Reviewed by PizzyGirl

TITLE: Lord Mouse

SERIES: Lords of Davenia #1

AUTHOR: Mason Thomas

NARRATOR: Joel Leslie

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 9 hours, 25 minutes

RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2017

BLURB:

A Lords of Davenia Novel

Scoundrel by nature and master thief by trade, Mouse is the best there is. Sure, his methods may not make him many friends, but he works best alone anyway. And he has never failed a job.

But that could change.

When a stranger with a hefty bag of gold seduces him to take on a task, Mouse knows he’ll regret it. The job? Free Lord Garron, the son of a powerful duke arrested on trumped up charges in a rival duchy. Mouse doesn’t do rescue missions. He’s no altruistic hero, and something about the job reeks. But he cannot turn his back on that much coin—enough to buy a king’s pardon for the murder charge hanging over his head.

Getting Garron out of his tower prison is the easy part. Now, they must escape an army of guardsmen, a walled keep and a city on lockdown, and a ruthless mage using her power to track them. Making matters worse, Mouse is distracted by Garron’s charm and unyielding integrity. Falling for a client can lead to mistakes. Falling for a nobleman can lead to disaster. But Mouse is unprepared for the dangers behind the plot to make Lord Garron disappear.

STORY REVIEW:

This is my first experience with Mason Thomas’s works and I have to say I am a fan. This story was so well crafted that it kept me hooked from word one.

I LOVED the setting of this story. The world building was fantastic. The imagery and the way things were described really set the scenes and painted a fabulous picture. I got a great sense of place. The contrasting of the poor underbelly with the high class was great and was really reflected in the locations the author presented.

I also felt that the characters were well done and easily likable. My favorite thing was that I got such a great feel for the characters mannerisms and personalities that I really connected with them and their reactions. For instance, I could feel Mouse’s frustration and annoyance when Garron and the boy were with him being sarcastic and getting in his way. It was organic and provided for some good chuckles in the midst of all that tension and anxiety. I could also predict Garron’s responses because I felt like I knew him well. He was well rounded and well presented and it really made for a more cohesive story to have each character come across with such robust depth.

The plot and the action and adventure were FANTASTIC. I was drawn in at the very start and held captive until the end. The tension and anxiety kept off the page and I actually got mad when I had to shut this one off to go to work. I needed to know what happened next. This story was so fluid and well written. Each time things settled down a bit, something new appeared that either fascinated me from a world building perspective or some new twist appeared and I had to know how Mouse would figure his way out. This was almost like a fantasy version of a comedy of errors with everything and anything going wrong and forcing Mouse to adjust. Yet at the same time, I was drawn to the men and their future in a way that I HAD to be a part of this action with them to see them succeed. I HAD to see Mouse win and save himself and his father.

I did feel that the love was a bit rushed at first. To me, it felt more like a case of attachment born from shared adventure. But in the end, it seemed that the love persevered and the ending left me all kinds of teary eyed and happy. I would have liked to have seen that love develop a bit more on the page but I was still satisfied with the results.

I definitely recommend this story to anyone looking for an escape. The plot will keep you entertained and the characters will steal your heart.

NARRATION REVIEW:

This was the perfect story for a voice actor. It needed more than a standard reading. This story needed someone with a bit of dramatic flare and a keen ear for accents. Joel Leslie delivered on all that and really did a great job bringing this story to life. I got swept up in the narration and the story and really felt like the audio heightened the adventure. I recommend this one to everyone looking for a great story to get lost in.

RATING:  

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon  

Audible