Book Review: Stoker's Wilde West by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi

 

Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker have returned to their more or less normal lives after the events of Stoker's Wilde. But how normal can your life be when your brother is a werewolf or your coworker is a vampire. Their normal comes to an end when they receive a message that vampires have been found in America.

Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde were already booked to go to America. One to manage a theater company and the other to have his play performed. Florence, Bram's wife, is along for the ride which turns out to be a very good thing when Bram finds himself on the wrong side of the law. They pretty much encounter all that the Wild West has to offer and then some.  

The story is told through telegrams , diary entries, meeting transcripts, and other first person point of view documents. This is much the same as Dracula. The majority of entries are from Oscar, Bram, and Florence although there are other sources. Entries really show each character's personality. Bram and Florence are slightly more reliable narrators than Oscar. Oscar tends to embellish a little though he usually admits to it in the end. 

I enjoyed the friendship that Florence strikes up with Calamity Jane. Oscar and Bram make a nice counter pair with their own relationship and adventures. 

While a little slow in a few places, overall the plot moved along at a good pace. There are also some nice twists. 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's well-written and in an interesting format. At first the format makes it a little confusing as it introduces characters that aren't picked up again until much later. Overall, it's a good story and worth a read. It is a sequel, but can be read as a standalone, which I did. I would recommend it to people who enjoy weird westerns, vampire stories, or paranormal stories.

Stoker's Wilde West by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi was published  August 11th, 2020 by Flame Tree Press.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion or the content of this review.

Teaser Tuesday: Stoker's Wilde West by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by The Purplebooker.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title and author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Oh, how I wish we could all be French and not have these things matter to us so much, but alas we are not. We are British and so pretending nothing has happened is the best we can do. (3% through on my Kindle)

The above quotation is from a section entitled "From the Journal of Florence Stoker." The book is written as excerpts from journals, letters, and telegrams much the same way Dracula was written. This is the sequel to Stoker's Wilde. Stoker's Wilde West by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi was published July 23rd, 2020 by Flame Tree Press.

Would you keep reading? What's your teaser this week? Share it or a link in the comments. Are you enjoying your book? Let us know! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #272: Stoker's Wilde by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event which had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Years before either becomes a literary legend, Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde must overcome their disdain for one another to battle the Black Bishop, a mysterious madman wielding supernatural forces to bend the British Empire to his will. With the help of a European vampire expert, a spirited actress, and an American businessman, our heroes fight werewolves, vampires and the chains of Victorian morality. The action will take them to dark forests in Ireland, through the upper-class London theater world and culminates in an exciting showdown at Stonehenge, where Bram and Oscar must stop a vampire cult from opening the gates of Hell. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Stoker's Wilde by Steven Hopstaken and Melissa Prusi is due out May 9, 2019.

Why am I waiting on this one? I think it sounds interesting as a sort of prequel to the literary careers of Bram Stoker and Oscar Wilde. The Black Bishop certainly seems like a good villain. I am wondering what supernatural forces he has at his beck and call and how he will use them against our heroes.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!