Charming by Elliott James

Charming (Pax Arcana, #1)

by Elliott James

John Charming isn't your average Prince...

He comes from a line of Charmings - an illustrious family of dragon slayers, witch-finders and killers dating back to before the fall of Rome. Trained by a modern day version of the Knights Templar, monster hunters who have updated their methods from chain mail and crossbows to Kevlar and shotguns, John Charming was one of the best - until a curse made him one of the abominations the Knights were sworn to hunt.

That was a lifetime ago. Now, John tends bar under an assumed name in rural Virginia and leads a peaceful, quiet life. That is, until a vampire and a blonde walked into his bar...

Reviewed by littleread1 on

5 of 5 stars

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Fantastic. Just fantastic.

I met Mr. James at Coastal Magic back in February of this year, and that was the first time I had heard of his books. By the time I decided to purchase them, he had sold out of book 1, and only had book 2. So I got it, and picked up Charming on kindle, and then promptly forgot about them (along with half the books on my shelf that I still need to read). A friend of mine was reading the audios and liking them, so I remembered I had these and picked up Charming to see if I would like it.

OMG YOU GUYS. These books are fantastic. I was DYING. The chapter titles ... "Blood, Bath, and Beyond" ... I mean seriously. John Charming, the main character, has about the most dry sense of humor I've ever read. He is hilarious. I tore through this book like John tears through ...well that would be a spoiler so I won't tell you. But it is fast. I read all 3 stories, and all the short stories, in about 2 days. I couldn't get enough of John Charming and his antics.

Of course not everything is funny. People die. Sometimes it is for the greater good, and sometimes it is a tragedy. Not everything goes according to plan 100% of the time. But I cannot get past the funniness that is this series. I even pre-ordered the next book already.

And rest assured, if Mr. James will be at Coastal Magic again this Feb, I will be getting ALL the books, signed. I may have a new favorite UF series.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 2 September, 2015: Finished reading
  • 2 September, 2015: Reviewed