I read 12 books in September and 7 of them were by Australian author CJ Archer. No prizes for guessing who gets my favourite read for the month!

The Last Necromancer by CJ Archer

Addicted. Totally addicted. That’s me with Archer’s brilliant Ministry of Curiosities series. Oh, the sexual tension!

This is a historical fantasy romance series with a long and strong story arc, wonderful characters, great atmosphere (it’s set in Victorian London, one of my favourite eras), lots of mystery and action, and loads of deliciously swoon-worthy, impossible romance. Archer’s writing makes you feel like you’re there, adventuring along with Charlie (Charlotte) and Lincoln and the gang. I was so enchanted I read the rest of the series one after the other, gobbling each down in a couple of days.

The Last Necromancer is currently available for free on Amazon Kindle. Grab a copy and get addicted today!

I also read: Her Majesty’s Necromancer, Beyond the Grave, Grave Expectations, Ashes to Ashes, and From The Ashes. And yippee, there’s to be a book 7, coming late January: Of Fate and Phantoms.

The Girl in the Ice & The Night Stalker by Robert Bryndza

The Girl in the Ice is described as a gripping serial killer thriller and that’s exactly what it is. I read this one fast. I love a good crime novel and this one didn’t disappoint at all. No wonder it’s been sitting at the top of the ebook charts for so many weeks—it’s really good! The main character, Erika Foster, is a complete maverick. There’s a piece in the book where she says something along the lines of: after having lost everything, the only thing she has left is her morals. It’s that which makes Erika so compelling and, if you’re a serial killer who wants to keep on killing, so very dangerous. This is a woman who has nothing to lose. Very, very cool.

As for book two in the series, The Night Stalker, that one didn’t disappoint either. Just as fast paced and just as thrillery, this book cemented DCI Erika Foster as a fantastic heroine who will do anything to nail her killer. I’ll be reading book 3 when it comes out.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

I was so transfixed by Harding’s The Lie Tree when I read it (see this previous Favourite reads for how I felt about that one) that I wanted more by this author and Cuckoo’s Song sounded right up my alley. Once again, I wasn’t disappointed. Stunning writing and storytelling, like a wicked fairytale that needs to be read with the covers pulled over your head. What amazes me is that these are meant to be kid’s books yet they feel so adult in their complexity, plus they’re downright scary which is excellent news as far as I’m concerned. I do adore a good scare!

The Watchmaker’s Daughter by CJ Archer

If I hadn’t become addicted to the Archer’s Ministry of Curiosities series this would have been my favourite read for the month. Loved it. Love the Victorian London setting and dangerous atmosphere, love the characters, love the mystery and action… but most of all I love the sizzling attraction between India Steele and Matthew Glass. I can see myself becoming as addicted to this series as I was to the Ministry of Curiosities. If there were more books out I would have read them. Alas, I’ll have to wait until the end of October for The Mapmaker’s Apprentice, book two in this new Glass and Steele series.

Every Secret Thing by Susanna Kearsley

Ah, Kearsley never lets me down. I didn’t realise this book was originally published under her thriller-writer pen-name Emma Cole, which might be why it felt a little different at the start. For a while I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but it wasn’t long before I was riveted. This was a terrific tale – a highly dangerous mystery, where secrets have been held close for many years, and a war time love story. Absolutely wonderful.

Odd Interlude by Dean Koontz

I think that, after this first in the series, this is my second favourite Odd Thomas book. I must admit I was a bit nonplussed about the previous two books but this one sees Odd back on track. There were bits in here where Odd was so heroic he got me all choked up and sniffly. And I really loved it when… Oh, bugger. Can’t tell you cos that would be a spoiler. Anyway, I hope this good form continues with the final two books. Adore it when characters make me emotional. It’s probably the biggest reason why I read.

What were your favourite reads?