I received this book as a freebie from bzzagent! I was so excited to get to preview this book before it was released to the general public. I really enjoyed the Dark Monk for several reasons – it was an engaging fast paced book with all the elements that comprise a good story. It contained mystery that kept you guessing until the very end and romance, action and even highway robbery! All in all the story is wonderfully done and keeps you addicted until the last page. My only complaint is that the story line seemed better suited to this day and age instead of about 400 years ago. It seemed like the main characters easily digressed from their lives in pursuit of treasure and excitement rather than how I imagine they would have been forced to live their lives during this time period.
That said, the book is fun and I enjoyed it a lot. There are three main characters in this book – Simon the town Medic, Jacob, the town hangman and his daughter, Magdalena, a fiery woman with lots of personality to keep the story engaging. She and Simon are each other’s love interests and they quarrel about things in a cute way that makes you really feel their love for each other and feel bad that they let silly differences divide them.
The story begins with an attention getting murder of the local priest and the start of a search for the legendary Templar treasure. I have always loved the stories that surround the Templar Treasure and the intrigue that surrounds that. So this story was enjoyable for that reason. This book has enough twists and turns and “I-didn’t-see-that-coming” moments to keep the reader interested. I would recommend this book for a light hearted read and several enjoyable afternoons.
