Monarch...A Review & Giveaway

Monarch…A Review & Giveaway

Monarch is unlike any book I’ve ever read. Now, this isn’t to say the book is so unusual in either content or style, but rather there’s an element in the book that I’ve never found in a book of this type. The element that made this book so unique for me was an effort to include many of the emotional angles not found in other thrillers I’ve read.

Some background…Monarch, by Michelle Davidson Argyle is basically a thriller, a spy story set in the mountains of North Carolina and the jungles of Brazil. What surprised me was the emotional connection the author brought to the characters, the humanity behind many if not most of their decisions.

The book begins with Nick, a solitary man, fleeing the scene of a death that he caused. Nick escapes to Lilian, an innkeeper he knew years before, a woman who helped ease the pain of his wife’s suicide. This time Nick needs physical as well as emotional protection.

The pace of Argyle’s book works well with the story. Our introductions to the main characters allow for us to know them on a surface level, and as the story unfolds, the reader’s familiarity with the characters deepens as the story develops. Nick’s two daughters along with Lilian’s son Devan gather at Lilian’s inn while Nick tries to clear his name in Brazil.

The book explores both the brutality men (and women) inflict on each other and the gentleness of a butterfly. In fact, the monarch butterfly is a central character. Argyle describes in some detail how this amazing insect—like many of the characters—survives against all odds.

Murder, betrayal, deception, reconciliation, romance, and self-discovery can be found within the pages of Monarch. If you like a thriller with heart, you’ll most likely enjoy this book.

If you would like to be entered in a drawing, please comment and I will contact you with more details. If you'd like to read the first two chapters of Michelle's book, please visit her website: HERE.

This is my first book review/giveaway blogpost. The opinions are my own.