Gunnie Rose Series by Charlaine Harris

 ☆⭐⭐⭐⭐


The Gunnie Rose series by Charlaine Harris is set in an alternate timeline of the US where the assassination of FDR led to the fracturing of the nation into five smaller nations, the Holy Roman Empire on the West coast, the new America in the middle of the country, Texahoma (a merging of Texas and Oklahoma), Dixie (the South mostly) and Britannia on the East coast. In another twist, there is magic in this version of the world. Where Rasputin has created a sect of grigoris (wizards) and established a school to teach them the ways of magic.

The world-building of the series is thorough and interesting. I found the characters to be engaging and multifaceted. The main character, Lizbeth Rose, is a tough but compassionate young woman who is strong and independent. She is well-aware of her own opinions and smart as well.

Book 1: An Easy Death

I listened to this novel as a 'graphic audio'. The production was very well done and the voice acting made the characters come to life. I found that the storyline started off a little bit slowly, not building to the main portion of the story until about a quarter into the book, but that was largely for the author to build Lizbeth's character and job out for the reader. Lizbeth is a gunslinger or 'gunnie' who is hired to protect cargo or people. The cargo can be objects or people.

As the story progresses, we are introduced to Eli and Paulina, her new charges who ask her to guide them through parts of Texahoma and into Mexia (Mexico) looking for a descendant of Rasputin. The travels are fraught right from the beginning and her charges aren't open and honest with her. Lizbeth has a trying time working to keep Eli and Paulina safe and home again.

I 'read' the novel quickly. The storyline was quick and the characters compelling. I recommend reading this novel if you enjoy Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels stories.


Book 2: A Longer Fall

The second novel in the series is set in Dixie. We find Lizbeth on a new job, hired to protect a crate on its way to a small town in Dixie. Eventually, the team is ambushed and the crate is stolen. Lizbeth, being the noble gunnie she is, decides to find the crate and finish her mission. Along the way she encounters Eli again, and pairs up with him to complete this mission. His motives aren't clear and the romance that blooms between the two of them is fraught with the fact that Eli can't or won't share all the information he has.

I also listened to this novel as a graphic audio. Like the first novel, the production was really smooth and the voice acting made the characters and the world of Dixie come to life. It was an interesting alternate world that made me glad that we weren't living in it.

Again, the novel was fairly fast-paced with lots of action. I appreciated the complicated relationship that was developed between Eli and Lizbeth. More than that I found that I liked how Lizbeth stuck to her metaphorical guns about what she would and wouldn't stand for in a relationship. She's an independent young woman but she doesn't have a huge chip on her shoulder about it. I finished this novel quickly as well and ran out to get the third.


Book 3: The Russian Cage

I read this book in one sitting, during an afternoon. It's a fast-paced page-turner that is full of action and surprise. This time Harris takes the reader into the Holy Roman Empire on a search to save Eli from jail. The plotline of the novel is interesting. Harris has really done a great job of creating a full-fledged world where you can believe the characters and the conditions in which they exist. Certain points of the novel move a little too quickly but I found that they weren't super important. I would like a clearer explination for how magic works in this world, but since Lizbeth isn't a magic user herself, it makes sense that detailed magical information isn't provided in her novels. 

If you are looking for a quick and fun read, I would recommend this book. It's not clear if there are more books planned for this series, there certainly could be some additional interesting stories and explorations of other areas of the new world that Harris has developed. In particular, I'd love to read more about the path of Lizbeth's younger sister Felicia. However, this novel felt a bit like the end of Lizbeth's story arc.

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