Michael Stolle's Blog - Posts Tagged "blog-tour"

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Great review, very proud :)

I will first start by saying that this is the first I have read by Michael Stolle, so I did go into this book with eyes wide open and with caution as I always do with new to me authors. I loved the sound of this from the back blurb, it gripped me which is why I decided to be apart of this blog tour. I was fascinated by the description of it, it sounded thrilling and I can very happily say that I was not disappointed.

The Duke and The Imposter is book five in The French Orphans series, as I hadn’t read any of the previous books in the series I can say without a doubt that this can be very easily read as a stand a lone, there was hints of previous book plots but nothing that hindered my reading and enjoying of the story. It does make me want to go out and start reading the previous one though as I am fascinated as to the other stories in the series.

The story opens up to our hero; Pierre, Marquis de Beauvoir, Duke of Hertford waking up in his bed severely wounded after being attacked and nearly killed. He and his family were ambushed and he was shot and left for dead while his wife and young son disappeared without a trace. Those moments when Pierre comes to realise what happened is heart breaking, you genuinely feel his pain and his despair that he has lost the two most treasured things in his life. He right there and then decides that he won’t fight to get well he will just starve himself instead. Which is where his two closest friends come in; Armand and Francois ride hell pent from Paris to Montresor to go to their sick friends aid and to find out what the hell happened to Marie and little Pierre.

Once they start to investigate the three friends begin to see that this is far more than just a murder kidnap scheme, there is a dastardly plot in place to put the villain in Pierre’s shoes and take not just the title but to literally be him. Their investigation takes them from France across the channel to England, a country very like their own France which is full of danger as it is torn apart. But will they find the truth of what happened and why? But, most importantly will Pierre find his family?

I have to say, these three guys are great! I love the relationship between Pierre, Armand and Francois, there is a lot of friendly, brotherly fondness, lots of joking they don’t hold back when they are taking the mickey out of each other. But, more than that they are loyal, they have a great bond. I just love how their friendship is written!

Michael Stolle’s writing is fresh, fast and vivid, there is a real depth to this, it pulls you in from that first page, I was completely hooked and then it sets off on a whirlwind adventure through dangerous France and over to England. What I really loved about this is that the character’s really come to life, their relationship with one and other, the way they act and talk is very engaging for the reader. Unlike a lot of books where the point of view is writing through a certain character or through the eyes of the heroine and hero, with this it is written through the eyes of all the lead characters. So you’re not just seeing a scene through one set of eyes but three and I like that, it really gives perspective to each scene and each character’s personality.

The Duke and The Imposter is a fast paced, thrilling, exciting and imaginative story, it has a real fresh feel to it that lures the reader in. You are literally racing along with the three men and they investigative, it is completely immersive and I will guarantee that anyone who loves a good old-fashioned high stakes historical thriller , then you will love this one.

Great from start to finish!

This was a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review as apart of this blog tour, thank you to the lovely ladies at Bookollective.