Release date - 10th July 2017
Book length - 352 pages Publisher - belgraviabooks.com/ab Book Depository - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com ABOUT THE BOOK A new colleague and a mysterious admirer make life infinitely more interesting for House of Commons secretary Grace, but is everything really as it seems? Grace Ambrose, Brett Beamish and Reuben Swift appear to have little in common, but as each of them negotiates metropolitan life, they find their fates entwined. Arty, liberal-minded House of Commons secretary Grace has been counting the tea breaks in the same dull job for approaching a decade and feels she could do something better … if only she knew what. New recruit Brett, a smooth, high-flying Australian, is on a mission to shake up the dusty backrooms of power – and on a collision path with Grace. Office life begins to look up when Grace receives an email from an admirer with musical and poetic talents … but is soulful, enigmatic Reuben Swift really who he says he is? MY REVIEW THE THREAT LEVEL REMAINS SEVERE by Rowena MacDonald was for me a novel of two completely different parts. In the first part of the story, we get to know Grace Ambrose who is working for the House of Commons. When the new boy arrives in her office, Grace instantly dislikes the arrogant and often condescending Brett, but somehow their dynamic subtly changes between them and their feelings change along the way. But there is the ever-present mystery man who keeps emailing Grace, adding a little bit more excitement to her day. There are plenty of light-hearted and enjoyable moments in this section of the novel as the reader begins to understand the main characters and gets a feel for their quirks, hopes, and dreams. In the second part of the book, Grace's online mystery man, Reuben Swift, takes a more prominent role, and it is with this action that the novel seems to take a darker, more serious edge. The mood switches from laid back to tense and I definitely found myself reading a little quicker so I could find out how it all would end. THE THREAT LEVEL REMAINS SEVERE by Rowena MacDonald is an intriguing story and I definitely enjoyed it. The pace is unusual as it is slower in the first section and more energetic later on as the atmosphere and plot changed. While not all of the characters were likeable, they were all fascinating and overall, I found it an interesting read. Author Bio: Rowena Macdonald was born on the Isle of Wight, grew up in the West Midlands and now lives in East London. Her debut collection, Smoked Meat, was short-listed for the 2012 Edge Hill Prize. Her short stories have won various prizes and been published by Galley Beggar Press, Influx Press, Ambit, Unthank Books and Serpent’s Tail, among others. Her second short story collection will be published by Influx Press in 2018. Her debut novel, The Threat Level Remains Severe, will be published in summer 2017 by Aardvark Bureau. For more information: Twitter - twitter.com/RowenaMacdonald *I voluntarily reviewed this book from Netgalley.com
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
WelcomeHi fellow bookworms. My name is Linda and I'm a reviewer & blogger, wife & mother who loves all things books! Currently ReadingUPCOMING BLOG TOURS
Privacy PolicyNo-one may use Books Of All Kinds content without my permission. Books Of All Kinds does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store information about your visit to this blog for use other than to analyse content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at anytime by modifying your internet browser's settings. Books Of All Kinds is not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.
Archives
November 2023
|