Ella, The Slayer and the Serenity House series
Ella, The Slayer and the Serenity House Series
By A. W. Exley
**** 4 stars
I enjoy a fun historical romance, especially when it has its fill of fantasy. In this case you have the Turned, or Vermin. Yes, folks, we are talking about zombies here. Now I don't typically seek zombie stories but I've enjoyed another series by this author (which I will discuss another time), so this one caught my eye. I also have a slight fascination with retold fairy tales.
So here we have the Serenity House series:
Ella, The Slayer (Cinderella)
Henry, The Gaoler (Rapunzel)
Alice, The Player (Alice in Wonderland)
Rory, The Sleeper (Sleeping Beauty)
Set in Edwardian England at the close of the first world war, Ella is a young woman who survives by her wits and her katana. The sword was left by her father, who returned from the front in a catatonic state, and is now used to dispatch vermin. (I want a katana!) In her spare time, she must serve her stepmother and stepsisters who have taken over her father's home and relegated Ella to serve their every whim and need.
Enter Seth. He's not a prince, but close. He's a duke, freshly home from the front and looking to do something about the Turned. Sparks fly, evil step mother and stepsister #1 have plans for said duke, and vermin step in to ruin just about every opportunity for a romantic interlude. Oh, what fun!
Henry, The Gaoler is actually a prequel to the main story. Although Henry is a large part of the series, his girl, Hazel, is only mentioned once more in Alice. I would have liked to have seen more of her, but that's all right. There were plenty of women pushing the envelope of early twentieth century feminism that I didn't miss Hazel too much. In addition to Ella's role as the town exterminator, Alice turns from spunky house maid to budding politician, an ambitious role for a woman in 1919. Then there's Charlotte, stepsister #2, who has to discover her feet after mother dearest and sister abandon her.
We must not forget the men who encourage these stellar women to do what they must. Seth, Henry, Frank, and David fight alongside their respective women, giving the needed support and covering their backside against any vermin who might attempt a sneak attack. The guys aren't perfect (Frank steps into the dung heap of romance and has to dig his way out) but they are adorable.
Most of the series revolves around Ella and Seth, and their attempts to stop the vermin pandemic. Each book, with the exception of Henry, begins minutes after the previous book ends. I usually prefer a time lapse for my brain to fantasize about what the characters do next, but since Exley eventually addressed everything I thought of, it all worked in the end.
By A. W. Exley
**** 4 stars
I enjoy a fun historical romance, especially when it has its fill of fantasy. In this case you have the Turned, or Vermin. Yes, folks, we are talking about zombies here. Now I don't typically seek zombie stories but I've enjoyed another series by this author (which I will discuss another time), so this one caught my eye. I also have a slight fascination with retold fairy tales.
So here we have the Serenity House series:
Ella, The Slayer (Cinderella)
Henry, The Gaoler (Rapunzel)
Alice, The Player (Alice in Wonderland)
Rory, The Sleeper (Sleeping Beauty)
Set in Edwardian England at the close of the first world war, Ella is a young woman who survives by her wits and her katana. The sword was left by her father, who returned from the front in a catatonic state, and is now used to dispatch vermin. (I want a katana!) In her spare time, she must serve her stepmother and stepsisters who have taken over her father's home and relegated Ella to serve their every whim and need.
Enter Seth. He's not a prince, but close. He's a duke, freshly home from the front and looking to do something about the Turned. Sparks fly, evil step mother and stepsister #1 have plans for said duke, and vermin step in to ruin just about every opportunity for a romantic interlude. Oh, what fun!
Henry, The Gaoler is actually a prequel to the main story. Although Henry is a large part of the series, his girl, Hazel, is only mentioned once more in Alice. I would have liked to have seen more of her, but that's all right. There were plenty of women pushing the envelope of early twentieth century feminism that I didn't miss Hazel too much. In addition to Ella's role as the town exterminator, Alice turns from spunky house maid to budding politician, an ambitious role for a woman in 1919. Then there's Charlotte, stepsister #2, who has to discover her feet after mother dearest and sister abandon her.
We must not forget the men who encourage these stellar women to do what they must. Seth, Henry, Frank, and David fight alongside their respective women, giving the needed support and covering their backside against any vermin who might attempt a sneak attack. The guys aren't perfect (Frank steps into the dung heap of romance and has to dig his way out) but they are adorable.
Most of the series revolves around Ella and Seth, and their attempts to stop the vermin pandemic. Each book, with the exception of Henry, begins minutes after the previous book ends. I usually prefer a time lapse for my brain to fantasize about what the characters do next, but since Exley eventually addressed everything I thought of, it all worked in the end.
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