When Celine Moro took a job as a Blackcoat, an elite agency tasked with investigating crimes throughout Union space, she thought she had finally put her past to rest.
Welcome to one of the October 6th stops on the book tour for Blackcoat by Steve McHugh with Storytellers on Tour. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post. #blackcoat #storytellersontour #readindie
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About the Book
Blackcoat
by Steve McHugh
Published 5 October 2021
Hidden Realms Publishing
Genre: Science Fiction Thriller
Page Count: 120
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!
CW: Violence, Gore (although not much)
When Celine Moro took a job as a Blackcoat, an elite agency tasked with investigating crimes throughout Union space, she thought she had finally put her past to rest.
Now, betrayed by her allies, her world is falling apart. Running from the corrupt politicians that she had sworn to bring to justice, Celine is dusting off the skills of her old trade in order to bring truth to light.
The only thing bringing her comfort is knowing how much worse her friends are eventually going to feel about their betrayal.
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My Review
My Rating: 4 Stars
Consider liking my review on Goodreads
I was granted ARC access to Blackcoat by author Steve McHugh who kindly mailed me a print copy so that I could review this title for a tour with Storytellers on Tour. Thank you Steve and Storytellers for the opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
“Tell me again why we were never closer friends?”
“I’m a Blackcoat, you’re a criminal.”
Don’t let the short page count fool you, this novella is absolutely packed with gripping action and witty banter that will keep you reading, cover to cover, in one sitting. Imagine all the sadistic tech of The Hunger Games, give it to a corrupt city-state leader and an illegal drug den, and let it loose on a dystopian city with a thriving underground that everyone pretends not to know about and a policing force full of personnel with hidden records.
Trias must be stopped and Celine is going to be the one to do it, even if she has to die on the job getting it done. She’s exactly the sort of no-bullshit heroin you’d expect in an adult dystopian, just as deadly with her quick tongue as she is with her plasma blades, and completely out of fucks to give about how anyone else is going to explain away their involvement (or non-involvement) in her mission.
This is definitely more of a “space opera” style Sci-Fi than a hard Sci-Fi in that it’s an entirely character-driven plot bent on stopping an individual, rather than posing a “what if?” question about a bit of science’s effect on humanity. The setting is dystopian second-Earth anywhere, we get just enough descriptions and explanations of the setting, tech, etc. to follow along smoothly, and otherwise, it’s a classic good cop gone rogue to stop the dictator sort of story. I like it, it works, but I did wish for just a little more details and descriptors here and there. For example, the closer Celine gets to having a chance at that ultimate boss fight, the more she encounters “creatures” that SFF bookworms may equate to the mutts of The Hunger Games. But is that what they are? I want to know more!
Overall this was a great read and has definitely inspired me to add Steve’s backlist to my TBR. Thank you once again for the ARC!
About the Author
Steve is a bestselling author of Urban Fantasy. His book, Scorched Shadows, was shortlisted for a Gemmell Award for best novel, and he has sold over a million books worldwide.
Steve was born in a small village called Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but now lives with his wife and three young daughters in Southampton.
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Giveaway Alert!
Prize: A signed copy of Blackcoat by Steve J. McHugh – International
Starts: October 3, 2021 at 12:00am EST
Ends: October 10, 2021 at 11:59pm EST
| Oct 3 | Whispers & Wonder | Oct 4 | Bookshelves & Teacups |
| Oct 4 | Sadie’s Spotlight | Oct 4 | @chapter.mjthomas |
| Oct 5 | Armed with A Book | Oct 5 | @ofproseandspells |
| Oct 5 | @apocketfuloftomes | Oct 6 | Westveil Publishing |
| Oct 6 | Jessica Belmont | Oct 7 | Cover to Cover |
| Oct 7 | @fantasybookcraz_mum | Oct 7 | Beneath A Thousand Skies |
| Oct 8 | Lore and Lullabies | Oct 8 | FanFiAddict |
| Oct 8 | @danthewandererboy | Oct 9 | Queen’s Book Asylum |
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Sounds lie a great book!