Alison MortonCritiques

You know the old meme of a bunch of kids standing under a trench coat, pretending to be an adult? This is four novellas standing under a novel-sized trench coat.

In the first novella we meet ad exec and New Yorker Karen Brown. She learns that the aunt and uncle who raised her hid the truth of her parents from her. Unoriginal plot aside, it’s engaging and well executed. The characters are interesting and unique.

In the second, Karen is now Cara, struggling to adapt to her new life in Roma Nova. The characters are mostly new and a bit less unique.

The pace picks back up again in the third novella. Karen/Cara is now Pulcheria, working a deadly undercover mission on behalf of the Roma Nova police. Exciting plot and some interesting new characters, but the characters are really starting to blur together now.

Finally, Karen/Cara/Pulcheria becomes Carina and joins the military.

The writing style is excellent. The world building is intricate and well thought out. Most of the characters are unique and engaging. On a line level, it’s well edited.

One star off for the meandering nature of this story.

Double Identity is a great start to the Mélisende Thrillers series. Alison Morton has written a great suspense filled mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat from the start. There were a few twists and turns I did not see coming. This is one of those books that I could never predict as to what was going to happen next. It felt like I was taking a ride on a thrilling roller coaster. I loved every single page.

I am giving Double Identity a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading action packed thrillers. I can not wait to find out what happens next from the Mélisende Thrillers series, Double Pursuit.

I received a digital copy of Double Identity from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Aurelia is the fourth book in Alison Morton’s Roma Nova series. Set in an alternative historical context, the Roman Empire survives as a matriarchal society in a semi-mountainous area north of Italy. This is the only book I have read in this series so far, but it features a different character to those used in earlier volumes and works well as a stand-alone novel.

Written in the first person, Aurelia’s bold personality and brave, active life as a Major in the Praetorian Guard Special Forces engages the reader and promises plenty of action. But she is also a mother and the daughter of the head of one of the 12 ruling families. After Aurelia’s mother is involved in a severe car accident she must give up her military life and assume family and political responsibilities.

But soon Aurelia’s talents are put to use in diplomacy and espionage in the dangerous environment of Berlin, capital of Prussia. Here she encounters an old enemy and a mysterious stranger and she needs her wits about her. From then on the pace of the book is relentless and very exciting. Aurelia is the heroine we would all like to be.

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this storyline but I tried it out of curiosity. This alternative world, familiar to us and yet so different is a unique backdrop to a thriller which would make a wonderful film.

This e-book is a series of short fictions, by various authors, each based on alternative history outcomes for the events of 1066. The stories were rather variable in quality (the 'Roman' one was particularly silly), and between them they only threw up one good idea (that Harold Godwinsson sent the fyrd home and stopped watching for the Normans because he believed that William's excursion to Dives in a storm had finished his invasion prospects).

I am keen on both alternative history and 1066, so snapped this up in a Kindle daily deal, but I wouldn't have wanted to pay more than the £1.99 I actually did for it. Disappointing.

This collection of stories from published historical novelists imagines alternatives outcomes to the events of the most famous date in English history. It's a thought-provoking reminder at the time of the 950th anniversary of the Norman Conquest how differently the long term history of the country might have been had events turned out differently that year. Some are the more conventional alternatives, where Harold waits a day to allow more of his men to catch up before advancing to face William and defeating him with larger and more rested forces. But among the other scenarios included are more indirect ones where Harold's allies Edwin and Morcar defeat Harald Hardrada at Fulford, thereby freeing King Harold from the need to march up north to face the Norwegian king at Stamford Bridge; or conversely, where Hardrada defeats Harold at the latter battle and then teams up with Edwin and Morcar to confront and defeat the greater threat that they see William as posing, making England part of a longer-lasting Scandinavian empire. Even after Harold's defeat at Hastings, other scenarios were possible: in one here, the young Edgar the Atheling is able to resist William and prevent him from taking London, killing the Duke in the process. An interestingly eclectic collection.

Not bad but could have been fleshed out more.

It's several years since the last story and Captain Carina Mitela has found a home in the Praetorian Guard Special Forces, there's a rebellion in the off and she's in the middle of it. She is working to defend her marriage and her world.

It's not bad but it just didn't quite resonate with me, there were times I wanted more detail about what was going on and felt somewhat lost in superfluous detail.½

After a failed kidnapping attempt, average, ordinary New York resident, Karen Brown has to open her eyes to some harsh new realities. Things aren't as they seem and her family history is suddenly more complex then she realized. Both parents are dead but, it's her mother's ancestry that is suddenly important. She always knew her mother was from Roma Nova, a European country, but she didn't realize that her mother was from a very powerful and wealthy family. As her 25th birthday approaches Karen stands to inherit a lot of money and a business, a fact that was unbeknownst to her, but very clear to her new enemies. A representative from Roma Nova comes to New York to inform and protect Karen but things quickly get deadly as an assassin with nothing to lose won't stop pursuing Karen. Will she ever be safe again in New York? Fast paced this book will appeal to fans of political thrillers, alternate history, and strong female leads.

I received this book for free from the author in return for my honest, unbiased opinion.

Could have done with some help to make the transitions work between scenes a little better as the whiplash between them was a bit unsmooth for me, but overall I enjoyed it.

A story of an alternative world where a Roman colony survived the downfall of Rome and became a power in it's own right. It's matrilineal and just that little bit different from our world. Into this world comes Karen Brown, whose mother was from Roma Nova but she lives in New York as an advertising executive, working with the Conservancy Corps until she intervenes in an altercation and everything changes. Suddenly her life is turned upside down, she's under stress from a government enforcer, her only choice is to run, to Roma Nova where she finds a new direction in life as she is one of the privelidged.

She discovers something about her rescuer, Conrad Tellus and this isolates her somewhat, but she's finding that life in Roma Nova is full of surprises.

I found that she coped with the culture shock quite quickly, and the aforementioned scene whiplash broke the smoothness of the read but I still want to read more. This world fascinates me and I have a lot of curiosity about the differences. The resolution felt a bit rushed and I had to re-read it to make sure I had got it right, but overall I liked the read.½