, half sister to Bram, have an uneasy crime-solving partnership. It’s observation, deduction, and carefully laid plans vs. strength, speed, and plunging right on in at the hint of danger.

Irene Adler, known to show more Mina’s Uncle Sherlock as The Woman, brought the two together at the behest of Princess Alexandra, wife of Queen Victoria’s son Bertie. In this second adventure the young women are investigating a case that involves wily spiritual mediums, a distraught young heiress obsessed with seances, a missing younger brother, nefarious street ruffians, the possible reemergence of vampires, and of course murder. Both Mina and Evaline are eager to prove their villain capturing prowess, Mina because as a female she hasn’t been given many opportunities to employ the skills she’s honed, and Evaline because though it’s unfortunately quite difficult to find vampires these days she wants to show herself worthy of her vampire vanquishing ancestors.

Their version of Victorian era London is layered with multi-leveled walkways connected by coin-driven mechanical lifts--which keeps the poor on the dirty, darkest lower areas--and skyscrapers so tall they they’re topped with large balloons to serve as air anchors. I really want to visit the just reopened Vauxhall Gardens, where Mina and Eveline spend an evening chasing after clues. The revamped attraction is full of lovely mechanical wonders like motorized birds and butterflies that dart and flutter about, and gear-ridden fireflies that brighten the sky with colorful little lights.

Notable characters back from the first book include an over-sized Scotland Yard Detective who reluctantly trades investigative insights with Mina and then blasts around London on a gravity-defying steamcycle, an underworld far too appealing Cockney tough guy who banters and bickers with Evaline, and a cute cell phone toting young man from our own era who’s been unwittingly time-traveled back to this alternate London and is full of modern ideas that intrigue and inspire Mina.

Chapters alternate entertainingly between the contrasting voices of Mina and Evaline, and the action races along as the young women traipse through drawing rooms and lurk in back alley dives. The mystery is tied up nicely but several personal issues are left dangling and the book ends in a WOW of a revelation that ensures there will be at least one more joint Holmes-Stocker venture. Hurrah!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through LibraryThing. Review opinions are mine. show less

I'm really enjoying this new mystery/historical fiction series. Both books move along at a brisk pace, so I never get bored. I enjoy and root for most of the characters, with the glaring exception of Constance Lemange, who is a syrupy, stereotypical insult to every woman who has ever lived below the Mason-Dixon line. Myself included. If the author wanted to make the Confederates look bad, they did that for themselves; all she had to do was write the truth. There was no need for this show more posturing little peacock.

The thing I most like about this series is how it shows, without being preachy or intrusive, this particular time in history from so many differing viewpoints: Northern, Southern, white, black, Irish, Eastern, Western, wealthy, poor.

I highly recommend this series to mystery and historical fiction fans. These are fast and fun books that leave you with something to think about at the end- a rare combination. show less