BOOK DESCRIPTION
Meet Lady Amelia Smallhope, for whom there is no problem that can’t be solved by a drink and a think.
And Pennyroyal, for whom there is no problem. Ever.
Everyone’s favorite bounty hunters. Sorry – recovery agents. No bad guy they can’t handle. No expense account too flexible. No adventure too outrageous.
Join them as they settle scores, break every rule in the book and take the world by storm.
Fasten your seatbelts. The timeline doesn’t know what’s hit it.
BOOK REVIEW
THE BALLAD OF SMALLHOPE AND PENNYROYAL explores the background of the mysterious recovery agents who have played important parts in both THE CHRONICLES OF ST. MARY’S and THE TIME POLICE series’. Their stories are both heartbreaking and inspiring, and I was absolutely riveted the whole time. As usual, birds provide some comic relief. In this case, it’s peacocks! The villain in this story is an absolutely evil woman, and I hated her appropriately. The motivations behind Pennyroyal and “why he is the way he is” make sense to me now.
Without giving spoilers, parts of this novel now have me furiously investigating past books in the series, looking for clues. It is also made clear how integral these two characters are to the plots of both series.
I started this book after breakfast and finished it the same day. I could not stop reading. It is not your usual St. Mary’s story, but it ties everything together and makes some big reveals. I loved that it covers the whole time period of The Chronicles of St. Mary’s, and more, while also telling Smallhope’s life story. Fans of this series will absolutely love this one.
I received a free copy of this book from Headline via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own. As I am a huge fan of Jodi Taylor, I also purchased a signed copy and pre-ordered the audiobook.
THE BALLAD OF SMALLHOPE AND PENNYROYAL will be released on September 12, 2024.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jodi Taylor is the internationally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary’s series, the story of a bunch of disaster-prone individuals who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel! She is also the author of the Time Police series – a St Mary’s spinoff and gateway into the world of an all-powerful, international organization who are NOTHING like St Mary’s. Except, when they are. Alongside these, Jodi is known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring Elizabeth Cage together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series – a fairy story for adults. Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers, and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a novel. Over twenty books later, she still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
JODI’S SOCIAL MEDIA:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK – Jodi Taylor’s Fans and Readers | FACEBOOK – Jodi Taylor Book Discussion | FACEBOOK – Jodi Taylor Spoiler Group | INSTAGRAM
PURCHASE LINKS
Wonderful review Bonnie! I’ve almost finished The Good the Bad and the History and can’t wait for this one. Do I need to read any of the Time Police books before reading/listening to this?
Thanks! I think you will be okay without reading them, but there are some hints/clues/references you might not get if you haven’t read The Time Police books. I definitely recommend them.
That’s good! I’ve been meaning to get to them, but I’ve been put off because they don’t seem to be very nice characters in the St. Mary’s books, apart from one of two of them.
The main characters are Matthew Farrell, son of Max and Leon, who joined the Time Police over the strenuous objections of his mother, Jane Lockland , who joined because she was running from her abusive grandmother, and Luke Parrish, playboy son of a very rich man who forced him into the Time Police after yet another screwup. They are Team 236, also known as Team Weird. Max and the St. Mary’s crew often make appearances. Mikey (Amelia Mikeljohn) is also a character. Celia North from St. Mary’s is now in the Time Police. And of course Major Ellis is there. Commander Hay, the famed woman with the young/old face, tries to lead a less bloodthirsty group than the one that existed under Colonel Alby.
There is still no love lost between The Time Police and St. Mary’s. Smallhope and Pennyroyal make appearances in both series. I really like both series.
Sounds good!
Excellent review, Bonnie. It sure makes me want to check out Jodi Taylor’s books.
I hope you do. The first book of St Mary’s is called Just One Damned Tjing After Another
Although this isn’t my type of read, I do love that cover! Glad you liked it, great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2024/09/07/blog-tour-review-this-is-not-a-holiday-romance-by-camilla-isley/