Cover Image: Pursuit: A Victorian Entertainment

Pursuit: A Victorian Entertainment

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Member Reviews

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Pursuit: A Victorian Entertainment by Felice Picano.

I am going to start this review by saying that I just don't think this book was for me. Therefore my review is coloured by this fact. I enjoyed parts of this book but as it is cut into four sections I don't really feel like any of them particularly go together well.

The first two parts of this story blend together quite seamlessly with Addison Grimmins, our protagonist, going after the wife of his employer who has been kidnapped and taken to the continent. The letters were a bit convoluted and makes me wonder about the relationship he has with his boss (which is not really fleshed out later in this book). At the end of part 2 the story could have ended or gone directly to the prologue.

I really did enjoy part 3 but having an entire backstory to Addison Grimmins simply to add to the story didn't make me really like the character any more or add to the story all that much for me. I enjoyed this part, probably the best out of all the parts, but it felt like the beginning to a story, or a story in it's entirety, rather than a part of the previous two sections.

So I enjoyed the third part the most but felt confused overall about how the stories knit together and gave this read 3 stars.

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Pursuit: A Victorian Entertainment is a well written period mystery with a somewhat ruthless anti-hero protagonist written by Felice Picano. Released 11th May 2021 by Bold Strokes Books, it's 242 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

This is an undeniably well written and plotted Victorian thriller written in epistolary style. The language and dialogue give it a period feel with the main character's letters to his employer, the Exchequer of England, moving the plot forward and describing his efforts to find a marchioness who has run away or been kidnapped. In this service he tracks her across Europe and has numerous dalliances along the way.

The story is liberally interspersed with descriptions of dalliances. Main character Addison is pansexual and voracious (and, apparently, insatiable). The naughty parts of the book are written in period style as well, so they're not really graphic, and leave a little to the imagination which was nice.

The denouement and resolution are satisfying, if a bit happily-ever-after. This is a book I enjoyed quite a lot. Due to the sexual content, I don't think it would generally be a good fit for public library acquisition, but is written well and would be great for readers of historical mystery who don't mind erotica in their reading material.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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I received an ARC from Netgalley but my opinions are my own.

First, let me start with the good. This book reads like a love affair, both good and bad, of Europe. There was an impressive attention to detail. The dialogue and characterizations felt real and allowed the reader to immerse themselves in the story.

The book lost me a bit in the section on the main character's past. At first it was very authentic but then we get taken on a tour of sexual exploits that felt overdone. And what really disturbed me was when the author took the exploitation of children and tried to make it sexy and romantic. It was neither. Nor was it consensual.

With the omission of that one part of the book, which lost it a star not just because it was creepy but also because it didn't feel like it fit within the book, i would have given it four stars for being an enjoyable, well-written book.

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I love a good suspense and this book kept me turning the pages until the end. I started it at 2 in the afternoon and did not stop until the wee hours and I get real excited when I get my hands on a page turner. I felt like the writing was superb and the author obviously knows his history because every word and description was accurate and spot on. I will be going online to look for some of his other books. I found a new author!

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