A Glimmer of Hope – Steve McHugh
Layla Cassidy has always wanted a normal life, and the chance to put her father’s brutal legacy behind her. And in her final year of university she’s finally found it. Or so she thinks.
But when Layla accidentally activates an ancient scroll, she is bestowed with an incredible, inhuman power. She plunges into a dangerous new world, full of mythical creatures and menace–all while a group of fanatics will stop at nothing to turn her abilities to their cause.
To protect those she loves most, Layla must take control of her new powers…before they destroy her. All is not yet lost–there is a light shining, but Layla must survive long enough to see it.
My thanks to Anne Cater for the chance to join the blog tour
Time to indulge in a bit of fantasy. Stories where anything goes are a very welcome change from the usual diet of crime and police procedurals I tend to favour. I love the idea that mythical creatures could be real, that they interact with humans or that they hide from them and live in the shadows.
Readers are introduced to Layla Cassidy, she is a kick-ass character who takes no nonsense. An unpleasant scene in the pub with her ex followed by a clash with annoying neighbours shows she is a girl who can hold her own in a scuffle but can also show the self-restraint to know when to walk away from a situation without taking matters too far.
We find out in the fullness of time why Layla wants to show restraint. Her father has a notorious reputation, jailed for horrific crimes which few could ever emulate. Yet a dangerous faction of non-humans want to recruit Layla’s father and they need to know where to find him. Unfortunately for Layla this means they will use her as a pawn intended to hold her captive until Layla will share her father’s location with them. Layla has other ideas and makes attempts to escape from captivity before her captors can try to “influence” her to assist with their plans.
During her attempted escape Layla will accidentally activate an ancient scroll and acquires new powers which make her a formidable opponent and will ope her eyes to a world she had no idea existed. From this point on the action will really hot up and A Glimmer of Hope will twist and enchant.
I really enjoy Steve McHugh’s writing, he builds strong characters that I want to read about. His stories have been well paced (A Glimmer of Hope is no exception) so there is a natural build up into the action and then events keep coming with twists and turns which bring me back for “one more chapter”.
A welcome and refreshing change to my normal reads – bring on the next, I enjoy these.
A Glimmer of Hope is released on 1st April 2018 and can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Glimmer-Hope-Avalon-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B01LW3WQ6K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1522002116&sr=8-1