Heather’s Bookshelf: The Colonel and the Bee
Author: Patrick Canning
Released: 06/01/18
Genre: Historical/Adventure Fiction
“All are visitors in life, even family. We decide who may stay. Some are meant to be forgotten but for the lessons they enhance us with. No relationship is wasted time.”
“The Colonel and the Bee follows Beatrix, a gifted gymnast and acrobat, as she finds herself running away from an abusive boss at a traveling circus. She escapes with the help of Colonel James Bacchus and his hot air balloon. This is the beginning of their exciting adventure around Europe, investigation into a murder, and a treasure hunt.
Beatrix (Bee for short) is a funny and fiesty young woman seeking something more for her life and a way out of a controlling and violent past. She has a hard time trusting people, but her desire to see the world and her curiosity convince Beatrix to go along with the escapade.
Colonel James Bacchus is an intelligent and inventive womanizer who gets into just as much trouble as he does good. His old friends “the Newlyweds” are happy to join the Colonel and Beatrix on their investigation. The murder mystery soon turns to treasure hunt as the little ensemble seeks to find the Blue Star Sphinx, a much sought after precious gem. They encounter many interesting and sometimes terrible people along the way.
Trigger Warning: sexual situations, violence, murder
Overall, I enjoyed this adventure and the characters within it. Beatrix is feisty, sarcastic, and funny. The colonel is energetic, optimistic, and eccentric. The pair make for an entertaining duo and their interactions are enjoyable and believable. Plus, who doesn’t like a treasure hunt! While the character development was excellent and the tale fun, there were a couple of things that I wished to be a little different. The story is told in language to match the year that the story took place. It’s formal, often over the top, and sometimes difficult to follow. I appreciated the author’s efforts but found that at times it halted my attention to the story. The third quarter of the story also seemed to drag on and didn’t hold the pacing of the rest of the tale. The first half and ending were quite satisfying and I wish that the rest of the story would have held up to that expectation. I thought that as a whole the characters and ideas were enough to keep my interest for any sequels that the author might have in mind.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A fun adventure with interesting characters that fell a little apart in the middle.
Want to learn more about the author? Check out my interview with Patrick Canning
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