A Very Proper Monster: An Elemental World Novella (Elemental Mysteries/World) Paperback – March 30, 2017

I must say, I absolutely love all the stories I have read so far. The characters are so alive and I thoroughly enjoy following along in each adventure. What a wonderful gift Elizabeth Hunter has with stories

the nuance of regency era set novels, the fantasy of a elemental vampire fantasy, a rich nod to history, both real and within the fantasy setting of the author. both main characters are considered odd by their respective groups but refuse to lose their individuality. This book does not need to be read in any order with the elemental series or with any knowledge of the world (although it helps flesh out the other characters in the book. also if you are at all a fan of a well developed world/society, complex and intriguing characters and are a fan of the fantasy genre I would highly recommend the vampire elemental series in addition to this book. hope this helps and happy reading

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not a fan of the Bram Stoker variety of vampire, but the time spanning avatar is delightful. I read several of the Saint Germain series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro when I was much younger, which is what introduced me to the concept.You handle a multitude of disparate characters with skill, keeping the personalities distinctive. The locations are varied, but I might suggest using a bit more detail unique to the area. You hit on it here and there, but the scenes can be fleshed out to further delight your readers.If you do a story line in Imperial Russia, please work something in with the Amber Room from Peter the Great's era. It was scavenged during WWII, but there is enough historical material, as well as a reconstructed version to give you some literary grist.BTW, if you really want to try hang gliding, better do it soon. You really can see thermals once you get some altitude, and you'll discover a whole new set of senses up there that are nearly impossible to describe. It's not a sport to take up in your senior years.

So here it is. A great story after Tom & wife have been eith each other for YEARS ! And we need Tenzin for spice. So well written by an author who is also quite brilliant. Read it, but start the series with book one and you will have many days of fun stories

I have written and erased this review multiple times; not because I disliked anything about the book, but because I loved it so much, words are escaping me.Elizabeth Hunter takes beloved characters from her other books and gives them their own novella, opening the door to the lives of Tom and Josie, a couple who shouldn't be a couple but are some of the most interesting characters she's written about. I loved learning the background of how they met, married, and fell in love. An arranged marriage in 19th century Dublin turns into an epic love story that spans decades--how could it not be intriguing? Tom is the perfect tough guy romantic, and Josie is the whimsical Gothic writer (is that some sort of oxymoron?) who happens to have a death sentence hanging over her head. They complement each other's lives in a way neither one realizes they need.A Very Proper Monster and Night of the Waking City are quick reads, yet Ms. Hunter's ability to fit so much into so few pages is something that always astounds me. I always feel like I've read a full-length novel when I've finished her novellas, because she so eloquently packs so much pertinent detail into them to make the storyline clear and understandable.While it's not necessary to have read the Elemental World series to follow along with A Very Proper Monster, it helps with some of the characters in Night of the Waking City.I look forward to the next adventure!

Great novella! I loved Tom and Josie and how much Tom LOVED Josie so much! I was super close to giving this book a 4 star only because of how much Anne and Patrick were in it and I hated seeing how cute they were together before their separation because it just made their HEA after their separation in their own book pointless. Like they're so happy together again, but this just shows they were before too, so how do I know Patrick won't do that to Anne all over again if they ever separate for any reason, again?BUT, Ben and Tenzin appeared for the extra story and this book automatically went back up to a 5 star because their amazing-ness erased dumb Patrick and Anne out of my head, and of course Tom and Josie only got cuter and cuter. Now onto Lucien's story!*Anne shook her head. “Good heavens, you two really are perfect for each other. Who would have guessed?”“Me,” Josie said with a sweet smile. “I knew we’d get on the first night he called on me.”Tom smiled and went back to his paper. Sweet butterfly girl…“Oh?” Anne asked. “Why’s that?”“It was obvious,” Josie said. “He brought me a book.”

And Elizabeth Hunter does it again, she's written two excellent short stories to entertain our reading addiction.The first story "A Very Proper Monster", is about how Tom met Josie. The second story "A Night In The Waking City", is about Tom and Josie 's trip to New York City. Both stories are written beautifully and flow so well.I enjoyed getting to meet Tom and Josie and how they met, since they have both been mentioned in previous books. It gives secondary characters, like them, more depth when you get given a back story to read. Then to top it off, we were given a second short story of an event on a trip to New York in the present day. Now, since they were in New York and it's written in the present day, who do you know lives there? If you said Ben and Tenzin, you would be correct. Not saying anything else, otherwise it would ruin the story for everyone who hasn't read it yet. I'll just say you won't be disappointed.If you have a couple hours free and you want a quick, but satisfying read, pick this one up. If you've read her other Elemental World books, then this is a must read.