I was recently contacted by Patrick Canning, to read and review one of his books, The Colonel and the Bee. After reading the blurb, I was very intrigued! It sounded like my type of book and genre to read. I am always on the search for new books to read and I’m always willing to try new books. My book reviews have decreased a little over the last couple of months. Unfortunately, I haven’t participated in many Book Blog Tours.
Not only did the blurb sell The Colonel and the Bee to me but these two snappy reviews:
Around the World in Eighty Days meets Wizard of Oz. Lara Croft, steampunk style.
I am really happy to share with you The Colonel and the Bee and my review, of course, like my normal reviews I will be sharing the full blurb and bio for the author. At the moment this is the only book review I have lined up for the next month. It seems like Book Blog Tours have gone silent on the books I am interested in. I might just have to read and review the books I’ve had on my Goodreads to-read shelf for a little while.
I hope you enjoy this review, shall we begin?
The Colonel and the Bee? Let me tell you a little bit about it;
Beatrix, a spirited but abused acrobat in a travelling circus, seeks more than her prison-like employment offers. More than anything, she wants to know her place in the world of the halcyon 19th century. One night in Switzerland, the mysterious Colonel James Bacchus attends Beatrix‘s show. This gentleman is most notable for travelling the world in a four-story hot air balloon, The Ox. Beatrix flees that night to join the Colonel, and the two of them make a narrow escape.
Beatrix pledges to help him catch the criminal he seeks in exchange for passage on his magnificent balloon. The criminal seeks a precious figurine, The Blue Star Sphinx, but he’s not alone. The Sphinx‘s immense value has also drawn the attention of the world’s most deadly treasure hunters. A murder in Antwerp begins a path of mystery that leads all the way to the most isolated island on Earth.
What dangers await the Colonel and the acrobat?
The adventure genre is not always my cup of tea unless it’s written well, Patrick has definitely done very well with The Colonel and the Bee. He keeps you wanting more from every chapter of the book, I love how he’s taken you on a magical journey to travel the world without leaving your home! He has taken elements and ideas that I love to find and then used his amazing storytelling to mix everything together!
Each character is very different and unique which I love as characters are sometimes hard to get along with. They came together to form a family and head on their merry way to find The Blue Star Sphinx. With the book taking place sometime during the 19th Century, Patrick has done a very good job with his writing style to truly capture the feel of the time period.
We can not forget the two main characters, the Colonel and Beatrix, they definitely make the book its own, they are both adventurous souls who yet still have unrelated characteristics. Patrick has done an amazing job to describe these characters, I can almost picture them! Even though things go downhill for the pair and there seems no way out, they both have such an optimistic attitude and always find a way to make things better.
This is so relatable and something we should all practice more of, especially in today’s world. I adore The Colonel and the Bee as you get lost in the world for a few hours, it’s the perfect book to escape the real world. There’s so much going on in this story with a treasure hunt that has danger, fear, excitement and laughter. From the title, I’m sure you’ll feel this is about a romance between the pair but their relationship is more like a brother and sister or the best of friends.
The Colonel and the Bee is a book worth reading, the characters are memorable and the story is enchanting. Furthermore, the creative use of language, twisting and turning will keep your nose buried in this book until the very end.
How about a little about the author, Patrick Canning;
Patrick was born in Wisconsin, grew up in Illinois, and now lives in California with his dog, Hank. Patrick spends as much time as possible turning coffee into collections of words that look like books, shorts, and screenplays. Most of his stories attempt to look for the meaning of life in an adventurous way, and often employ humour, important since the search usually doesn’t turn up much.
You can follow Patrick on Instagram and his official website.
Thank-you for approaching me with this review request Patrick, I am very thankful and I’m glad I’ve tried something out of my comfort zone. If you’re interested in reading The Colonel and the Bee you can buy from Amazon now. You can also find Patrick on Goodreads now!
I hope you have enjoyed this little review! What are your thoughts
on The Colonel and the Bee?
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*Thank you, Patrick Canning, for sending me a digital edition of The Colonel and the Bee, in return
for an honest review. For more information please see my About Page.
An Ocean Glimmer 