The Beast of London by L.D. Goffigan

The Beast of London
by L.D. Goffigan

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Just released: April 17, 2017
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Thriller
Paperback: 286 pages
Rating: 3

Mina Murray series:
The Beast of London
Fortress of Blood - June 2017

First sentence(s):
Walking through the streets of the East End, I felt the sudden unnerving sensation of a gaze prickling the back of my neck.

Mina Murray once lived an adventurous life, but after a tragedy in the forests of Transylvania, she left it all behind. Now she has settled into a quiet routine as a schoolteacher in London, engaged to the respectable solicitor Jonathan Harker, attempting to fit into the stuffy upper class London society to which he belongs.

Her dark past comes careening into her present when Jonathan is abducted by a group of vampires from a society ball. Determined to rescue him, she teams up with her former paramour Abraham Van Helsing and his colleague, Scotland Yard Inspector John Seward.

As they pursue Jonathan’s abductors from England to the Low Countries and beyond, Mina realizes that Jonathan’s abduction is tied to a larger threat against humanity…

An electrifying retelling of a classic tale, THE BEAST OF LONDON is the first book of the Mina Murray series. If you love adventure, romance, and mystery with a paranormal twist, then pick up your copy today.

My two-bits:

Nice start to a vampire series set in late 1800s London and Transylvania. There are interesting scenes set in London's upper class society with its strict etiquette.

The story jumps right in with some world building vampire action. But it is a bit slow in providing details of the main characters and their individual background and personality to gain empathy.

~*~
* review copy courtesy of author

Happy Release: The Beast of London by L.D. Goffigan

The Beast of London
by L.D. Goffigan
-Fantasy, Paranormal, Thriller
Released date: April 17, 2017
Amazon | Goodreads
Mina Murray once lived an adventurous life, but after a tragedy in the forests of Transylvania, she left it all behind. Now she has settled into a quiet routine as a schoolteacher in London, engaged to the respectable solicitor Jonathan Harker, attempting to fit into the stuffy upper class London society to which he belongs.

Her dark past comes careening into her present when Jonathan is abducted by a group of vampires from a society ball. Determined to rescue him, she teams up with her former paramour Abraham Van Helsing and his colleague, Scotland Yard Inspector John Seward.

As they pursue Jonathan’s abductors from England to the Low Countries and beyond, Mina realizes that Jonathan’s abduction is tied to a larger threat against humanity…

An electrifying retelling of a classic tale, THE BEAST OF LONDON is the first book of the Mina Murray series. If you love adventure, romance, and mystery with a paranormal twist, then pick up your copy today.

Stacking the Shelves & Sunday Post - 4.15.17

Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)
AND
Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer (details)
~*~
I had a good balance of reading and watching (films) this week. Good stuff.

I also visited three different bookstores this week for the Independent Bookstore challenge mentioned below. I usually average 2-3 bookstore visits a month mostly triggered by author events.

~*~
Bought:

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley
by Hannah Tinti
-Literary, Mystery
Amazon | Goodreads

For Review:

The Beast of London
by L.D. Goffigan
-Fantasy
courtesy of publisher author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

Wrong
by Jane Aston
-New Adult, Romance
courtesy of Romance Read-of-the-Month Club -Thanks!
BarnesNoble | Goodreads

OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Independent Bookstore Day
April 29 (details)
CELEBRATING the upcoming Independent Bookstore Day by visiting at least 10 independent bookstores during the month.

#5 Green Apple Books on the Park
San Francisco, CA (here)
with Mollie Makes
Living a Creative Life
issue number seventy seven
comes with a cute mini-loom kit
See the complete list of places I visited (here).


AND watched: in theatre - part of San Francisco International Film Festival (details)

Yourself & Yours (2016)
Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot (original title)
Director/Writer: Sang-soo Hong
Starring: Hae-hyo Kwon, Joon-sang Yoo
-Drama, South Korea | imdb | my rating: 4
A foray into the uncanny with a spin on Luis Buñuel's "That Obscure Object of Desire"

THIS weird and unusual, but interesting love story left me sad.

Future Perfect (2016)
El futuro perfecto (original title)
Director: Nele Wohlatz
Writers: Pío Longo, Nele Wohlatz
Starring: Xiaobin Zhang, Saroj Kumar Malik
-Drama, Argentina | imdb | my rating: 5
A smart and innovative look at the possible futures of a young Chinese immigrant to Buenos Aires, told in the stilted language of an elementary Spanish textbook.

WE were treated to a Q&A with the director of this film. Interesting to know that the story is somewhat true to the main character, Xiaobin's experience in Argentina.

The Next Skin (2016)
La propera pell (original title)
Director: Isa Campo, Isaki Lacuesta
Writers: Isa Campo, Isaki Lacuesta, Fran Araújo
Starring: Emma Suárez, Àlex Monner
-Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Spain, Switzerland | imdb | my rating: 5
A teenager who went missing and was presumed dead returns home after eight years to find a family deeply affected by his disappearance. Gradually, doubts arise about whether he really is the missing boy or an impostor.

LOVED how this one pulls you in and keeps you wondering. And, loved the small-town Spanish Pyrenees location.


AND watched: at the library theatre

Chinese Couplets (2015)
Director: Felicia Lowe
-Documentary, Family, History | imdb | my rating: 5
Part memoir, part history, part investigation, Chinese Couplets spans two centuries, three countries and four generations of women in this intimate story that reveals the impact of America's Chinese Exclusion Acts on filmmaker Felicia Lowe's family. Lowe offers a nuanced, engaging approach to the debate that details the long-term, multi-generational effects of ethnically motivated immigration policies while imparting a cautionary tale of living with cultural pluralism in the 21st century.

INTERESTING historical perspective on the Chinese immigration experience.


AND watched: on DVD

Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Director: Peter Berg
Screenplay: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Matthew Sand
Based on book by:
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell
-Action, Drama, Thriller | imdb | my rating: 5
A dramatization of the April 2010 disaster, when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Oscar nominated for Sound Editing and Visual Effects

I liked how the story of this tragic event has a focus on the survivors.

~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

;-)