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The Clara Grey Adventures #3
The Van Helsing Incursion
“Hunting things that go bump in the night is child’s play when compared to juggling relationships.”
During the Roaring Twenties, Clara Grey hunted things that went bump in
the night. On her final mission, she paid the ultimate price to rid the world
of a powerful foe. As a reward, she ascended to Heaven and joined its ranks
as an angel.
Ninety years after her death, Clara fell to Earth intent on saving a soul.
While her mission was a success, an act of self-defence barred her from
returning to Heaven. Lost in the modern world, Clara was forced to seek
out unlikely allies to navigate through those uncertain times.
Four months later, Clara has settled in with Elizabeth, a young woman she
saved shortly after descending to Earth. For a gal who had sworn off
anything that hinted at normalcy, she learns that being average is not as easy
as it seems.
Alas, repercussions from choices made on that fateful mission have not
been idle. Her enemies trigger a chain of events that will force our fated
femme fatale to act. Is Clara prepared to deal with the fallout? Will her allies
come to her aid? Or must she stand on her own?
Before reading on, be sure to consider: Hunting things that go bump in the
night is child’s play when compared to juggling relationships.
During the Roaring Twenties, Clara Grey hunted things that went bump in
the night. On her final mission, she paid the ultimate price to rid the world
of a powerful foe. As a reward, she ascended to Heaven and joined its ranks
as an angel.
Ninety years after her death, Clara fell to Earth intent on saving a soul.
While her mission was a success, an act of self-defence barred her from
returning to Heaven. Lost in the modern world, Clara was forced to seek
out unlikely allies to navigate through those uncertain times.
Four months later, Clara has settled in with Elizabeth, a young woman she
saved shortly after descending to Earth. For a gal who had sworn off
anything that hinted at normalcy, she learns that being average is not as easy
as it seems.
Alas, repercussions from choices made on that fateful mission have not
been idle. Her enemies trigger a chain of events that will force our fated
femme fatale to act. Is Clara prepared to deal with the fallout? Will her allies
come to her aid? Or must she stand on her own?
Before reading on, be sure to consider: Hunting things that go bump in the
night is child’s play when compared to juggling relationships.
323 pages, ebook
Published May 1, 2023
21 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Chartres
18 books252 followersEvelyn Chartres is the nom de plume for a self-published, Canadian author. The writer of nine Gothic fantasy novels, Evelyn released her debut novel, The Portrait, in 2016, and her latest, Man of War, in 2024.
A fan of the phrase ‘live to eat’, Evelyn shares her recipes on evelynchartres.com. These recipes have a loose focus on French-Canadian cuisine, featuring deep-dish meat pies, seafood, and desserts that are rarely seen outside of La Belle Province.
Evelyn is currently living in Ottawa, Ontario, and is busy laying the foundations of another book in the Adventures of Clara Grey series.
A fan of the phrase ‘live to eat’, Evelyn shares her recipes on evelynchartres.com. These recipes have a loose focus on French-Canadian cuisine, featuring deep-dish meat pies, seafood, and desserts that are rarely seen outside of La Belle Province.
Evelyn is currently living in Ottawa, Ontario, and is busy laying the foundations of another book in the Adventures of Clara Grey series.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 23, 2020
The Van Helsing Incursion, by Evelyn Chartres, is the third book in the Clara Grey Adventures series. By now, readers have seen Clara overcome a multitude of challenges, facing every imaginable type of monster along the way. One might assume that the author is reaching the limit of her entertaining tales, but Evelyn Chartres does not disappoint.
In this volume, Clara and Elizabeth are living anything but domestic bliss. Having rescued Elizabeth from threatening monsters mere months before, the couple’s obvious attraction is overshadowed by a power imbalance, codependence, and fear. Elizabeth needs Clara to defend her from what lurks in the dark, and Clara needs Elizabeth to connect with the modern world. This spells a recipe for relationship disaster.
Evelyn Chartres juxtaposes the ensuing adventures of both Clara and Elizabeth in lockstep fashion. She expertly uses this technique to build suspense and provide a stark contrast for what each character is experiencing simultaneously-- for Elizabeth, an abduction and dramatic escape; for Clara, an erotic encounter that could melt what is left of the polar ice caps. The end result is a cliffhanger that leaves the reader wondering who the true heroine is this time.
This story does a lot to obscure one’s idea of friend and foe, right and wrong, good and evil. Make no mistake. By the end of this tale, you will know that justice prevails, and you will find yourself cheering on heroes of all descriptions.
In this volume, Clara and Elizabeth are living anything but domestic bliss. Having rescued Elizabeth from threatening monsters mere months before, the couple’s obvious attraction is overshadowed by a power imbalance, codependence, and fear. Elizabeth needs Clara to defend her from what lurks in the dark, and Clara needs Elizabeth to connect with the modern world. This spells a recipe for relationship disaster.
Evelyn Chartres juxtaposes the ensuing adventures of both Clara and Elizabeth in lockstep fashion. She expertly uses this technique to build suspense and provide a stark contrast for what each character is experiencing simultaneously-- for Elizabeth, an abduction and dramatic escape; for Clara, an erotic encounter that could melt what is left of the polar ice caps. The end result is a cliffhanger that leaves the reader wondering who the true heroine is this time.
This story does a lot to obscure one’s idea of friend and foe, right and wrong, good and evil. Make no mistake. By the end of this tale, you will know that justice prevails, and you will find yourself cheering on heroes of all descriptions.
December 29, 2020
Clara Grey is back, and this time she's on the prowl for werewolves! In this latest in Evelyn Chartres' Van Helsing series, Clara finds that the ghosts of old battles can come back to haunt her, as the remnants of a slighted pack of werewolves target her friend and lover Elizabeth. Now on the hunt for her partner's kidnappers, Clara makes an unlikely alliance with Julia, another werewolf shunned by her own pack. Can can they overcome their differences to save the one Clara loves?
But wait -- there's vampires too! The Van Helsing Incursion continues from the events of the previous volume, The Van Helsing Resurgence bringing to the readers favorite past characters and creatures including Evelyn and Marc, as well as introducing new ones to add to and enrich the Van Helsingverse.
Evelyn Chartres masterfully retains the tone of her series by filling the story with action, suspense, thrills and even humor at times as we follow a heroine who grew up a century before as she navigates and attempts to dominate all obstacles in her present day path. I loved it beginning to end, and am eager to see what's in store for Clara in the future.
But wait -- there's vampires too! The Van Helsing Incursion continues from the events of the previous volume, The Van Helsing Resurgence bringing to the readers favorite past characters and creatures including Evelyn and Marc, as well as introducing new ones to add to and enrich the Van Helsingverse.
Evelyn Chartres masterfully retains the tone of her series by filling the story with action, suspense, thrills and even humor at times as we follow a heroine who grew up a century before as she navigates and attempts to dominate all obstacles in her present day path. I loved it beginning to end, and am eager to see what's in store for Clara in the future.
June 21, 2021
THE VAN HELSING INCURSION is currently the last book in The Clara Grey Adventures series. It is evident that Evelyn Chartres has left possibilities for additional escapades.
It is possible that readers may see in this, and the previous books, a degree of heresy that they might find distasteful. Others will see THE VAN HELSING INCURSION as an expansion of religion into its rightful realm of speculative fiction.
Clara Grey died, was accepted in heaven, and subsequently returned to earth. Her commitment to saving humans and killing monsters never wavers. Her more personal exploits, which leave little to the imagination, are a bit less religious.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that the three books in the series suffer from spellcheckitis. There are quite a few word errors that a spellchecker would not flag. Most of the time, these are easy to mentally correct, so the mistakes don't detract too much from the story. I would definitely recommend that the author send her book to a good beta reader AFTER her editor is finished doing her thing.
It is possible that readers may see in this, and the previous books, a degree of heresy that they might find distasteful. Others will see THE VAN HELSING INCURSION as an expansion of religion into its rightful realm of speculative fiction.
Clara Grey died, was accepted in heaven, and subsequently returned to earth. Her commitment to saving humans and killing monsters never wavers. Her more personal exploits, which leave little to the imagination, are a bit less religious.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that the three books in the series suffer from spellcheckitis. There are quite a few word errors that a spellchecker would not flag. Most of the time, these are easy to mentally correct, so the mistakes don't detract too much from the story. I would definitely recommend that the author send her book to a good beta reader AFTER her editor is finished doing her thing.
December 31, 2020
The Van Helsing Incursion continues the intriguing saga of Clara Grey and is filled with action, romance, and a bit of erotica. Chartres talent for character development, which has you either fall in love with even the darkest villain, continues to excel in adventure three. The only downside when finishing the final chapter, is we have to wait for Chartres to write the next adventure for Clara Grey. This series is one you can read multiple times.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews