Showing posts with label Gabriel Valijan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gabriel Valijan. Show all posts

Friday, November 25, 2016

Threading the Needle by Gabriel Valjan




Title: Threading the Needle
Author: Gabriel Valjan
Series: Roma Series #3
Rating: 4.5 STARS!!
For Review From

Milan, Italy. Bianca's curiosity gets a young university student murdered, but not before he gives her a file that details a secret weapon under development with defense contractor Adastra. Guilt may drive her to find justice for the slain Charlie Brooks, but she is warned by the mysterious Loki to stay away from this case that runs deep with conspiracy. Bianca must find a way to uncover government secrets and corporate alliances without returning Italy to one of its darkest hours, the decades of daily terrorism known as the "Years of Lead."

~MY THOUGHTS~

We have made it back to Italy in this book, Milan to be exact. And I love that the author changes things up a bit and puts another character in the lime light. I loved Bianca as a main character, but it was nice getting another perspective. It kept the reading experience new. Farrugia is the character we see the most of in this book, but we still get Bianca in the story as well, which was good.

This installment has a few murder mysteries thrown in, and I was continuing to read to find out who did.

I'm finding it harder and harder to talk about these books in a coherent way because I have become so engrossed in them. I have mentioned before that this will be my first suspense type series I have read. I have always seen this genre from afar, and with Gabriel's writing, I am now in the middle, trying to figure out the mysteries as Bianca does, and now Farrugia. I love the characters in these books, they all work well together, and each installment sees each one fleshed out even more than before. We see Bianca grow so much in these books, and it's nice to have a character with growing room...who isn't already so perfect and already knows all the answers before everyone else. This makes the series even more addicting because you are there for the ride and not just the story of the mystery. So many turns and its a fast paced read!

I loved the added information we got on a part of history I had previously not been aware. It was interesting reading about this time in Italy's history, Years of Lead, and it prompted me to look into in further. I love when books give the reader information that is factual that they might not have known.

Most definitely recommend reading this series! Great read!!!

Author's Bio:

Gabriel Valjan lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the Roma Series, available from Winter Goose Publishing. Gabriel has also written numerous short stories and essays found online and in print.

Connect with the author:  Website ~Twitter  ~ Facebook

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Roma, Underground by Gabriel Valijan



Title: Roma, Underground
Author: Gabriel Valijan
Series: Roma Series #1
Got: For Review

RATING: 3.5 STARS 

~MY THOUGHTS~

This book fulfilled a challenge in the Spooktober Read-a-Thon: Read a book with a creepy cover. The stairs in this cover kinda give me the creeps...so it fit.

I really did enjoy this book. I'm not always a mystery reader, as sometimes I don't enjoy the buildup of the plot of mysteries. I get impatient a lot of the time. But I found myself really enjoying the pacing of this book. It had just enough mystery, at the same time giving away details that kept me wanting to know more. I guess I never really gave mysteries a try, but this book makes me want to read more.

I liked the concept of this book. It is so unlike anything I see mysteries as. It had a financial twist in it, which I really liked. It just was an avenue of mysteries/suspense that I don't hear a lot about.

So, the story centers around Alabaster Black (love the name) who is hiding in Rome as Bianca. She was part of a secret organization that investigated financial issues in companies and uncovered crimes going on it that manner. She is hiding due to an issue she had with her last assignment.

Enter Dante. He has to be one of the most layered characters I have ever met. I mean in the beginning he is kind of painted as this Italian who is an auditor. But as the book kind of progresses, he is found out to have other "hobbies." Hobbies that are quite similar to Alabaster's life she is trying to hide from.

I will say that I enjoyed the mystery and plot of this book. As well as the characters. I didn't so much like the spattered Italian, as I had no idea what it meant, and kept having to look it up online. It just threw me out of the story. I understand that it takes place in Italy, but it just got confusing to me.

I loved the writing of the story. It flowed nicely and the pacing was spot on. For somebody who isn't into mystery pacing, it hooked me and kept me wanting to read. So for that, kudos. I think it takes a great book to introduce somebody into a new genre of reading, and I am glad I started mysteries with this one. I can't wait to get onto the next one in the series!