Fred and Viv. If you’ve read Painted Faces, those names will mean everything to you. It’ll mean excitement, wittiness, and sexiness in one of the most creative stories out there. So when I heard there was more to come, I squealed. A lot. Seriously, so much eeek-ing going on. It was nearly what I had hoped it would be, and I’ll explain what that “nearly” means.
In case you aren’t aware, this is Nicholas’ side of the story. It’s written to be his journal, so it has dates and even a soundtrack for each “entry” aka chapter. I LOVED the songs chosen and how it all weaved together. Very classic L.H. Cosway greatness. Because it is his story, you get to see a lot that you only heard parts of in Painted Faces. You hear all about the hard, drunken times in his past. You dive head first into how broken he truly feels. You’ll understand a bit more as to how the heartbreakingly sad past affected him. You just feel so much more. Although what was described in Painted Faces explained why Nicholas is the way he is, you get a much better grasp on it within Killer Queen. Not that he wasn’t amazing in Painted Faces, but it just makes him that much better.
In case you aren’t aware, this is Nicholas’ side of the story. It’s written to be his journal, so it has dates and even a soundtrack for each “entry” aka chapter. I LOVED the songs chosen and how it all weaved together. Very classic L.H. Cosway greatness. Because it is his story, you get to see a lot that you only heard parts of in Painted Faces. You hear all about the hard, drunken times in his past. You dive head first into how broken he truly feels. You’ll understand a bit more as to how the heartbreakingly sad past affected him. You just feel so much more. Although what was described in Painted Faces explained why Nicholas is the way he is, you get a much better grasp on it within Killer Queen. Not that he wasn’t amazing in Painted Faces, but it just makes him that much better.
I love that, being his side of things and all, you see what really happened behind closed doors. The entire Dorotea incident from his eyes will soothe your heart, if it was still raw from what happened in Painted Faces. There are many different instances that will definitely make you want to reread (if you didn’t prior to Killer Queen releasing anyway.) But here’s also where my one tiny little issue came in with this one. There were a few chapters that seemed overly repetitive. I know, it’s his POV, it’s going to be. But surprisingly, Cosway does a fantastic job of not making it FEEL like a retelling throughout most of the story. There were just a few different conversations that didn’t seem to have much underlying emotion explained. It truly felt like I was only rereading the word-for-word conversation from Painted Faces. I’ll admit it, I skipped a bit during those parts. Every conversation between these two characters will jump off of the page and are always very intriguing, but it was a bit too repetitive for me. Maybe if you hadn’t just reread, it won’t seem like much to you.
Even with the issue of some chapters being repetitive, the new story added into the beginning and end made up for it. The last 25% was exciting and I couldn’t get enough. It has all of the emotion we’re used to with Fred and Viv, with their smartass quips and of course, there’s no shortage of romantic, swoonworthy moments. No shortage at all. J
Like always, L.H. Cosway is a genius. She writes stories that are unlike anything else you’ve read, and she amazes me every single time. Her writing style is quirky, fun, and so smart. I just adore her, and this was another fantastic one.
Overall, if you love Fred and Viv as much as most everyone else that has met them, you will love this story. To be inside the mind of the talented, sexy, albeit a bit broken Nicholas is everything you’ll hope it will be. I would suggest this one, along with Painted Faces, every time. I couldn’t get enough, and hope you feel the same way.
<3 Erin
Even with the issue of some chapters being repetitive, the new story added into the beginning and end made up for it. The last 25% was exciting and I couldn’t get enough. It has all of the emotion we’re used to with Fred and Viv, with their smartass quips and of course, there’s no shortage of romantic, swoonworthy moments. No shortage at all. J
Like always, L.H. Cosway is a genius. She writes stories that are unlike anything else you’ve read, and she amazes me every single time. Her writing style is quirky, fun, and so smart. I just adore her, and this was another fantastic one.
Overall, if you love Fred and Viv as much as most everyone else that has met them, you will love this story. To be inside the mind of the talented, sexy, albeit a bit broken Nicholas is everything you’ll hope it will be. I would suggest this one, along with Painted Faces, every time. I couldn’t get enough, and hope you feel the same way.
<3 Erin