Saint Peter Takes a Holiday, or It’s About Time

Circles in Hell #7

by Mark Cain

What happens when Heaven’s hardest working saint is forced to take a vacation?

In SAINT PETER TAKES A HOLIDAY, OR IT’S ABOUT TIME, a reluctant Simon Peter heads for Aruba and a week in the sun. There, he encounters danger, romance, intrigue … and of course comedy. Magic, miracles, sunbathing and golf, they all happen in this tropical adventure.

SAINT PETER TAKES A HOLIDAY is the latest novella in the best-selling fantasy comedy series, CIRCLES IN HELL.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Angels

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 18, 2019

About the author

Writer living in Austin, Texas.

My work could best be described as satire, with a little fantasy thrown in. This is a good characterization of my comic fantasy series, CIRCLES IN HELL.

Here is a link to the series page.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017...

Reviews

[Shane Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a pre-release version in exchange for an honest review. This novella story follows Saint Peter as he takes a little break from the pearly gates. The usual mixture of pop culture, mythology and humor made this an entertaining read. It is well paced and did not feel rushed. Strong recommend for any fan of Circles in Hell. Actually if you haven't read any of the Circles in Hell series you could read this and enjoy the story.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading a pre-release version, this novella is another enjoyable addition to the Circles in Hell series. St. Peter takes a Vacation is a witty and fun read. I had no idea St. Peter was such a good golfer. I highly recommend the Circles of Hell series to everyone.

[paul gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another triumph

Would recommend this to anyone. Utterly hilarious as ever! Roll on the next one I say mister cain and well done sir!!

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick fun read

The whole series is fun. A unique take on heaven and hell. Good break from day to day life stuff.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite circles of hell book so far. Loved this

[Fred Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the Beelzebub "memoir". 4 and a quarter stars. Part of that is the short story nature of the book. Just not a big fan. Especially when they are "given equal billing" "numerically" as the other books in the series. Whatever. I didn't have to trudge through this one like prior. Sure, it wasn't keeping me on the edge of my seat. But less than 4 hours is not nearly enough time for that to happen. Still I enjoyed this book. Saint Peter was given attributes and personality FAR beyond what one ever expected of/for him. I suppose that kept me a bit on the edge of my seat. And Mr. Studly still has a date ahead of him and possibly more(?). That puts a serious twist on his character. I DO wonder when this is exactly taking place as calls were made to Steve Minion during this so perhaps the last 60 years?? More likely the last 10 years or "future-dated" as the relationship between the two is so seemingly friendly. I have no idea yet with whom I'll be hearing about with regards to the League of Unusual Denizens. And I see the prospects here on Goodreads potential (or definitive) for a book 9 further delving into Steve's personal life I suppose. Perhaps Mr. Gilboe will be attempting to turn back and somehow continue Steve Minion's tale. Afterall, the afterlife is forever/eternal (least as much as we know such to be or that it can be such).

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

St. Peter is the prickly but fair good guy in the prior Circles in Hell books. So I had low expectations for this book as I did not think Peter would make a good MC. Turns out the story of how Peter is reminded a bit of what humans must go through before arriving at the pearly gates is a good one.

Upon being forced into taking a vacation St. Peter heads to the golf course. This results in Peter being forced into a foursome with a loathsome local character. It had been thought that all kobolds on the human plane went extinct hundreds of years earlier. However, the loathsome character turns out to be just such a kobold and, unbeknownst to St. Peter, this kobold is in possession of a magical artifact that should not exist and potentially gives the kobold the power to challenge even Peter.

Bottom line: Well worth the read.

[one9eighty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely short novella featuring characters from Mark Cain's Circles of Hell series, well, primarily one character - Simon Peter, a.k.a. Saint Peter.
Petey is begrudgingly sent on holiday to relax and try to be less prickly. With Aruba in his sights and a new mortal body, he has some human experiences as well as a supernatural mystery to solve. Mystery, intrigue, fun, and romance all feature in this lovely short story. A great addition to the CoH series that I really enjoyed. 5/5

[Dale Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author's work! Always a fun story and a moral to it.

Mark's writings are always enjoyable to me. There's fun to be had and a bit of a moral to learn. A great way to spend time in a different space than today's reality.

[shawn m banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific short read!

I have read and thoroughly loved all of Mark’s Circles in Hell books (except maybe one that I just couldn’t plow through).
Such a great series of lighthearted takes on some rather morbid subject matter.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Veronik Durocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good!

A fun side quest story about one of the characters of The Circles in Hell, maybe not as funny as those ones with Steve Minion and co. in hell, but nonetheless really enjoyable.

[Keli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consistent

Happily, Mark kept to his standard of excellence with this Circle of Hell Book! Prickly Peter really lets his hair down at a beach resort and is reminded of what its like to be human. Does he EVER! I think Mark has an In with the other side….

[Bill Westendorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little novella as part of the Circles in Hell series. Saint Peter is ripped an enjoying his holiday of, drinking and, yes, sex. Hilarious. Great series of books, read them all!

[John McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice perspective. Humorous and allowing the reader to reflect on their own "humanity ". A damned good read.

[Mike Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

My least favorite out of the series. I think Peter is a whiner and it just wasn’t as good as the others.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters 3.5/5
Setting/World Building 4/5
Atmosphere 3/5
Plot 3/5
Intrigue 3/5
Enjoyment 3/5

Average 3.25

[wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

saint Peter Fucks

[Alison Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Peter takes a holiday.

This story adds depth to Mail Cain's series set in the afterworld. As such, it enriches the stories and is really fun to read. Light-hearted and with the ability of not taking itself too seriously, this short tale of a saint taking a holiday should not be taken as a stand alone read. I recommend you get the rest of the series!

[Crystal Brooks Kiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read

I've read several of Mark Cain s books, and this one did not disappoint. If this was your first, read them all!!

[bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I've enjoyed all the Circles in He'll books and this one did not disappoint. Some good irreverent humor, a dash of sex, and a bit of mystery. Even old Nick would have to smile.

[Amy Feldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saint Peter on an island holiday, sporting a hot bod and a Rolex. Oh the possibilities! As with every other Mark Cain book I've read, this is hilarious yet somehow touching. You know that kind of book where you re-read a page, not because you really weren't paying attention, but because you loved it so much. That's this book. If you've read the other books in the series (wait, if you haven't, you are missing out - fix that immediately!!), you know a little bit about Saint Peter. This book shares his backstory while at the same time sending him on a great adventure. There is action, romance, twists, and, of course, mayhem and hilarity. Mark Cain is one of my favorite authors, for good reason. His stories are consistently well designed and new. Some authors fall flat or become too repetitive after several books. Not Mr. Cain. It makes my day when I get that special notification from Amazon that a new Mark Cain book is published.

[Josh Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely love this series. While this entry is shorter than the others, it was a very fun listen (Mike Gilboe did fantastic, as usual) and had me imagining many of the scenes St. Peter found himself in. I loved the tie-ins to Steve Minion as well as one of my favorites, Beelzebub. It is always a wonderful journey as we continue to explore this version of the afterlife.

This is a great continuation for one of my top three favorite book series. Give it a listen/read, you will feel quite prickly afterward!

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun!

Mark Cain has quickly become one of my favorite writers. His books are wildly creative, witty, thought provoking and as silly as a gopher in a velour sweatshirt. And I never realized that old Saint Pete was such a sexy bugger!

[DAVID LIDDLE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Centre stage for St Peter

Enjoyable short story following the interactions with the mere mortals like ourselves . Who knows this could be non fiction and we are but players in Mark Gains theme

[Peter Underwood]

Pleasant diversion

Slightly naively written, perhaps inevitably considering the subject matter.
Held the attention though, but I am not a great fan of happy ever after