Monarch

I Love Monarch

Once I got around to reading Monarch, I finished it in two days. The book is the most well-written one that I've come across in months. The main character, Nick, reminds me a lot of the tough, swoon-worthy kind of guy often portrayed by Daniel Craig in the new 007 movies. He's hurting over a lost love, is in super shape, is a professional killer, and he's pretty much just irresistible to women. Yeah, he cheats on the girl Lillian who loves him...but who could stay mad at Daniel Craig, right? The same goes for this guy...I mean as long as he's in your sheets I think the lady of the house is not gonna kick him out for eating crackers. Nick is just damn sexy. I think I have a man crush.

Michelle has written an excellent thriller. Her use of language, her pacing, her descriptive words are all perfect. The butterfly theme is deep but it isn't just a pretty face flitting from branch to branch...it shows the ever evolving transformation that her characters are going through from page-to-page. By the end of the story, things have happened that will change their lives forever and much like the butterfly that is this book's namesake, life will go on.

This is a book that men will be able to sink their teeth into. I really enjoyed it because there is action, an escape in the jungle, exotic locations and exotic encounters. But the romance is there too with skillfully played words and the use of scents like lavender to remind Nick (and us) of the power in the scent of a woman.

I hope that Michelle revisits Nick or perhaps writes a book starring Devan who goes into the Air Force. I want more of these characters. One book is simply not enough.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Review And Giveaway Of Monarch By Michelle Davidson Argyle

I must say how surprised I am by just how much I loved Monarch. When I first read about it, I thought it sounded interesting. When I got my hands on it I found it really hard to put down. I mainly read paranormal romance books but I do enjoy other genre's, suspense thrillers being one of them. I must say the added touch of a little romance made it all the more thrilling in my opinion. From the very beginning Nick kept me at the edge of my seat but then you throw in his complicated history with woman and the two women he is drawn to and you have one heck of a thrill ride. I loved the fact that these characters made mistakes but were also able to own up to them and work through them, in turn, making them a well rounded character. I loved Michelle's writing style. I never got lost once when she would go from present day to back when Nick was on a mission 3 years prior. I also loved how even though Nick had done some things for the CIA in the past he was able to show he had a conscience and he wasn't just a spy with no moral compass. Yes, he killed people in the name of our government, but he had a soul yearning for redemption. But like everyone he also had doubts on whether he could change and be that man, or that dad his daughters, Clara and Violet, needed him so desperately to be. Lillian is a woman from Nick's past that he can't seem to forget. He runs to he inn looking for safety until he can figure out his next move. Going to the inn introduces us to Devon, Lillian's son, and Rachel a girl who used to work in Lillian's cake shop where Nick first met Lil. We get to learn about their lives and we get to learn about Nick's life and how they all in some way, shape, or form interconnect with each other. On a scale from 1-10 I give Monarch a 10. I LOVED IT from beginning to end. If you are looking for a contemporary thriller with elements of romance then you really need to pick yourself up a copy of Monarch. I can't wait to read other books by Michelle.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Keep You Thinking About It For Days After....

Monarch by Michelle Davidson Argyle is one of those stay up all night because you can't put it down reads - which is exactly what I did.

Lillian is an emotional woman holding the past close to her heart. When Nick steps back into her life, the past comes flooding back like a broken dam bringing danger and mixed feelings with it.

Nick is on the run, accused of murder. As he sets out to prove his innocence, running to the only place he thinks is safe, Lillian not only provides a safe haven for his girls who also are in danger from his past, but for his heart as well.

Nick was on assignment when Kyle, who he thought he could trust, turns on him. Wanting the power from Ferriera's Cartel, Kyle kills who he thought was Ferriera's wife, Catarina, and places the blame on Nick. Now that Nick has gone back to Brazil to clear his name, obtaining pertinent information froM Catarina against her husband, Kyle must make sure the information to clear his name doesn't make it back to the CIA. Catarina's motive, keeping her son Alex from growing up like his father, Nick's motive, proving his innocence to move on with his life, to love freely and live happily ever after.

Argyle did such a fantastic job with this story. The Monarch butterflies was a brilliant addition to this thriller, and jumping from the past to the present to let us know Nick's backstory and what is currently happening was so effectively written, I never got lost at any point. Argyle's writing style is just phenomenal.

I loved Nick from the get-go. He is strong and silent, holding many secrets as the turmoil within him of wanting to tell all was played out.

Lillian is very emotional, trying to deal with the past and the present, realizing that Nick is all she wants.

Devan is strong and protective of his mother, all the while wishing happiness for all.

I didn't have any problem connecting with any of these characters, and the plot was so good that you could not put it down until you found out how it all ended. Kudos to Argyle for such a great story and I am so glad I had a chance to review her work with Monarch. I can't wait to see more from her

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Charming Characters and Expert Pacing!

I love the concept of this cover (fragile, fragile things), it's one of the things that drew me to the book in the first place. I just kept trying to figure out who the dead person was in the book, and although the bodies pile up, I think it's more of a generic nod to the genre.

I really adored most of the characters in this work. The three viewpoint characters Nick, Lillian and Devan each brought a different dimension to the story, with their vastly different life experiences. Nick (who just happened to look remarkably like George Clooney in my head) was sexy and smart, but he was also really complex. He was James Bond with a conscience and a past and that made for some really interesting moments.

The characters throughout were generally complex and surprising and unique. I especially loved Nick's daughters Clara and Violet and the mysterious Catarina. These women had such personality and life to them, even though none of them are the three main characters. Little details like this really make a book for me. It was also refreshing for a thriller to see such clear character growth from almost the entire cast. Honestly the only character I had much trouble with was Lillian. I liked her, I just kept wanting her to do a little more. It seemed she was always the one waiting and worrying and not much else. Still, the story's events brought about a profound change in her and that didn't feel forced in any real way by the end of the book.

This is a portion of a review that originally appeared at Aurelia {Lit}. Review copy courtesy of publisher.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommended spy thriller

Having a dying assassin in your kitchen is not a good start to anyone's day, but it's marginally better than facing a live one. And Nick Avery knows that things are only going to get worse. He's been betrayed - but by whom? Finding the answer to this question, clearing his name of a false murder charge, and trying to rebuild a relationship with his two daughters after their mother's suicide are only some of the goals Nick has to achieve. Staying alive would be a good start. Can Lilian Love, owner of the Monarch Inn and champion of the monarch butterfly, help Nick attain his goals? Betrayed herself by her husband, the man she thought had loved her, Lilian is also struggling to find peace. Then Nick re-enters her life, dumping his daughters on her for their safety, and a spark of love is kindled. But Nick is still being hunted, and danger stalks the Monarch Inn. Peace and safety are a long way off. Monarch is a tightly-written, exciting and fast-moving thriller with plenty of emotion and suspense thrown in. Ms Argyle handles the action deftly, keeping the reader entranced to the end. If you like your spy novels laced with mystery and romance, then this is the book for you. Highly recommended.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Unique, Character-Driven Thriller

Michelle Davidson Argyle's MONARCH breaks free and spreads its wings for a read sure to thrill readers.

When assassins fly into Nick's life, he must run to the one place he can be safe: the Monarch Inn. Lilian Love struggles with running the inn, worries over her grown son, and fears the inn will fail if the monarch butterflies stop migrating through their area. Nick and Lilian become reacquainted, but the danger isn't over. Nick brings his two daughters to the inn to be safe while he must leave them and Lilian for Brazil and answers, yet danger and love were closer to home than he ever could imagine.

MONARCH is a thriller unlike any I've ever read. The character-driven novel involves fearful realities from the dwindling monarch butterfly population to terrors in the drug trade. The characters are three-dimensional. I loved the complexity of their relationships. Argyle excels in writing great pacing, speeding it up when the action dictated it and slowing it down to stretch out the tension. The symbolism of wings and butterflies flutters throughout. MONARCH shows the fragility of life and the human strength to go on.

MONARCH by Michelle Davidson Argyle is a thriller unlike any other with complex characters and a touching plot filled with hope, life, and love in the face of fear and danger.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Recommended for Wide Range of Readers

As an avid reader of science-fiction and fantasy, I rarely go off-genre. Yet based on recommendations of friends, I read Monarch, by Michelle Argyle, who also writes speculative fiction. My friends did not let me down. Monarch centers around a CIA head hunter named Nick. His main job is to seek out recruits for the CIA. When he is tapped for one last assignment in the field tracking a notorious drug lord in the Brazillian jungle. His job has already cost him his wife, who comitted suicide, estranged his relationship with his daughters, and now may cost him his life. If he survives, Nick can retire and start over...with everything. One additional complication stands in his way. The CIA believes Nick murdered a key informant in the case, the drug lord's wife. Michelle does a masterful job of building characters that the reader can relate to. The relationships between them are realistic and intense. Each character has a rich story supporting the events revealed in the book itself. The book is an intense thriller, a strong romance, and complex mystery novel all wrapped up into one. Essentially Michelle wrote something for a very wide range of readers. Find a comfy chair to curl up in, grab a large glass of ice tea (unsweet for me), and a good block of reading time. If you are like me, you'll read the entire book in a single sitting. I happily recommend this novel to all!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Thriller with a Twist

As a child, on vacation, I remember my Mom's guilty pleasure was reading "True Detective" magazines. Mine was reading romances. As an adult, I still prefer gentle love stories to gritty thrillers, so when I received Argyle's latest offering from the publisher to review, I hesitated to read it, expecting blood and gore and all that I like least in my entertainment. But this is more than your run-of-the-mill thriller. "Monarch" is a story that delves into the emotional impact that high-risk jobs have on a man and his family. With insight and empathy, the author shows the price some men must pay to keep not only society safe, but their families as well. An underlying thread, adding both menace and melancholy, was the juxtaposition of the dangers and threats facing the migrating Monarch butterflies to Nick's final contract. Plotting is tight, characterisation is excellent - even the minor secondary characters have depth - and the pace is fast. The interplay between Nick and those he loves is fascinating: his doubts and fears only add to his essential strength. Overall, an enjoyable, entertaining read. (This review is for the eBook)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended

This story is very good, i hope that there are alot more books by this Author, this book was very very interesting to read, it was never dull or boring ever, and there never was any dull or boring parts in this story at all, i look forward to reading other books by this Author, i am so glad i got the chance to review this great book, this is... a great book by a great Author, this Author knows how to keep a readers Attention and interest, she is a very very good writer, this book grabbed my Interest from the very beginning and held it to the very end, i really enjoyed the stortline of this book alot, i could hardly put this book down long enough to go too sleep, i found this to be a very great story, this book is very well written, i hope there are lots more books written by this Author, i hope there is a 2nd book to this and a 3rd and 4th and 5th book to this book and so on, I give this book 5 stars, i highly Recommended this book, it is a must read, everyone go check out this
great book by this Great Author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Butterflies & guns

Let us ponder for a moment - what does one think of when imagining a spy? Butterflies? Absolutely not! Hardly the first image that jumps to mind, you might utter "Who in the world would think to tie these two together?" - Michelle Davidson Argyle - & she does not disappoint! Intrigued? Read on...
Monarch is a book that forces you to continue reading & we all love books such as this! A well written, dynamic & engaging read, Monarch will compel you to wrap yourself in your own little cocoon until you're ready to air your own beautiful wings & spread the good word about this exciting read!
Add it to your must read list!
- Ashley L. Knight, author of The Fins Trilogy

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly recommend this awesome thriller - great characters, great plot - just GREAT!

Nick doesn't live a typical life, and this is driven home immediately at the beginning of the book, which opens with him watching the blood of an assassin, whom he has just killed, stain the floor of his kitchen. Nick works for the CIA in the DEA division; he has been in Brazil for two years now trying to take down a major drug cartel; but things become nasty when the drug lord, Ferreria, learns about Nick. How will Nick escape his fate? He is a widower - his wife died of a drug overdose 10 years ago - and his two daughters are grown. He doesn't want to put them in danger, and he needs somewhere to hide where neither Ferreria's men nor the CIA can find him. Then he remembers Lilian. This is a fast-moving thriller, with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reading glued to the page. The characters are all well-developed and multi-faceted, with complex interactions; how the author kept all the strings from tangling together I don't know, but she succeeds beautifully in maintaining all the separate aspects of the story; thrills, chills, betrayal, romance - it's all there and all wonderfully done. In addition, there are many passages that talk about monarch butterflies, the danger they are in due to loss of habitat, and giving the reader more information in general about this fascinating creatures. Sometimes when book has a "message" like this, it seems forced or over-bearing, but the author in this case fit it into the context of the story and made it smooth and interesting. I highly recommend this book for fans of thrillers, suspense and spy novels, and romantic suspense. Don't miss out on a chance to buy and read it! My thanks to Rhemalda Publishing for providing a copy for me to read and review.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sentimental Suspense

Monarch is a tale about two families thrown together by history and current circumstance. Both sides evolve and in the end, metamorphosis into something new. Although designed around a suspense/thriller premise, this story lingers more on the emotional, sentimental aspects of relationships, family, divorce and career. The story does not belong to a main character, but rather is shared equally by several and by doing so, a distinct voice speaks for all. This approach works in the overall telling of the story, but doesn't lend to give depth and personality to individual characters. Reactions to events were similar as far as emotional response, which left me wondering if this were a collective consciousness or wishful thinking driving the plot toward a happier ending. Because of this, some interactions did not seem genuine or natural. If you are looking for a softer side of suspense with a dash of chick lit sentimentality, you'll enjoy Monarch.

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