Book 2 in the Sons of Rome Series.
I am currently in the middle of a re-read of Red Rooster, which is book number two in the Sons of Rome series. My favourite author Lauren Gilley writes it. Book three is due to be released in the next month or two (I hope, oh my god, I hope), so I have been taking my time re-reading and savouring the series.
I forgot how much I loved this book; it was such a worthy follow up to White Wolf. I was surprised that I did enjoy this book so much, given that none of this book was set in Russia, and for me, that was the hook for White Wolf that gripped me in the first place. But it has the same dark and gritty feel, like the undercurrents of her other series they certainly have a gothic feel.
The book picks right back up where White Wolf ended, and like White Wolf has the same style of historical flashbacks. There were ‘new’ historical characters introduced, and yes, I had a gasp out loud moment, a few times while meeting them. The main characters in this novel were Red and Rooster, and while I didn’t feel a connection to them personally, their story is intriguing. Red is a character born from the Ingraham Institute, and Rooster a disabled Iraqui War veteran. Both are on the run from Dr Talbot. I think there are a few characters in this book who would like to do that. Speaking of Dr Talbot, he has the help of Fulk and Anna, as well as Vlad and Val. Poor Val, he’s become the ultimate anti-hero of this series. Dear Lord let him have a happy ending.
Trina and the New York Crew are still trying to solve their mysteries and murders, although I will admit I wanted to see more of Sasha and Nik. Nik may have very fast become my favourite of her characters…. I just love him. The way they interact sparks joy in me. During Red Rooster the characters continue to grow and develop throughout this book; Nik meets his family, Trina and Lanny try and sort their issues, Alexei is learning. I feel like I am understating this so much.
I feel as if I haven’t described the story at all, but I think I may have mentioned this in my last Lauren Gilley review, she considers herself a character based author. My best friend read White Wolf at my insistence and said that she wasn’t surprised that it appealed to me, the way she phrases things is beautiful.
The ending slayed me, and I have no idea how the story is going to come back from that, although the author makes a living out of making me love characters that would normally be irredeemable, and it is an absolute testament to the quality of her work. I love the way that the story is going, it feels as if it is building very slowly to the upcoming war, even if I am struggling to keep up with who is forcing this advance.
I cannot wait for Book Three – Dragon Slayer. It’s Val’s book, and I hope I can hold on tight and enjoy the emotional rollercoaster that I think it will be. In the meantime, if you are interested Lauren Gilley’s website is http://hoofprintpress.blogspot.com/ I highly recommend you check her out.
Books, Boots and Bakeries 