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Hellequin Chronicles #1
Crimes Against Magic
It’s been almost ten years since Nathan Garrett woke on a cold warehouse floor with nothing but a gun, a sword, and no idea of who he was or how he got there. His only clue … a piece of paper with his name on it. Since then, he’s discovered he’s a powerful sorcerer and has used his abilities to work as a thief for hire. But he’s never stopped hunting for his true identity, and those who erased his memory have never stopped hunting for him. When the barrier holding his past captive begins to crumble, Nathan swears to protect a young girl who is key to his enemy’s plans. But with his enemies closing in, and everyone he cares about becoming a target for their wrath, Nathan is forced to choose between the life he’s built for himself and the one buried deep inside him.
Crimes Against Magic is an Urban Fantasy set in modern-day London with Historical flashbacks to early fifteenth-century France. It's book one of the Hellequin Chronicles, a series about Nathan (Nate) Garrett, a centuries-old sorcerer.
Crimes Against Magic is an Urban Fantasy set in modern-day London with Historical flashbacks to early fifteenth-century France. It's book one of the Hellequin Chronicles, a series about Nathan (Nate) Garrett, a centuries-old sorcerer.
388 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2012
About the author
Steve McHugh
30 books1,839 followersSteve is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy. His book, Scorched Shadows, was shortlisted for a Gemmell Award for best novel.
Steve was born in a small village called Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton
Steve was born in a small village called Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 748 reviews
December 13, 2014
My paternal grandmother used to tell a story. When my dad was a small boy late one night in the dark house (out in the country, no lights "on" in the house so when I say dark it was dark) my grandparents were awakened by a loud thump.
Thump!
Then they heard, "well huh. I fell out of bed."
Well huh, I've found a good UF series.
The first UF novel/series I got interested in was the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. I'm a huge fan of the Dresden books and they started me "off on a search" for other UF novels I like. Sadly I have a very low tolerance for romance content. So often I find that books shelved as UF (Urban Fantasy) are more accurately PNR (ParaNormal Romance). Of course that is on my own scale. Others will disagree with me. That said I've only found a few novels/series that I really enjoy.
If these hold up I think this will be one. Here we get an interesting new protagonist who's not an attempt to "be like" any other we've seen elsewhere. He has his own personality. Nathan Garrett has a sense of humor, but he's not Harry Dresden. He's capable of heroics but not a plastic or cookie cutter hero. He's not a bad guy, but he's done and will do some bad things. I'd not call him an antihero but as noted he's capable of being dark if it's called for.
When the book opens Nathan is in the midst of a "job". In that scene we get an intro to Nathan, the world we're entering not to mention who and what Nathan is.
Nathan is a sorcerer...but the thing is he's discovered a lot of what he knows about himself and his abilities by trial and error. That's because ten years ago he woke up on the floor in a warehouse...with no memories. There's been some violence, oh and there's a gun loaded with silver bullets.
He makes (or made if you prefer) a living for the next decade while also trying to find out about who he "was" (is?) and what his talents not only mean but how to use them and their extent.
Then he finds himself over his head with people trying to kill him and endangering everyone around him.
The book flows very well with no slow portions or missteps. There is one slight glitch and that's that the "story" takes place along 3 separate and distinct yet related timelines. These are a few hundred years ago, ten years ago and the present. There are also flashes from another (4th) time line in his memory that takes place around a thousand years ago.
Pay attention to name changes or you'll find yourself going..."what?" and then dropping back a couple of paragraphs and going, "Oh we've switched timelines. :)
But all kidding aside, good book. I plan on (if at all possible) getting to the next novel soon.
And of course then beginning to wait for each novel as it comes out like I do Dresden, Alex Verus....etc.,etc.,etc.
Recommended. Enjoy.
Thump!
Then they heard, "well huh. I fell out of bed."
Well huh, I've found a good UF series.
The first UF novel/series I got interested in was the Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher. I'm a huge fan of the Dresden books and they started me "off on a search" for other UF novels I like. Sadly I have a very low tolerance for romance content. So often I find that books shelved as UF (Urban Fantasy) are more accurately PNR (ParaNormal Romance). Of course that is on my own scale. Others will disagree with me. That said I've only found a few novels/series that I really enjoy.
If these hold up I think this will be one. Here we get an interesting new protagonist who's not an attempt to "be like" any other we've seen elsewhere. He has his own personality. Nathan Garrett has a sense of humor, but he's not Harry Dresden. He's capable of heroics but not a plastic or cookie cutter hero. He's not a bad guy, but he's done and will do some bad things. I'd not call him an antihero but as noted he's capable of being dark if it's called for.
When the book opens Nathan is in the midst of a "job". In that scene we get an intro to Nathan, the world we're entering not to mention who and what Nathan is.
Nathan is a sorcerer...but the thing is he's discovered a lot of what he knows about himself and his abilities by trial and error. That's because ten years ago he woke up on the floor in a warehouse...with no memories. There's been some violence, oh and there's a gun loaded with silver bullets.
He makes (or made if you prefer) a living for the next decade while also trying to find out about who he "was" (is?) and what his talents not only mean but how to use them and their extent.
Then he finds himself over his head with people trying to kill him and endangering everyone around him.
The book flows very well with no slow portions or missteps. There is one slight glitch and that's that the "story" takes place along 3 separate and distinct yet related timelines. These are a few hundred years ago, ten years ago and the present. There are also flashes from another (4th) time line in his memory that takes place around a thousand years ago.
Pay attention to name changes or you'll find yourself going..."what?" and then dropping back a couple of paragraphs and going, "Oh we've switched timelines. :)
But all kidding aside, good book. I plan on (if at all possible) getting to the next novel soon.
And of course then beginning to wait for each novel as it comes out like I do Dresden, Alex Verus....etc.,etc.,etc.
Recommended. Enjoy.
October 31, 2021
➽ And the moral of this reread is: If I listened to my Acute Book Slumpitis-stricken little self, I'd lower my original rating for this book most dramatically. But I won't, so I won't. Because I'm full of fish like that.
P.S.
[July 2017]
Pre-review rating: 3.75 stars. I must have been somewhat inebriated when I first rated this book.
Post-review rating: 4.258 stars. Yeah, that's more like it.
Why the Murderous Crustaceansstrongly urge you to read this book, or else… think the Little Barnacles might find some moderate enjoyment in this reasonably entertaining book:
① It's UF written by a male author, aka one of the scarcest resources in this estrogen-ruled genre.
This is such a rare occurrence that even Helga, my marginally ruthless pet eagle, had an Oh My Shrimp Moment (OMSM™) when she heard about this book.
+
② It's UF written by a British male author. Which is kinda sorta beautifully exotic and stuff.
+
③ It's UF with aGary Stu yummy anti-hero of a male lead, written by a British male author.
My thoughts exactly, young man.
+
④ It's UF with a yummy anti-hero of a male lead, in a gloriously refreshing UK setting, written by a British male author. Yes, I know, this is a lot to take in, but please refrain from fainting/swooning/passing out/whatever, my Little Barnacles. This is about to getbetter worse.
+
⑤ It's UF with a yummy anti-hero of a male lead, in a gloriously refreshing UK setting, written by a British male author who scrumptiously created a stupendously creative world. Calling 1-800-Rescue-the-Barnacles NOW! Help will be there soon! Inhale, exhale! Inhale, exhale!
=
This book is slightly awesome.
The end.
Bye now.
Hahahahaha. I'm so funny sometimes, I crack my little nefarious self up. You didn't really think I was done, did you? You are so naïve sometimes. It's disgustingly cute.
But anyway.
Okay, so in case you hadn't noticed, I'm just about perfect. The problem is, I suck at math. Ergo I forgot to add half the numbers in my Wondrous UF Addition (WUFA™) before calculating its sum. Now let's try and wrap this up before my great-great-grandchildrenshrimps have great-great-grandchildrenshrimps, shall we?
⑥ Yummy anti-hero of a male lead is somewhat yummy. Because thief. Because not an unbearably boring good guy. Because not entirely allergic to killing people dead in a deadly way. Because, you know, testosterone and stuff. Because sense of humor. Because loss of memory is sexy . Because magic. Because spoiler spoiler spoiler. And because I said so.
+
⑦ Sorcerers and legends and gods and gargoyles and myths and vamps, oh my!
+
⑧ Cool cast of diversely intriguing and intriguingly diverse characters. Mildly brilliant interactions. Barely enjoyable dialogues. QED and stuff.
+
⑨ Multiple flashbacks and three different timelines, yet not a single freaking second of confusingly confusing confusion. Which is highly suspicious, if you ask me. I'm pretty sure Steve McHugh made a pact with the devil to manage such a feat.
=
This book is slightly awesome . What? I already said that? So what? Got a problem with rehashing stuff and stuff? Sigh. You can be so annoyingly intransigent sometimes, my Shiny Arthropods, it's quite exhausting.
➽ And the moral of this Read this or Sort of Die at theHands Pincers of the Murderous Crustaceans Crappy Non Review (RtoSoDatHPofMCCNR™) is: all hail Refreshingly Refreshing Testosterone-Laden UF (RRTLUF™)! Now let's dance and stuff.
How do you like my new beard? Pretty hot, huh? Yeah, I think so too.
P.S. MY Daniel Faust + Nate Garrett here = hahahaha Happy Dresden, you are such a joke. Hey, looks like I don't suck that much at math after all! See, told you I was perfect.
· Book 2: Born of Hatred ★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Actual rating: 3.75. It's Rating à la Choko (RàlC™) time again!
RTC. In a few hundred thousand years or so. If all goes well.
➽ Simple maths time: UF + male author + male lead =
Thanks for the heads up, Kesha!:D
P.S.
[July 2017]
Pre-review rating: 3.75 stars. I must have been somewhat inebriated when I first rated this book.
Post-review rating: 4.258 stars. Yeah, that's more like it.
Why the Murderous Crustaceans
① It's UF written by a male author, aka one of the scarcest resources in this estrogen-ruled genre.
This is such a rare occurrence that even Helga, my marginally ruthless pet eagle, had an Oh My Shrimp Moment (OMSM™) when she heard about this book.
+
② It's UF written by a British male author. Which is kinda sorta beautifully exotic and stuff.
+
③ It's UF with a
My thoughts exactly, young man.
+
④ It's UF with a yummy anti-hero of a male lead, in a gloriously refreshing UK setting, written by a British male author. Yes, I know, this is a lot to take in, but please refrain from fainting/swooning/passing out/whatever, my Little Barnacles. This is about to get
+
⑤ It's UF with a yummy anti-hero of a male lead, in a gloriously refreshing UK setting, written by a British male author who scrumptiously created a stupendously creative world. Calling 1-800-Rescue-the-Barnacles NOW! Help will be there soon! Inhale, exhale! Inhale, exhale!
=
This book is slightly awesome.
The end.
Bye now.
Hahahahaha. I'm so funny sometimes, I crack my little nefarious self up. You didn't really think I was done, did you? You are so naïve sometimes. It's disgustingly cute.
But anyway.
Okay, so in case you hadn't noticed, I'm just about perfect. The problem is, I suck at math. Ergo I forgot to add half the numbers in my Wondrous UF Addition (WUFA™) before calculating its sum. Now let's try and wrap this up before my great-great-grand
⑥ Yummy anti-hero of a male lead is somewhat yummy. Because thief. Because not an unbearably boring good guy. Because not entirely allergic to killing people dead in a deadly way. Because, you know, testosterone and stuff. Because sense of humor. Because loss of memory is sexy . Because magic. Because spoiler spoiler spoiler. And because I said so.
+
⑦ Sorcerers and legends and gods and gargoyles and myths and vamps, oh my!
+
⑧ Cool cast of diversely intriguing and intriguingly diverse characters. Mildly brilliant interactions. Barely enjoyable dialogues. QED and stuff.
+
⑨ Multiple flashbacks and three different timelines, yet not a single freaking second of confusingly confusing confusion. Which is highly suspicious, if you ask me. I'm pretty sure Steve McHugh made a pact with the devil to manage such a feat.
=
This book is slightly awesome . What? I already said that? So what? Got a problem with rehashing stuff and stuff? Sigh. You can be so annoyingly intransigent sometimes, my Shiny Arthropods, it's quite exhausting.
➽ And the moral of this Read this or Sort of Die at the
How do you like my new beard? Pretty hot, huh? Yeah, I think so too.
P.S. MY Daniel Faust + Nate Garrett here = hahahaha Happy Dresden, you are such a joke. Hey, looks like I don't suck that much at math after all! See, told you I was perfect.
· Book 2: Born of Hatred ★★
[Pre-review nonsense]
Actual rating: 3.75. It's Rating à la Choko (RàlC™) time again!
RTC. In a few hundred thousand years or so. If all goes well.
➽ Simple maths time: UF + male author + male lead =
Thanks for the heads up, Kesha!:D
December 30, 2021
Throwing in the towel with this one. Crimes Against Magic has a stellar rating and a couple of friends with excellent book taste loved it so obviously I read it all wrong, because to me this felt like a 13 years old's attempt at fictionalizing his wet dreams. A noble endeavor I'm sure, simply one I have zero interest in.
Crimes Against Magic tells the wondrous tale of some Gary Stu who can't catch a break from luscious-looking women throwing themselves at him - incidentally, I think it's worth mentioning how every single female character is a blonde (well, all right: there's the mandatory sexy red-haired beauty, of course) with creamy skin, perky tits, firm ass and long, toned legs: I thought London was famed for being a melting pot of cultures from all over the world and indeed my Londoner friends come in all colors, sizes and shapes but hey! McHugh is the Brit here so I'm sure he knows best and the UK capital really is Valhalla - while defending helpless little girls from the Bad Guys (all vulgar-looking brutes, because obviously, every male who isn't the MC is a tattooed, bald-headed, goatee-sporting misogynistic asshole with bulging muscles and little brains), showing off his unparalleled fighting skills and astonishing magic powers every other page, occasionally taking a breather from all the mind-blowing sex and badassery to mansplain to his single-mother neighbor how to be a better parent (even teenagers love him so he knows what's best for them) or to deliver cheesy one-liners to the Villains. The worldbuilding is an extremely generic blend of every UF you've read before - and I mean this quite literally, since McHugh dumps all the supes imaginable, various legendary characters and deities together on an island off the British coast, from where they basically rule the world in secrecy: now, if this isn't lazy storytelling I don't know what it is - and while the chapters set in 1414 France are a bit more interesting, they aren't reason enough to keep on reading this juvenile blend of sexist tropes, tedious action sequences and cliché-ridden dialogues.
You know how it goes: too many books, too little time. I'm not getting any younger here, so I'm DNFing at 42% (around the time the umpteenth blond bombshell goes down on her knees to gratify our hero after his terribly tiring day).
Crimes Against Magic tells the wondrous tale of some Gary Stu who can't catch a break from luscious-looking women throwing themselves at him - incidentally, I think it's worth mentioning how every single female character is a blonde (well, all right: there's the mandatory sexy red-haired beauty, of course) with creamy skin, perky tits, firm ass and long, toned legs: I thought London was famed for being a melting pot of cultures from all over the world and indeed my Londoner friends come in all colors, sizes and shapes but hey! McHugh is the Brit here so I'm sure he knows best and the UK capital really is Valhalla - while defending helpless little girls from the Bad Guys (all vulgar-looking brutes, because obviously, every male who isn't the MC is a tattooed, bald-headed, goatee-sporting misogynistic asshole with bulging muscles and little brains), showing off his unparalleled fighting skills and astonishing magic powers every other page, occasionally taking a breather from all the mind-blowing sex and badassery to mansplain to his single-mother neighbor how to be a better parent (even teenagers love him so he knows what's best for them) or to deliver cheesy one-liners to the Villains. The worldbuilding is an extremely generic blend of every UF you've read before - and I mean this quite literally, since McHugh dumps all the supes imaginable, various legendary characters and deities together on an island off the British coast, from where they basically rule the world in secrecy: now, if this isn't lazy storytelling I don't know what it is - and while the chapters set in 1414 France are a bit more interesting, they aren't reason enough to keep on reading this juvenile blend of sexist tropes, tedious action sequences and cliché-ridden dialogues.
You know how it goes: too many books, too little time. I'm not getting any younger here, so I'm DNFing at 42% (around the time the umpteenth blond bombshell goes down on her knees to gratify our hero after his terribly tiring day).
March 31, 2018
*** 4.258 ***
This rating represents my complete agreement with my favorite crustaceans wielding overlord, Sarah!
"...“Everyone hates fractions. That’s why they make you do them. It’s character building.” ..."
So, Nathan Garret, the very enigmatic thief and sorcerer is a very naughty boy. He is lovable and chicks dig him, so he is free with his affections, but some ladies might have a more sinister agenda than just getting in his pants. After being paid for a job stealing an antique book, flashbacks start plaguing Nate, who about ten years before opened his eyes and had no memory of who he is and his life until that point at all.
"...“I’m good, thanks. Blew up my flat, got shot at. Oh, killed a man in cold blood. Been quite an eventful day. Least it’s not raining though, eh?” “Are you quite finished?” I had more, but I thought it better to save them for a more willing audience.” ..."
Nate is aware he is a sorcerer because of his friend and physician had told him so early on, deducing that he must be older than he appears, since it takes over a century to master one type of magic, and he is proficient in two - air and 🔥. His doctor and the girl who sets up his jobs, Holly, are his only friends, while the neighbors' teenage girl thinks of him as her escape when her mom and her boyfriend start fighting... After his book job, everything goes to hell and the lives of the few people he cares about become imperiled. He has to find a way to figure out who he was and recover his memory in order to keep them safe.
"...“You’re a vampire?” Francis’ expression managed to convey how stupid he thought that question was. “I live underground, and you’ve never seen me outside. I’m pale in complexion and obviously hundreds of years old. What did you think I was? Agoraphobic?” I shrugged. “It just never occurred to me, that’s all. Although, with all the crazy shit I’ve seen in the last few days, I probably should have figured it out for myself."..."
This is one of those books I love to read when I feel overwhelmed by the hefty tomes that are my regular fair and want something full of action, imagination, and still well enough written to not grate on my nerves. This is all that and more. The story is very well told and makes you want to learn more about the characters and mythology of it. Here, the author insinuates that all the old religion gods are not devine, but just some very, very powerful and long lived sorcerers, werewolves, vampires, or psychics. Color me intrigued 😇😈. So, I am definitely continuing with the series and hope for more of the same or even better. Fans of Urban Fantasy, this one is for you!
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!
This rating represents my complete agreement with my favorite crustaceans wielding overlord, Sarah!
"...“Everyone hates fractions. That’s why they make you do them. It’s character building.” ..."
So, Nathan Garret, the very enigmatic thief and sorcerer is a very naughty boy. He is lovable and chicks dig him, so he is free with his affections, but some ladies might have a more sinister agenda than just getting in his pants. After being paid for a job stealing an antique book, flashbacks start plaguing Nate, who about ten years before opened his eyes and had no memory of who he is and his life until that point at all.
"...“I’m good, thanks. Blew up my flat, got shot at. Oh, killed a man in cold blood. Been quite an eventful day. Least it’s not raining though, eh?” “Are you quite finished?” I had more, but I thought it better to save them for a more willing audience.” ..."
Nate is aware he is a sorcerer because of his friend and physician had told him so early on, deducing that he must be older than he appears, since it takes over a century to master one type of magic, and he is proficient in two - air and 🔥. His doctor and the girl who sets up his jobs, Holly, are his only friends, while the neighbors' teenage girl thinks of him as her escape when her mom and her boyfriend start fighting... After his book job, everything goes to hell and the lives of the few people he cares about become imperiled. He has to find a way to figure out who he was and recover his memory in order to keep them safe.
"...“You’re a vampire?” Francis’ expression managed to convey how stupid he thought that question was. “I live underground, and you’ve never seen me outside. I’m pale in complexion and obviously hundreds of years old. What did you think I was? Agoraphobic?” I shrugged. “It just never occurred to me, that’s all. Although, with all the crazy shit I’ve seen in the last few days, I probably should have figured it out for myself."..."
This is one of those books I love to read when I feel overwhelmed by the hefty tomes that are my regular fair and want something full of action, imagination, and still well enough written to not grate on my nerves. This is all that and more. The story is very well told and makes you want to learn more about the characters and mythology of it. Here, the author insinuates that all the old religion gods are not devine, but just some very, very powerful and long lived sorcerers, werewolves, vampires, or psychics. Color me intrigued 😇😈. So, I am definitely continuing with the series and hope for more of the same or even better. Fans of Urban Fantasy, this one is for you!
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and many more wonderful books to come!
April 13, 2018
Crimes Against Magic
The Hellequin Chronicles, Book 1
By: Steve McHugh
Narrated by: James Langton
This is an outstanding book! Read these books in order! This starts this great series in which Nate can't remember his past. He knows he has powers but he just doesn't know how powerful he really is or who he really is... it is so exciting. The characters are awesome and as more is revealed, the better it gets! All of these characters are so awesome. The author is telling two tales at once, one in the past and one now. It is for a reason later... The plot is so good and all weaves with later books. Great fantasy, characters, lots of action, fantasy, and the freshness is so thrilling! I am absorbing it all! I am trying to squeeze as much Hellequin Chronicles time in as possible!
The narrator is sooooo perfect for these books. I have listened to them so much, I almost start to talk British, lol. For this midwest American gal that would be something!
The Hellequin Chronicles, Book 1
By: Steve McHugh
Narrated by: James Langton
This is an outstanding book! Read these books in order! This starts this great series in which Nate can't remember his past. He knows he has powers but he just doesn't know how powerful he really is or who he really is... it is so exciting. The characters are awesome and as more is revealed, the better it gets! All of these characters are so awesome. The author is telling two tales at once, one in the past and one now. It is for a reason later... The plot is so good and all weaves with later books. Great fantasy, characters, lots of action, fantasy, and the freshness is so thrilling! I am absorbing it all! I am trying to squeeze as much Hellequin Chronicles time in as possible!
The narrator is sooooo perfect for these books. I have listened to them so much, I almost start to talk British, lol. For this midwest American gal that would be something!
July 11, 2017
It's about time I write a review for A Crime Against Magic, so here we go!
To be honest, I was a bit surprised with this book. Basically it's an UF, but an UF on a high octane that has a super-fast pacing that feels almost like a thriller. Plus, The book tells the story of two timelines - one is the present, and the second timeline occurs about 600 years in the past. Both timelines have a fast pacing and are very enjoyable. The different timelines are very distinct, as the present timeline feels like a an UF/thriller, the second timeline feels very epic.
Nathan Garrett, the protagonist, is a sorcerer-thief that is also highly skilled in battle. Actually he's faster, stronger and more skillful than the average warrior. He also controls air and fire magic, which makes him feel almost like an air-bender who also knows some fire-bending. Beside elemental magic (that I really like) there're also two more types of magic - Blood magic and Omega. Nate is a well-portrayed character and as the story unravels we learn more about him and his past, but not only *we* learn more about him, but also Nate, as he has no memory of the last 10 years. Plus, some people are after him but he has no idea why, so it feels somewhat a bit like The Borne Identity. Other people join him on the way, most of them are pretty well-portrayed and have some added value to the story.
As for the world building - the fast pace limit how much world-building can be in one book, but I think the author had managed to handle it well. The world is interesting and very intriguing with references to Arthurian tales and the Trojan War, as mythology has a role here. Actually it made me very eager to read Troy by Gemmell (I always wanted to read his series). Anyway, that's ok, as the book lays the foundations for great things to come.
All in all, it's a very good UF that I really enjoyed and highly recommend.
4-4.25/5
To be honest, I was a bit surprised with this book. Basically it's an UF, but an UF on a high octane that has a super-fast pacing that feels almost like a thriller. Plus, The book tells the story of two timelines - one is the present, and the second timeline occurs about 600 years in the past. Both timelines have a fast pacing and are very enjoyable. The different timelines are very distinct, as the present timeline feels like a an UF/thriller, the second timeline feels very epic.
Nathan Garrett, the protagonist, is a sorcerer-thief that is also highly skilled in battle. Actually he's faster, stronger and more skillful than the average warrior. He also controls air and fire magic, which makes him feel almost like an air-bender who also knows some fire-bending. Beside elemental magic (that I really like) there're also two more types of magic - Blood magic and Omega. Nate is a well-portrayed character and as the story unravels we learn more about him and his past, but not only *we* learn more about him, but also Nate, as he has no memory of the last 10 years. Plus, some people are after him but he has no idea why, so it feels somewhat a bit like The Borne Identity. Other people join him on the way, most of them are pretty well-portrayed and have some added value to the story.
As for the world building - the fast pace limit how much world-building can be in one book, but I think the author had managed to handle it well. The world is interesting and very intriguing with references to Arthurian tales and the Trojan War, as mythology has a role here. Actually it made me very eager to read Troy by Gemmell (I always wanted to read his series). Anyway, that's ok, as the book lays the foundations for great things to come.
All in all, it's a very good UF that I really enjoyed and highly recommend.
4-4.25/5
September 29, 2017
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. It had a lot of action and I liked the magic of the world and the urban fantasy setting. But I did feel like there was something missing for me. Nate, the main character and sorcerer seemed a bit 2 dimensional, a kind of stud/007 sorcerer. I kept visualising a Jason Stratham type. Do I like it enough to continue the series? The jury's out..
May 7, 2015
I wanted to like this, but found my discontent growing with each new chapter. I finally quit about three quarters in and can't help feeling relieved to just let it go.
The writing is solid and the protagonist is interesting and I definitely wanted more of the world, but I just couldn't buy the plot. It doesn't help that the story jumps between modern day and fifteenth century France. That breaks up the narrative flow as much as you'd expect, but more, it provides the reader information that Nathan doesn't have and that became increasingly frustrating. Further, knowing that the villain in the past exists (and has prospered) in the present tells you that pretty much everything in the past is essentially meaningless—there'll be no defeat of the (very) bad guy and you know Nathan is eventually going to progress from there to his current amnesiac state, so what's the point?
But more than that, the past parts highlight a problem the hero has of wearing authorium armor—no matter how stupid he is or what idiot plans he makes, you know he's going to make it through because author! This is a trivial spoiler with pretty much zero effect on plot or story:
Or, and this is a far more serious spoiler:
And that's just the plot. The author also plays coy games with the readers. This is a spoiler so trivial I'm not going to bother flagging it. Skip the paragraph if you want to avoid even small spoilers. At one point, an informant gives Nathan a file on himself that might help him with the whole identity crisis he's been having for ten years. She actually stops him perusing it during their little meeting because, well, reasons. Of course their cozy meeting is interrupted by the evil bad guy killing machine. Fight ensues. Woman says "hey, don't lose those files, huh? It was the very devil smuggling those out and you need them." Nathan, of course, loses the files. Not because of anything the bad guy does, really. He just drops them while dodging something. I almost stopped reading right there. I kind of wish I had.
I wanted to like this. I struggled trying to justify giving it more stars. But even the two-star "it was okay" just doesn't fit the very shaky plot and motivational shenanigans I just couldn't get past...
The writing is solid and the protagonist is interesting and I definitely wanted more of the world, but I just couldn't buy the plot. It doesn't help that the story jumps between modern day and fifteenth century France. That breaks up the narrative flow as much as you'd expect, but more, it provides the reader information that Nathan doesn't have and that became increasingly frustrating. Further, knowing that the villain in the past exists (and has prospered) in the present tells you that pretty much everything in the past is essentially meaningless—there'll be no defeat of the (very) bad guy and you know Nathan is eventually going to progress from there to his current amnesiac state, so what's the point?
But more than that, the past parts highlight a problem the hero has of wearing authorium armor—no matter how stupid he is or what idiot plans he makes, you know he's going to make it through because author! This is a trivial spoiler with pretty much zero effect on plot or story:
Or, and this is a far more serious spoiler:
And that's just the plot. The author also plays coy games with the readers. This is a spoiler so trivial I'm not going to bother flagging it. Skip the paragraph if you want to avoid even small spoilers. At one point, an informant gives Nathan a file on himself that might help him with the whole identity crisis he's been having for ten years. She actually stops him perusing it during their little meeting because, well, reasons. Of course their cozy meeting is interrupted by the evil bad guy killing machine. Fight ensues. Woman says "hey, don't lose those files, huh? It was the very devil smuggling those out and you need them." Nathan, of course, loses the files. Not because of anything the bad guy does, really. He just drops them while dodging something. I almost stopped reading right there. I kind of wish I had.
I wanted to like this. I struggled trying to justify giving it more stars. But even the two-star "it was okay" just doesn't fit the very shaky plot and motivational shenanigans I just couldn't get past...
April 30, 2014
After some deliberation, two stars. I wanted to like this book more than I did. I really did. It had an interesting premise - a sorcerer wakes up with amnesia. He doesn't truly know who he is or what exactly is going on. All he knows is that people close to him are threatened. He has to discover who he is to protect those he cares about. Good stuff.
That was pretty much where my troubles with this book began. First, the main character, Nathan. It felt like every time I turned the page a drop dead gorgeous woman fell into his arms. Now, I'm not a prude, but I felt the sex was a little over the top. Sometimes the hint of something naughty is better than the naughtiness itself. I wish the author had toned it back a notch. (And why were all the women complete bombshells? Maybe one, sure, but all?)
The author also bounced back and forth between fourteenth (I think) century France and present day London. Fine, I suppose, in the sense that the author was connecting some dots, but I found it a bit of a distraction. Just when I was getting into the modern stuff, powie, we're back in France. Finally, the story brings in all sorts of mythic people - King Arthur, Achilles, the Fates, Mordred and more. Meh. It didn't do much for me.
Two stars after some reflection. I feel like I should've rated it higher but I just couldn't.
That was pretty much where my troubles with this book began. First, the main character, Nathan. It felt like every time I turned the page a drop dead gorgeous woman fell into his arms. Now, I'm not a prude, but I felt the sex was a little over the top. Sometimes the hint of something naughty is better than the naughtiness itself. I wish the author had toned it back a notch. (And why were all the women complete bombshells? Maybe one, sure, but all?)
The author also bounced back and forth between fourteenth (I think) century France and present day London. Fine, I suppose, in the sense that the author was connecting some dots, but I found it a bit of a distraction. Just when I was getting into the modern stuff, powie, we're back in France. Finally, the story brings in all sorts of mythic people - King Arthur, Achilles, the Fates, Mordred and more. Meh. It didn't do much for me.
Two stars after some reflection. I feel like I should've rated it higher but I just couldn't.
April 23, 2013
Take a Sam Spade / Harry Dresden first person gumshoe vantage point and the twist the story around to have a James Bondian love of women, cars and guns, a Jason Bournian loss of memory of learning to kick ass (and why), a Bruce Leesque love of Kung Fu, a parallel story line in 15th Century France and a cast of mashed up characters from myth and legend.
The author tries to do an awful lot and, probably because of that, the more I read the more I kept saying 'No, you're not going there... oh god, you did.' and not in a good way. This book doesn't just nuke the fridge, it nukes the fridge with MIRVs whilst riding a shark over a waterfall crisscrossed by rainbows full of dancing leprechauns.
And the characters all talk in the same voice. And there's so much exposition in the dialogue that it ticked my 'people don't talk like that, George Lucas' box. Also, some of the turns of phrase are just plain weird.
As someone who has attempted to write a book I know it's not easy, and that when you're writing it's easy to say 'go big or go home', but sometime the best advice is 'gently does it'. The Dresden Files does a lot of what this author is going for quite well, but the Dresden books built up to it gently.
On the positive side, if you like fantasy action then look no further. This book is very easy to read. Also easy to throw in frustration, but y'know.
All that said - y'know what they say about opinions.
The author tries to do an awful lot and, probably because of that, the more I read the more I kept saying 'No, you're not going there... oh god, you did.' and not in a good way. This book doesn't just nuke the fridge, it nukes the fridge with MIRVs whilst riding a shark over a waterfall crisscrossed by rainbows full of dancing leprechauns.
And the characters all talk in the same voice. And there's so much exposition in the dialogue that it ticked my 'people don't talk like that, George Lucas' box. Also, some of the turns of phrase are just plain weird.
As someone who has attempted to write a book I know it's not easy, and that when you're writing it's easy to say 'go big or go home', but sometime the best advice is 'gently does it'. The Dresden Files does a lot of what this author is going for quite well, but the Dresden books built up to it gently.
On the positive side, if you like fantasy action then look no further. This book is very easy to read. Also easy to throw in frustration, but y'know.
All that said - y'know what they say about opinions.
January 21, 2013
I bought this book solely by chance -- it was one of the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" books that was listed at Amazon.com when I browsed a couple of UF series. Since it was only $2.99, I thought okay, why not. I've always wanted to find more good UF series with male protagonist anyway.
The protagonist is Nathan Garrett. Ten years ago, he woke up in a warehouse without memory what-so-ever. But over a decade he learned that he was a sorcerer. He works as a thief, that is how he gets paid. Until one job threats a 16-year old girl who lives across his apartment as well as Nate's friends. Nate must remembers who he is before his enemies kill him and his friends.
It turns out that this is HIGHLY entertaining. The story is told in alternate chapters between present time with historical flashbacks to early 15th century France. However, the two timelines work really well together, as it goes down into one conclusion in the end.
It is fast-paced and I enjoy Nate's voice. I also love the secondary character, an English archer by the named of Thomas, who is turned into a werewolf, and accompanies Nate in the historical chapters. I hope he appears in the sequel. There are some mythologies incorporated here -- some English (Arthur, Merlin, Mordred) and Greek (Cassandra of Troy) -- which add the fun. Even with the ending that is a bit too Jason Bourne (Moby's music in the background).
So I might keep this on my radar ...
The protagonist is Nathan Garrett. Ten years ago, he woke up in a warehouse without memory what-so-ever. But over a decade he learned that he was a sorcerer. He works as a thief, that is how he gets paid. Until one job threats a 16-year old girl who lives across his apartment as well as Nate's friends. Nate must remembers who he is before his enemies kill him and his friends.
It turns out that this is HIGHLY entertaining. The story is told in alternate chapters between present time with historical flashbacks to early 15th century France. However, the two timelines work really well together, as it goes down into one conclusion in the end.
It is fast-paced and I enjoy Nate's voice. I also love the secondary character, an English archer by the named of Thomas, who is turned into a werewolf, and accompanies Nate in the historical chapters. I hope he appears in the sequel. There are some mythologies incorporated here -- some English (Arthur, Merlin, Mordred) and Greek (Cassandra of Troy) -- which add the fun. Even with the ending that is a bit too Jason Bourne (Moby's music in the background).
So I might keep this on my radar ...
March 21, 2015
This is a very good start to a male-lead urban fantasy series. The concepts were familiar, but the author gives them all his own distinct spin. McHugh touches on some very recognizable figures in fantasy and folk legends and mythology and in a way that made me go "Hmm!". It's pretty gritty and quite violent. I'm not sure I was in love with the sexuality expressed in the story though. However, this book definitely keeps your eyes glued to the pages, and the magic was fascinating and darkly alluring and repulsive in parts. I am thrilled I am able to read and review this series, since I do love my urban fantasy.
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. http://bittenbybooks.com.
Reviewed for Bitten by Books. http://bittenbybooks.com.
September 25, 2018
Loved it... again! 4 stars because the books will get better and better and I want to be able to give them more stars!
April 26, 2014
CAUTION: major spoilers
+ the protag
Nathan was a Gary Stu. Most of the female characters he met wanted to bed him. All of the female characters wanted to be saved by him. It didn't matter if the ladies had powers of their own or that Nathan was amnesic and dazed, they wanted him on that fucking white horse riding to their rescue (figuratively speaking). I expected a Gary Stu, but I didn't expect Nathan to be a James Bond type. I was annoyed how practically all the ladies were made damsels in distress to elevate him as the hero.
As far as his badassness went, Nathan was too short of it for my liking. I thought there were a few decisions he could have made better. For instance, Nathan should have known that once the bad guys identified him, they would identify his allies because it wasn't as if his social connections were a well-kept secret, especially when you're a famous thief. Running to your allies to recuperate? Are you kidding me? That'll be the first place the bad guys would look. What kind of a thief doesn't have several safe houses and caches? Not a very bright one, that's what.
The third thing I didn't like about Nathan was how he got emotionally attached to people so easily. It severely weakened his character development as an assassin in the past and an amnesic thief in the present. Trust wasn't a luxury he could afford. He acted too carefree for an eternal denizen of the underworld. I was bewildered when in a late chapter of the past Nathan divulged his entire life story to a dude he had only known for a few weeks. One, it was blatant info-dumping. Two, what kind of an assassin tells their life story like a celebrity confession on The Oprah Winfrey Show? Aren't assassins supposed to be, I don't know, SECRETIVE? *facepalm*
+ the plot
The plot alternated between the present and a few timelines in the past. I hate flashbacks but I was okay with them in this book. Some of them anyway. My patience wore thin towards the end because the action was rising to the climax and the flashbacks were interrupting that groovy train.
SPOILER.
The ending was nice, but I did not care for the epilogue. Mordred was one of the two evil bosses and he escaped like a cockroach in the last chapter. In the epilogue, Nathan found him and sniped him. What the fuck?
It was talked a bunch of times about how Mordred and Nathan were always close to killing the other but never could because the other would escape his doom. Think Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. And finally in the epilogue, Nathan sniped him in a New York minute, which he should have done from the start. Sniper rifle was invented for a long time, long before the amnesia incident, and Nathan never once thought to use the goddamn weapon to take out his archenemy till now? Furthermore, what kind of an evil genius is Mordred to not have anti-bullet magic on his person? The characters were idiots!
I like wrapped ends but that epilogue was a deus ex machina. One plot hole and it made book 1 of the series pointless. Oy.
Conclusion
I rate Crimes Against Magic 3-stars for I liked it. Despite a Gary Stu that wasn't much of a Gary Stu and a plot hole of an epilogue, I enjoyed most of the book. I liked Nathan's violent side. It was an odd contrast to his bleeding heart side.
+ the protag
Nathan was a Gary Stu. Most of the female characters he met wanted to bed him. All of the female characters wanted to be saved by him. It didn't matter if the ladies had powers of their own or that Nathan was amnesic and dazed, they wanted him on that fucking white horse riding to their rescue (figuratively speaking). I expected a Gary Stu, but I didn't expect Nathan to be a James Bond type. I was annoyed how practically all the ladies were made damsels in distress to elevate him as the hero.
As far as his badassness went, Nathan was too short of it for my liking. I thought there were a few decisions he could have made better. For instance, Nathan should have known that once the bad guys identified him, they would identify his allies because it wasn't as if his social connections were a well-kept secret, especially when you're a famous thief. Running to your allies to recuperate? Are you kidding me? That'll be the first place the bad guys would look. What kind of a thief doesn't have several safe houses and caches? Not a very bright one, that's what.
The third thing I didn't like about Nathan was how he got emotionally attached to people so easily. It severely weakened his character development as an assassin in the past and an amnesic thief in the present. Trust wasn't a luxury he could afford. He acted too carefree for an eternal denizen of the underworld. I was bewildered when in a late chapter of the past Nathan divulged his entire life story to a dude he had only known for a few weeks. One, it was blatant info-dumping. Two, what kind of an assassin tells their life story like a celebrity confession on The Oprah Winfrey Show? Aren't assassins supposed to be, I don't know, SECRETIVE? *facepalm*
+ the plot
The plot alternated between the present and a few timelines in the past. I hate flashbacks but I was okay with them in this book. Some of them anyway. My patience wore thin towards the end because the action was rising to the climax and the flashbacks were interrupting that groovy train.
SPOILER.
The ending was nice, but I did not care for the epilogue. Mordred was one of the two evil bosses and he escaped like a cockroach in the last chapter. In the epilogue, Nathan found him and sniped him. What the fuck?
It was talked a bunch of times about how Mordred and Nathan were always close to killing the other but never could because the other would escape his doom. Think Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. And finally in the epilogue, Nathan sniped him in a New York minute, which he should have done from the start. Sniper rifle was invented for a long time, long before the amnesia incident, and Nathan never once thought to use the goddamn weapon to take out his archenemy till now? Furthermore, what kind of an evil genius is Mordred to not have anti-bullet magic on his person? The characters were idiots!
I like wrapped ends but that epilogue was a deus ex machina. One plot hole and it made book 1 of the series pointless. Oy.
Conclusion
I rate Crimes Against Magic 3-stars for I liked it. Despite a Gary Stu that wasn't much of a Gary Stu and a plot hole of an epilogue, I enjoyed most of the book. I liked Nathan's violent side. It was an odd contrast to his bleeding heart side.
May 21, 2020
"“You’re going to let me go.”
(he) laughed so hard, he had to put one hand on the nearest wall to steady himself. “And why would I do that?”
“Because killing me like this gets you nothing. You’ve wanted me dead for over a thousand years. I know you. I know how your twisted little mind works. You want to beat me, to look me directly in the eyes and know you’re my better.”
The first time I encountered the plot of a powerful mage who is afflicted with amnesia, must have been in Roger Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber. Since then, it may have become a trope but McHugh wants his sorcerer, Nate, to stand on his own feet.
Is our protagonist, Nate, a man of peace?
"All I knew was that I wasn’t going to take it by force, and no amount of violent past was going to change that. If you can’t finish the job without hurting anyone, then you’re not good enough to be doing it in the first place—though, yes, it does help that I can use magic to incapacitate without causing permanent damage."
Or is he a demon in disguise?
"“Thirty seconds from your first attack, you’ll be dead. How old are you?” “A hundred and forty,” she said. “But you’re only a psychic, yes? So you’re still basically fighting at a human efficiency. Peak human, no doubt, but still human.” I took a step toward her. “I’m not. I fight at a level no human can hope to match. I’m better than any human fighter you’ve ever met. Thirty seconds and you die. Or you leave and go try to save your daughters. Maybe you live, maybe you die, but at least your last act would be to do something for those you love.”"
McHugh weaves a complex tale jumping back and forth through centuries of pretty standard history to which he adds several layers of magic and authority. We are in the boat with Nate making the journey without quite knowing how the individual events add up or why anything in particular is important.
There are crooks (Nate is a thief) and there are bad guys. And, sometimes these classes intersect. Other times we have little understanding of what the mission is or if/why it is important.
If you are into torture scenes, this book will likely not satisfy you. If you aren’t, this book may present a bit too much detail. I found the story entertaining without being as compelling as Zelazny’s. For those of you who McHugh has successfully delighted: Good news! There are many more perils for Nate as he recovers his memory and sharpens his focus on revenge.
Thanks to GR friends, Montzalee and Scott, for the recommendation
(he) laughed so hard, he had to put one hand on the nearest wall to steady himself. “And why would I do that?”
“Because killing me like this gets you nothing. You’ve wanted me dead for over a thousand years. I know you. I know how your twisted little mind works. You want to beat me, to look me directly in the eyes and know you’re my better.”
The first time I encountered the plot of a powerful mage who is afflicted with amnesia, must have been in Roger Zelazny’s Nine Princes in Amber. Since then, it may have become a trope but McHugh wants his sorcerer, Nate, to stand on his own feet.
Is our protagonist, Nate, a man of peace?
"All I knew was that I wasn’t going to take it by force, and no amount of violent past was going to change that. If you can’t finish the job without hurting anyone, then you’re not good enough to be doing it in the first place—though, yes, it does help that I can use magic to incapacitate without causing permanent damage."
Or is he a demon in disguise?
"“Thirty seconds from your first attack, you’ll be dead. How old are you?” “A hundred and forty,” she said. “But you’re only a psychic, yes? So you’re still basically fighting at a human efficiency. Peak human, no doubt, but still human.” I took a step toward her. “I’m not. I fight at a level no human can hope to match. I’m better than any human fighter you’ve ever met. Thirty seconds and you die. Or you leave and go try to save your daughters. Maybe you live, maybe you die, but at least your last act would be to do something for those you love.”"
McHugh weaves a complex tale jumping back and forth through centuries of pretty standard history to which he adds several layers of magic and authority. We are in the boat with Nate making the journey without quite knowing how the individual events add up or why anything in particular is important.
There are crooks (Nate is a thief) and there are bad guys. And, sometimes these classes intersect. Other times we have little understanding of what the mission is or if/why it is important.
If you are into torture scenes, this book will likely not satisfy you. If you aren’t, this book may present a bit too much detail. I found the story entertaining without being as compelling as Zelazny’s. For those of you who McHugh has successfully delighted: Good news! There are many more perils for Nate as he recovers his memory and sharpens his focus on revenge.
Thanks to GR friends, Montzalee and Scott, for the recommendation
October 24, 2012
Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: Crimes Against Magic is Steve McHugh’s debut novel and is a dual story feature. I was very much interested in this story because of its Jason Bourne-like origin. I approached the author and he graciously agreed. I wanted to see how the book would hold up since it promised lots of action, magic & intrigue.
Nathan Garrett is a sorcerer who is living currently as a thief in London, he however remembers his life only ten years past as he was born again on the floor of a warehouse not remembering a whit about his past life. His journey since then has been a quiet one, fitting in with the world and not alerting people to him. His world however is soon to change when he discovers that there are people that know about his lost identity and who are wanting to kill him for hitherto unknown reasons. He also is embroiled with his neighbors’ lives as the same people target their young daughter. In another plot thread we meet Nathan in the past roughly in the 15th century wherein he is on a mission to recover a young girl and a few English soldiers from a group of supernatural folk who kill without remorse and simply refuse to die easy. Both plot threads showcase a man fighting against forces much more powerful than him and trying to discover the truth.
This book for me a whole lot of fun for various ones, firstly the book has a very fast paced plot, beginning with the current timeline, things start unraveling very promptly and similarly in the second plotline things are already hellish to begin with but soon take an even deadlier turn. The storyline has huge dollops of action and intrigue in both timelines thereby making the readers interested in both and constantly turning pages to find out what happens next in both. I very much enjoyed this action-packed story as it does not waste any pages on unnecessary side-plots. The author manages to keep his story streamlined and make the readers hooked on to the happenings of the Hellequin chronicles. Another plus point is the mythology utilized in the story, not that it is an original take however it does twist certain known perceptions and presents a different take on a well-known mythos and wizard.
The story deals with a primary first-person narrative and the author does a decent characterization effort with the narrator. The main character is presented as a cipher however in the second timeline we get a clear cut idea about who he is & what's his goal. This dual view into the character was a fun strategy on the author's part and with the way the story ends I'm very curious in regards to the plot direction of the future books. The story however lacks in certain areas namely on the world-building front. The story is presented in two different timelines however the world presented in both is a bit sketchy on the details and that might keep a few readers unhappy. Again it’s a tough line to balance the world-building needs against the story’s pace as too much description is often labelled as info-dumping and can be quite a turn-off for some. The author chose to go with the latter direction and so I’ll be looking forward to the second book to see whether he expands the world’s history as well as the character backstories.
This world can be easily described as UF-lite in regards to the world presented however the story has a lot of positive factors such as a fast-paced, action-filled story line with a plethora of twists. Steve McHugh is an author who shows a lot of flair and his book promises to give readers an exciting read a la Jim Butcher and Tim Marquitz. Crimes Against Magic is definitely a debut that should not be missed for all readers who want a great urban fantasy read.
January 31, 2013
This book is a really good example of why self-publishing (or publishing through a very small press, can't tell for sure which this is) shouldn't be an author's first choice (as opposed to actually submitting it to several major publishers). There's a genuinely interesting story here. But it's undercut by small-but-persistent grammatical errors and the author's inability to resist turning his "hero" into a Gary Stu. A good editor's discipline could have turned this into a good book instead of a "meh" book.
What I liked:
The mythos was intriguing, and the author has a nice flair for storytelling. So I didn't feel that my time was utterly wasted. But I'm also glad I borrowed this from the Amazon lending library instead of buying it (which I was tempted to do on the basis of the reviews there).
What I didn't like:
The grammatical errors (such as changing between past and present tense in the same sentence) and occasional spelling and punctuation errors were jarring. Then there were the "wtf?" errors--little assertions (like having to avoid major cities during a walk that lasted just a few *hours*) that simply made no sense. Again, these are things that any good editor would have fixed. But the most annoying aspect of this book was the tendency of almost every character to be either an implacable enemy or Nate's loyal friend (to the extent of being willing to die for him, within days of meeting him!!!). Women he's never met before can't wait to get into his pants (with the accompanying porn-like descriptions). And of course he's the most amazing fighter ever--he even comes equipped with "cool" Chinese weapons. Some reviewers have compared this to the Harry Dresden books, but while this book has a similar kind of wild magical combat, it lacks Dresden's moral conscience and his essential underdog nature. It's hard to feel worried about whether Nate will succeed when he has amazing "skillz" that have been honed over dozens of centuries and he has only a few semi-buff bad guys standing in his way.
Conclusion:
Why does this book have such high ratings? At first I couldn't help wondering if it was a combination of a lot of friends/acquaintances and good PR. But I suspect that it's more a matter of having a readership that shrugs off (or doesn't even notice) the grammatical errors and that *likes* (instead of being disgusted by) the Mary-Sue-fantasy nature of Nate's life. I'm sure McHugh will have a loyal audience for Nate's adventures. I, however, will not be among them.
BTW, I would have rated this a low 3 instead of a high 2, but the ugly sneers at Americans in the epilogue really offended me. A British guy who writes a book that's full of easily-obtained guns in the hands of British criminals has no business making fun of how easy it is to get guns in America.
March 29, 2018
Cheesy in a CW kind of way but entertaining. I actually liked this better than Dresden. There's definitely a lot of cliche action one liners and over simplified story line but overall a fun read. I'll continue the series.
August 27, 2012
Mindless badassery. Dude runs around London punching people out and rescuing women. I got most of the way through this but wasn't interested enough to finish it.
January 18, 2018
3.5 stars
April 28, 2020
Now that was fun. Crimes Against Magic kicked off an urban fantasy series that I’m excited to keep reading.
Nate Garrett woke up 10 years ago with no memory of his past. He still doesn’t know who he is, but he discovered that he is a sorcerer, able to manipulate air and fire. Making is living as a thief, everything is good until he comes across a young woman in need of protection. Nate puts his life in danger to protect her and in the process comes up against people who know who he is and what happened to him, pulling him deeper into an increasingly dangerous situation.
There was a lot to like in this book. The world building had many of the usual things seen in urban fantasy like vampires and werewolves, but it also had some other things like gargoyles and nightmares that you don’t see every day. There was a whole lot more magic in this book than in most urban fantasy series. A lot of characters from mythology are brought in here, including some ones I haven’t seen used often which was a nice touch.
There was also a unique dual storyline device used that I thought worked very well. We follow Nate Garrett around in modern day London as well as a separate storyline in 15th century France that starts off in Soissons. Sometimes when authors try this kind of thing it doesn’t come off well and you start to dread the chapters of a certain storyline, but it worked quite well here.
The book wasn’t perfect, with Nate seeming to shrug off injuries at will sometimes and some cringey moments involving Nate and some female characters. Still, it was enormous fun and I will most certainly be reading more of the series.
Nate Garrett woke up 10 years ago with no memory of his past. He still doesn’t know who he is, but he discovered that he is a sorcerer, able to manipulate air and fire. Making is living as a thief, everything is good until he comes across a young woman in need of protection. Nate puts his life in danger to protect her and in the process comes up against people who know who he is and what happened to him, pulling him deeper into an increasingly dangerous situation.
There was a lot to like in this book. The world building had many of the usual things seen in urban fantasy like vampires and werewolves, but it also had some other things like gargoyles and nightmares that you don’t see every day. There was a whole lot more magic in this book than in most urban fantasy series. A lot of characters from mythology are brought in here, including some ones I haven’t seen used often which was a nice touch.
There was also a unique dual storyline device used that I thought worked very well. We follow Nate Garrett around in modern day London as well as a separate storyline in 15th century France that starts off in Soissons. Sometimes when authors try this kind of thing it doesn’t come off well and you start to dread the chapters of a certain storyline, but it worked quite well here.
The book wasn’t perfect, with Nate seeming to shrug off injuries at will sometimes and some cringey moments involving Nate and some female characters. Still, it was enormous fun and I will most certainly be reading more of the series.
May 26, 2015
Testosterone laden thrill ride between past and present Magic! "I know what you are. You’re the thing the monsters fear.” – Ivy, The Hellequin Chronicles
“If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody’s mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.” – Lillian Hellman
“So, Nate, I’ve heard rumours that you’re actually alive.” It would have to be rumour. You see, even Nate didn’t know that he really was Nate. He only had a piece of paper with the name Nathan Garrett on it, in what he discovered was his own handwriting, when he woke up in a filthy, shuttered warehouse ten years ago. Was that his name? Well, it was a good enough name, and he needed one. That’s what happens when you have no knowledge of your previous life, not the slightest memory.
Fast forward and Nate is a thief, taking the hard jobs, the unusual jobs, for an odd fellow living in a ‘lost’ section of the London underground rail tunnels, his jobs managed and recommended by his partner Holly, daughter of Mark and Lyn O’Hara, Mob Bosses Extraordinaire and two of the most dangerous people in London.
Well, if you don’t count the psycho gargoyles, nightmares, and various other things that go bump in the night.
This is my first reading of a Steve McHugh Hellequin Chronicles book. I have put them off for a bit, as the main character is male and I have really been wanting to read female heroes, but I am glad that I picked it up sooner than later. The settings are marvelously well done. The story moves back and forth between time periods, from the modern day, to ten years previously when Nate first lost his memories, and further back, to the 1400’s as Nate’s memories begin to return. The characters are sharply written and realistic. McHugh knows his Greek Mythology, and it shows in his deft handling of gods and monsters, sorcerers and just folks. The book has that dry, British delivery that I adore, interspersed with a sort of subliminal humour that I completely enjoyed.
The idea of magic actually taking over the sorcerer if he uses it too much was spectacular. Nate is very conscious of the power of magic, as well as the dangers – but a man can only take so much when the lives of innocent women and children are on the line, threatened by monsters with no compunction when it comes to savage murder of innocents. When he finally loses his shit, he is absolutely glorious!
If you are of the mind to read a solid modern fantasy with that sharp, dry ‘Brit Wit’ some British authors carry off so amazingly well, I would highly recommend the series. I have already downloaded the next, though honestly I don’t know when I will get to it with the huge backlist I have. But it will be worth it when I do, I have no doubt.
Highly recommended. Very minimal sex, some really nasty violence but not overdone, and a strong grasp of history makes the warping of history just right. Homer may have written the Illiad – but you know he did it several hundred years after the Trojan wars. “History is written by the victors who have hung the heroes.” – Sr.William Wallace
4.5 stars for minor editorial issues
“If you believe, as the Greeks did, that man is at the mercy of the gods, then you write tragedy. The end is inevitable from the beginning. But if you believe that man can solve his own problems and is at nobody’s mercy, then you will probably write melodrama.” – Lillian Hellman
“So, Nate, I’ve heard rumours that you’re actually alive.” It would have to be rumour. You see, even Nate didn’t know that he really was Nate. He only had a piece of paper with the name Nathan Garrett on it, in what he discovered was his own handwriting, when he woke up in a filthy, shuttered warehouse ten years ago. Was that his name? Well, it was a good enough name, and he needed one. That’s what happens when you have no knowledge of your previous life, not the slightest memory.
Fast forward and Nate is a thief, taking the hard jobs, the unusual jobs, for an odd fellow living in a ‘lost’ section of the London underground rail tunnels, his jobs managed and recommended by his partner Holly, daughter of Mark and Lyn O’Hara, Mob Bosses Extraordinaire and two of the most dangerous people in London.
Well, if you don’t count the psycho gargoyles, nightmares, and various other things that go bump in the night.
This is my first reading of a Steve McHugh Hellequin Chronicles book. I have put them off for a bit, as the main character is male and I have really been wanting to read female heroes, but I am glad that I picked it up sooner than later. The settings are marvelously well done. The story moves back and forth between time periods, from the modern day, to ten years previously when Nate first lost his memories, and further back, to the 1400’s as Nate’s memories begin to return. The characters are sharply written and realistic. McHugh knows his Greek Mythology, and it shows in his deft handling of gods and monsters, sorcerers and just folks. The book has that dry, British delivery that I adore, interspersed with a sort of subliminal humour that I completely enjoyed.
The idea of magic actually taking over the sorcerer if he uses it too much was spectacular. Nate is very conscious of the power of magic, as well as the dangers – but a man can only take so much when the lives of innocent women and children are on the line, threatened by monsters with no compunction when it comes to savage murder of innocents. When he finally loses his shit, he is absolutely glorious!
If you are of the mind to read a solid modern fantasy with that sharp, dry ‘Brit Wit’ some British authors carry off so amazingly well, I would highly recommend the series. I have already downloaded the next, though honestly I don’t know when I will get to it with the huge backlist I have. But it will be worth it when I do, I have no doubt.
Highly recommended. Very minimal sex, some really nasty violence but not overdone, and a strong grasp of history makes the warping of history just right. Homer may have written the Illiad – but you know he did it several hundred years after the Trojan wars. “History is written by the victors who have hung the heroes.” – Sr.William Wallace
4.5 stars for minor editorial issues
February 10, 2014
Crimes Against Magic by Steve McHugh is urban fantasy with a sprinkle of secret history.
Before writing this review, I spent a few minutes considering whether or not the following statement was accurate: “Crimes Against Magic is the worst book I’ve ever read.”
To be fair, I’ve stopped reading books before because of prose, story, and character, but I did manage to at least finish CaM. There are two reasons for this. First, I won a copy from a Goodreads contest and felt obligated to give it a proper review. Second, the prose gets so ridiculously bad, that it’s good. Here is a little gem from the climatic showdown:
[“I beat you,” he said with a sadistic smile.
My laughter seemed to make him even angrier. “When? The first time, you got one of your thugs to shoot me, and the second you blew yourself up with a car bomb. Yeah, really good record you have against me.”
A rumble started inside him “I. Am. Achilles,” he roared.
I cracked my knuckles. “In that case, Achilles is about to get his ass kicked.”]
I would normally be less harsh to a debut author, but CaM serves as such thinly veiled wish fulfillment for a male’s base instincts that I can’t help myself. The only parallel equivalent I can draw is a bad romance novel.
Our protagonist Nathan Garret manages to commit physical violence against every male character that doesn’t aid his cause, though luckily every single one of them is an asshole/monster/rapist. Every woman Nate meets is a complete babe that has sex with him within one or two chapters of her introduction, except for jailbait Dani, who is rebuffed because she is too young (I suspect she will get what she wants as soon as she comes of legal age in future books). It’s sort of like watching animals behave in a national geographic piece, except without the beautiful scenery.
The mythology is so convoluted that I felt like I was watching the old cartoon Gargoyles TV Series, except that I’m not ten, and this isn’t half as good. To summarize, all of these are found within this book: King Author, Avalon, Merlin, Achilles, Trojan War, Werewolves, Vampires (that could have easily just been human characters), blood magic, the Three Fates, and living stone gargoyles. I don’t feel this needs any further elaboration.
Is this the worst book I’ve ever read? Possibly, it’s at least firmly entrenched in the top three.
Despite the book’s many flaws, the pacing never dallies, and the first three or four chapters didn’t convince me that I was reading something completely terrible. I suspect the author spent a lot of amount of time on the first few chapters and simply had the considerable force of will to push his way to the end despite the many glaring problems that must have been nagging at him.
Oh, and one last thing, Nate carries around a Chinese weapon called a guan dao for no apparent reason, they don’t talk about his experiences in Asia, or any training he acquired there. Imagine watching a James Bond film and having Daniel Craig inexplicably pulling out a pair of nun chucks to crack some skulls. Not recommended.
Before writing this review, I spent a few minutes considering whether or not the following statement was accurate: “Crimes Against Magic is the worst book I’ve ever read.”
To be fair, I’ve stopped reading books before because of prose, story, and character, but I did manage to at least finish CaM. There are two reasons for this. First, I won a copy from a Goodreads contest and felt obligated to give it a proper review. Second, the prose gets so ridiculously bad, that it’s good. Here is a little gem from the climatic showdown:
[“I beat you,” he said with a sadistic smile.
My laughter seemed to make him even angrier. “When? The first time, you got one of your thugs to shoot me, and the second you blew yourself up with a car bomb. Yeah, really good record you have against me.”
A rumble started inside him “I. Am. Achilles,” he roared.
I cracked my knuckles. “In that case, Achilles is about to get his ass kicked.”]
I would normally be less harsh to a debut author, but CaM serves as such thinly veiled wish fulfillment for a male’s base instincts that I can’t help myself. The only parallel equivalent I can draw is a bad romance novel.
Our protagonist Nathan Garret manages to commit physical violence against every male character that doesn’t aid his cause, though luckily every single one of them is an asshole/monster/rapist. Every woman Nate meets is a complete babe that has sex with him within one or two chapters of her introduction, except for jailbait Dani, who is rebuffed because she is too young (I suspect she will get what she wants as soon as she comes of legal age in future books). It’s sort of like watching animals behave in a national geographic piece, except without the beautiful scenery.
The mythology is so convoluted that I felt like I was watching the old cartoon Gargoyles TV Series, except that I’m not ten, and this isn’t half as good. To summarize, all of these are found within this book: King Author, Avalon, Merlin, Achilles, Trojan War, Werewolves, Vampires (that could have easily just been human characters), blood magic, the Three Fates, and living stone gargoyles. I don’t feel this needs any further elaboration.
Is this the worst book I’ve ever read? Possibly, it’s at least firmly entrenched in the top three.
Despite the book’s many flaws, the pacing never dallies, and the first three or four chapters didn’t convince me that I was reading something completely terrible. I suspect the author spent a lot of amount of time on the first few chapters and simply had the considerable force of will to push his way to the end despite the many glaring problems that must have been nagging at him.
Oh, and one last thing, Nate carries around a Chinese weapon called a guan dao for no apparent reason, they don’t talk about his experiences in Asia, or any training he acquired there. Imagine watching a James Bond film and having Daniel Craig inexplicably pulling out a pair of nun chucks to crack some skulls. Not recommended.
May 25, 2016
Nathan Garrett has had his memory taken from him and has therefore spent the last ten years knowing nothing about himself but his first and last name. He's spent the intermittent years working as a thief, using magic when necessary to get by. When a chance meeting leads little droplets of memory returning, Nathan has no idea just how complicated the life he left behind was. If that were not enough, an old enemy has surfaced and is determined to take make the people Nathan cares about pay to bring about and end to their centuries old feud.
Crimes Against Magic floats between 15th century France and the present day. I normally don't have a problem with flashbacks if they add something significant to the story but found that they kept pulling me away from the exciting action that was happening in the present. Furthermore, any tension in 15 century France was impossible to maintain for the simple fact that we know that hundreds of years later, Nathan would be facing the antagonist once again. If anything, the time in the 15th century was used for a blatant info dump about who Nathan is. It certainly didn't add anything to the current days meta.
In what should have been an interesting twist, McHugh created an extremely magically diverse world. Picture a world in which werewolves, vampires, King Arthur and his court, Mordred, gargoyles, The Fates and Achilles are real and have a role to play. It should have been epic but at times it really just felt like supernatural name dropping. For instance, what is the point of invoking a wizard as powerful as Merlin but then not utilizing him as a character whatsoever? Even Achilles was a fake.
There are several familiar themes running through Crimes Against Magic. It's best described as Harry Dresden meets Jason Bourne meets James Bond. I must admit to being excited by the premise; however, it quickly became clear that Nathan Garrett is little more than an epic Gary Stu. Nathan is so perfect that women either want to play the damsel for him, sacrifice themselves for him, or fuck his brains out. What they all have in common is that they are all gorgeous. This means that none of the female characters, even those who are powerful, really get the development that they deserve. Instead, we got the pleasure of having a woman beaten near to death for Nathan's pain. Sure Nathan feels bad but once he figures out who he really is, he's got better things to do than stick around.
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Crimes Against Magic floats between 15th century France and the present day. I normally don't have a problem with flashbacks if they add something significant to the story but found that they kept pulling me away from the exciting action that was happening in the present. Furthermore, any tension in 15 century France was impossible to maintain for the simple fact that we know that hundreds of years later, Nathan would be facing the antagonist once again. If anything, the time in the 15th century was used for a blatant info dump about who Nathan is. It certainly didn't add anything to the current days meta.
In what should have been an interesting twist, McHugh created an extremely magically diverse world. Picture a world in which werewolves, vampires, King Arthur and his court, Mordred, gargoyles, The Fates and Achilles are real and have a role to play. It should have been epic but at times it really just felt like supernatural name dropping. For instance, what is the point of invoking a wizard as powerful as Merlin but then not utilizing him as a character whatsoever? Even Achilles was a fake.
There are several familiar themes running through Crimes Against Magic. It's best described as Harry Dresden meets Jason Bourne meets James Bond. I must admit to being excited by the premise; however, it quickly became clear that Nathan Garrett is little more than an epic Gary Stu. Nathan is so perfect that women either want to play the damsel for him, sacrifice themselves for him, or fuck his brains out. What they all have in common is that they are all gorgeous. This means that none of the female characters, even those who are powerful, really get the development that they deserve. Instead, we got the pleasure of having a woman beaten near to death for Nathan's pain. Sure Nathan feels bad but once he figures out who he really is, he's got better things to do than stick around.
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June 1, 2020
1.5 stars rounded up.
The author can write a nice turn of phrase, which is why this gets rounded up instead of down.
However, the story contained - within its first three chapters already - half a dozen McGuffins and dei ex machina, with a dime a dozen main character (Philip Marlowe with a huge dollop of Harry Dresden), and gave away several fabulous potential ideas, pursuing a trite plot line instead, so that I ended up cutting short the loss of time and abandoned this.
What is it about recently written UF that makes people write such samey and a dime a dozen stories?
It's a real pity too, because the author manages to engage with his relatively polished and fresh prose.
The author can write a nice turn of phrase, which is why this gets rounded up instead of down.
However, the story contained - within its first three chapters already - half a dozen McGuffins and dei ex machina, with a dime a dozen main character (Philip Marlowe with a huge dollop of Harry Dresden), and gave away several fabulous potential ideas, pursuing a trite plot line instead, so that I ended up cutting short the loss of time and abandoned this.
What is it about recently written UF that makes people write such samey and a dime a dozen stories?
It's a real pity too, because the author manages to engage with his relatively polished and fresh prose.
February 10, 2017
A really fun read, with lots of action, humor, magic, friendships and a good amount of fighting and blood. ;) I had a great time reading it - and the series will help tide me over until the next Harry Dresden book will be out. Really good urban fantasy with a thieving wizzard whonhasnto find out who he is, after 10 years without his memories.
February 22, 2017
really enjoyed this book 5 stars all the way I would say to anyone to read this if they like the magical side of things thank you to a friend that recommended it to me I will be reading the rest of the series
November 26, 2018
Enjoyable start to a new series for me,
January 12, 2020
Rating 3.0 stars
For the first 1/4 of the book I was having a good time listening to the story, so much so that I thought for sure that I would be giving this at least 4 stars and moving on to the next one in the series. Unfortunately, a couple of my pet-peeves were triggered which really dropped my enjoyment by the end.
The story follows Nathan who is working as thief trying to steal a book when we first meet him. He uses a situation with a women to get access to the wall safe to get to the book. This is were we find out that Nate is not human. He is a sorcerer and can use air and fire magic. We also find out that 10 years ago he woke up without any memories of his previous life. He knows he must be at least a couple of centuries old since it takes that long to be able to use two different types of magic, but he doesn't know anything specific about is former life.
We as the reader know a little bit more than the character since the story also contains flashbacks to Nate when he was in France in the 15th century. Nate at that time worked for Avalon or more specifically he is considered Merlin's assassin. He does what needs to be done which includes anything from killing werewolves to stopping crimes against magic. Crimes against magic are beings that used to be sorcerers but let their use of magic get too out of control so it changed them into other creatures such as gargoyles or nightmares. These are incredibly powerful beings that are very difficult to kill and are completely evil.
I was frustrated with all the talk about Avalon, but in the end, Avalon didn't really do anything. Mordrid kept doing evil shit and they just let him do it. I did like the narrator. As the story was based in London, he had a very good English accent and I liked the British slang. Don't think I am going to try the next book at this point.
For the first 1/4 of the book I was having a good time listening to the story, so much so that I thought for sure that I would be giving this at least 4 stars and moving on to the next one in the series. Unfortunately, a couple of my pet-peeves were triggered which really dropped my enjoyment by the end.
The story follows Nathan who is working as thief trying to steal a book when we first meet him. He uses a situation with a women to get access to the wall safe to get to the book. This is were we find out that Nate is not human. He is a sorcerer and can use air and fire magic. We also find out that 10 years ago he woke up without any memories of his previous life. He knows he must be at least a couple of centuries old since it takes that long to be able to use two different types of magic, but he doesn't know anything specific about is former life.
We as the reader know a little bit more than the character since the story also contains flashbacks to Nate when he was in France in the 15th century. Nate at that time worked for Avalon or more specifically he is considered Merlin's assassin. He does what needs to be done which includes anything from killing werewolves to stopping crimes against magic. Crimes against magic are beings that used to be sorcerers but let their use of magic get too out of control so it changed them into other creatures such as gargoyles or nightmares. These are incredibly powerful beings that are very difficult to kill and are completely evil.
I was frustrated with all the talk about Avalon, but in the end, Avalon didn't really do anything. Mordrid kept doing evil shit and they just let him do it. I did like the narrator. As the story was based in London, he had a very good English accent and I liked the British slang. Don't think I am going to try the next book at this point.
January 19, 2014
Synopsis:
How do you keep the people you care about safe from enemies you can’t remember?
Ten years ago, Nate Garrett awoke on a cold warehouse floor with no memory of his past—a gun, a sword, and a piece of paper with his name on it the only clues to his identity. Since then, he’s discovered he’s a powerful sorcerer and has used his magical abilities to become a successful thief for hire.
But those who stole his memories aren’t done with him yet: when they cause a job to go bad and threaten a sixteen-year-old girl, Nate swears to protect her. With his enemies closing in and everyone he cares about now a target for their wrath, he must choose between the comfortable life he’s built for himself and his elusive past.
As the barrier holding his memories captive begins to crumble, Nate moves between modern-day London and fifteenth-century France, forced to confront his forgotten life in the hope of stopping an enemy he can’t remember.
My Thoughts:
I seriously enjoyed this book. It was awesome and I am totally a fan of Nate's.
When we meet Nate, he's on a job to steal a book. He doesn't know why someone would pay so much for a book, but it doesn't matter, because that's what he does. Nate steals things. At least, that's what he's been doing for the last ten years because he can't remember what he was doing before that. The only thing he does know about himself is that he's a sorcerer and his own name. It doesn't take too long after that job is done for things to start getting weird.
When some random blonde woman brushes his hand, Nate has a dizzy moment and not too long after, he discovers that he's a pretty damned good fighter. He had no idea that beating someone near to death wouldn't bother him in the least. The fact that it doesn't bother him barely even bothers him. Giving his friend Holly's brother a beat down like that gives him motivation to try to find out who he used to be, though. Turns out, it isn't so easy. At least, not until he gets another job.
On this job, he ends up face to face with someone that used to know him. And then he ends up face to face with that someone's exploding head. Before long, he's waking up and being given directions to go somewhere and save a girl. A girl that turns out to be his neighbor's daughter.
Throughout the book, we get flashbacks of Nate during 15th century France and his run in with a long-time enemy of his, Mordred. We find out through these flashbacks just what it is that Mordred is up to and it isn't good. Too bad present-day Nate isn't working with a full set of memories. He ends up running around a lot without knowing what to do. It becomes a close call in the end, but thanks to the sacrifice of a friend, he's back in action and kicking ass. Some bad guys get what they deserve, too.
There isn't much by the way of romance in this book, but Nate does get it on a few times. It's a shame he had to leave Holly behind, but that was probably for the best. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Nate finds himself in next. I want to get to know him more. Nate's pretty badass, but not so much so that he comes off as invulnerable. He's also a killer, but he isn't an asshole. I like him a lot and have a feeling that he'll become one of my favorite male characters.
How do you keep the people you care about safe from enemies you can’t remember?
Ten years ago, Nate Garrett awoke on a cold warehouse floor with no memory of his past—a gun, a sword, and a piece of paper with his name on it the only clues to his identity. Since then, he’s discovered he’s a powerful sorcerer and has used his magical abilities to become a successful thief for hire.
But those who stole his memories aren’t done with him yet: when they cause a job to go bad and threaten a sixteen-year-old girl, Nate swears to protect her. With his enemies closing in and everyone he cares about now a target for their wrath, he must choose between the comfortable life he’s built for himself and his elusive past.
As the barrier holding his memories captive begins to crumble, Nate moves between modern-day London and fifteenth-century France, forced to confront his forgotten life in the hope of stopping an enemy he can’t remember.
My Thoughts:
I seriously enjoyed this book. It was awesome and I am totally a fan of Nate's.
When we meet Nate, he's on a job to steal a book. He doesn't know why someone would pay so much for a book, but it doesn't matter, because that's what he does. Nate steals things. At least, that's what he's been doing for the last ten years because he can't remember what he was doing before that. The only thing he does know about himself is that he's a sorcerer and his own name. It doesn't take too long after that job is done for things to start getting weird.
When some random blonde woman brushes his hand, Nate has a dizzy moment and not too long after, he discovers that he's a pretty damned good fighter. He had no idea that beating someone near to death wouldn't bother him in the least. The fact that it doesn't bother him barely even bothers him. Giving his friend Holly's brother a beat down like that gives him motivation to try to find out who he used to be, though. Turns out, it isn't so easy. At least, not until he gets another job.
On this job, he ends up face to face with someone that used to know him. And then he ends up face to face with that someone's exploding head. Before long, he's waking up and being given directions to go somewhere and save a girl. A girl that turns out to be his neighbor's daughter.
Throughout the book, we get flashbacks of Nate during 15th century France and his run in with a long-time enemy of his, Mordred. We find out through these flashbacks just what it is that Mordred is up to and it isn't good. Too bad present-day Nate isn't working with a full set of memories. He ends up running around a lot without knowing what to do. It becomes a close call in the end, but thanks to the sacrifice of a friend, he's back in action and kicking ass. Some bad guys get what they deserve, too.
There isn't much by the way of romance in this book, but Nate does get it on a few times. It's a shame he had to leave Holly behind, but that was probably for the best. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Nate finds himself in next. I want to get to know him more. Nate's pretty badass, but not so much so that he comes off as invulnerable. He's also a killer, but he isn't an asshole. I like him a lot and have a feeling that he'll become one of my favorite male characters.
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