This is a great week for new books, and I’ve got another review to share!

The Emperor’s New Concerto is a newly released novel by Hazel West that comes at us from a future world unknowingly sitting on the brink of war. This science fiction adventure is comedic, and the story definitely has a crush on the likes of Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaimon, and William Goldman.

And before I get to my review, I wanted you to know that TODAY (Thursday) at 5:30 PST 8:30 EST, you can meet the authors during a live Q&A on Instagram!

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Book Synopsis

The year is 2228 and the world is on the cusp of World War Four. London is rife with anarchists and secret plots. It looks like dark days are coming for the British Empire. Darker than any that have been seen for decades.

But luckily England has some help.

Sir Lysander is the King’s Righteous Man-and all that entails. He’s the king’s right hand, and a red one at that, the man who stands in the shadows and does what needs to be done for the protection of his country. 

Eidolon is a phantom, the anarchist group Apophis’s top retrieval expert. They need something, he gets it, no matter the consequence. Even though he’d secretly prefer to be in his flat with his cat and a good book.

They’ve been butting heads for a while, but in times like these loyalties are known to change and right now, any help is good help. They just didn’t count on being the only thing standing between England and the start of the next world war.

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REVIEW

What a fun romp through future London! We start with just a regular day for Lysander, the King’s Righteous Man, protecting the king and the great people of England, but it all starts going downhill for him when a thief steals the dangerous product of a secret experiment. He can’t seem to catch this thief, who continually thwarts him where before, Lysander never missed his mark.

This thief, the infamous Eidolon, is a ghost who seems to steal everything his boss needs right out from under Lysander’s handsome nose. The two dance through the book in a back and forth of repartee action and words. I don’t want to give away too much, but their scenes are my favorite and bring the most laughs. But a character who really rounds out the story is the unassuming butler Sinclair.

While the story has all the tropes of a good action thriller science fiction novel, the Hazel West does a great job of keeping them fresh and meeting the expectations of the genre while also putting her own unique spin on them. I would recommend the the book to teens and older, as there is violence, some light swearing, and the general content is not meant for kids. Anyone who enjoys action mingled with humor in a science fiction future will enjoy this book.

Find out all about the Book and the Blog Tour here:

https://hazelwest.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-new-emperors-concerto-blog-tour.html

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Where to get the book:

First, if you’re like me, you’ll want to add this book to your TBR on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49094755-the-new-emperor-s-concerto

Places to purchase a copy:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1010503

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/New-Emperors-Concerto-Hazel-West-ebook/dp/B086644XXK/

MORE Fun from Haze West

The Butler’s Story

The butler to the King’s Righteous Man must be someone who is brave, skilled, loyal, and above all, ready for any eventuality—whether it be an assassin after his master or high tea for ten guests on short notice. 

Vincent Sinclair is the replacement for Sir Percival’s former butler who died under…unfortunate circumstances. It is now his duty to serve the Righteous Man in whatever he needs, whenever he needs it. 

One of his duties is training the master’s son, Lysander, who will take over the title of Righteous Man when Sir Percival ultimately retires—or is taken off the field by less savory means, whatever comes first. Sinclair finds Lysander to be a bright boy, but one weighed down by the shadow of his father’s demands. Sinclair takes it upon himself to help the young master shine, so that Lysander can prove to his father that he has what it takes to be the next Righteous Man.

shares a look at what it’s like being in the family of the King’s Righteous Man from the butler’s perspective. (Click the image to head to Amazon to buy it)

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Hailing from Purgatory (aka, Florida) Hazel is an indie author, book wyrm, and coffee connoisseur. She typically enjoys writing books with an unconventional flair, probably with a bit of folklore and mythology, most definitely with a lot of siblings or brothers-in-arms. When she’s not writing, she manages an Etsy shop, drinks a lot of coffee, listens to music, haunts conventions, or just holes up like an eldritch horror and binges her favorite shows—for inspiration. If you meet this rare creature on the street, she has been known to respond to the offer of coffee and old bookstores. But it’s probably best you try to contact her online first. 

• Goodreads Author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5289626.Hazel_B_West
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/artfulscribbler
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/modern_bard67/