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The Secret Of Talmor Manor (2011)

by Matthew Lang(Favorite Author)

3.71 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1608202933 (ISBN13: 9781608202935)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

MLR Press

series

Talmor

review 1: FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Matthew Lang puts a new spin on writing.. a little bit of many genre's and some REALLY good characters add a couple of twist's, a healthy dose of humour and Hot Damn... I giggled aloud at some of that humour too.. Was holding my breath in a couple of scenes, late back from lunch and two breaks, all because I HAD to finish it!!! I repeat, FREAKING AWESOME read.. I have to admit that I was a wee bit sceptical as I've read a couple of local authors who sort of weren't overly brilliant but good enough to read. This story could have been set anywhere, it just happened to be set in Melbourne and the other settings in the book only added to the story line. (trying not to kill the book for other people reading it!)I really am expecting s... moreomething even more brilliant from Matthew's next book..(it doesn't have to be set in Melbourne!!) I will be watching and waiting with baited breath.
review 2: This book is bloody brilliant. It has great writing, humour, a superb plot that weaves its way into your heart and mind, and a fabulous ending.I loved the historical aspect and lapped up the visuals when Jake visits Talmor Manor in his dreams. The quality of visuals in his dream-like state are nothing short of marvellous—it’s creepy in a way, yet at the same time it’s like Jake is meant to be there so it’s okay. I smelled the musty air, saw the dark feel of the place, and absolutely adored the scene with the cook who made Jake some food. God, I really did like this book very much. There’s so much to talk about that I could go on all day, but I’ll stick to the bits I enjoyed the most.In his dreams, Jake visits the manor and meets some of the people who are stuck in time, stuck in…well, they’re just stuck due to this nasty man and woman who are orchestrating this limbo to suit their needs. The people in the manor also reside in modern-day times. It sounds confusing, but I assure you it isn’t. They are reincarnations, and this idea worked well for me because I firmly believe in this kind of thing. In real life, Jake has a great pal, Logan, who thankfully believes Jake when he expresses his concern and wonder at being spirited to the manor when he’s asleep. I loved the fact Logan was a true friend like that. He features throughout, and he’s funny, caring, and has the hots for both men and women. He falls for one of Jake’s students, Katrina, who is someone from the past and Talmor Manor…Oh, I loved the way everyone was intertwined in this way; it made for such a great read that I kept waiting for the next person from the past to pop up in the now. It’s scrummy—one of those books where you get to know everyone and they become familiar, friends of yours, and you invest a lot of emotions in them. I looked forward, every bedtime, to reading another couple of chapters, and I confess this book kept me reading far longer into the night than I should have.When Nate, someone from Talmor, is able to leave Talmor and be “inside” Jake, knowing his thoughts and feelings, I started to really get into the book, moreso than I had from the start—and I’d liked it from the first page. Then Nate is able to be in the now, and they concoct a tale to other people that Nate is visiting for a while. Then Nate discovers Jake is gay, and the good fun begins.What I mean by that is Nate, having been brought up in a strict era where you more than likely had a bride chosen for you and were expected to marry her and hope that love came with it, discovers that you can love who the hell you want in this time, and he has trouble getting to grips with it. With everything modern, which leads to much hilarity as expressions we hear everyday, ones we feel are normal, are most certainly not normal to Nate and must have sounded so damn weird! Fantastic moments where the language change, the society change, and the array of electrical gadgets Nate has never seen before or even imagined could be created, give this book an edge that makes it stand out as a class act.Trent. Now there’s a man you dislike from the minute he’s introduced, because he hurt Jake. Yes, I got so into getting to know the characters that anyone who hurt Jake would be on my shit list. Until I found out some truths that Jake was previously unaware of. Then my feelings changed, but I marvelled that fate had made things happen this way because it knew Nate would be entering Jake’s life. And when Nate meets Trent for the first time, I felt Nate’s unease, knew exactly how he felt. Oh, and the scene later in the book where two people “disappear” at the Halloween party (not saying who; plot spoiler)…really amusing that it came off as a magic stunt.When Nate asks about being gay, about how you know, it touched me that he had no way of understanding, and that his reason for asking was because he had become attracted to Jake. When you think of how he was brought up, of how confusing it must be to learn that being gay isn’t frowned on as it was back then…ah, it really tugged at my heart. Jake is so open about his sexuality, with a healthy outlook on life in general, that his explanation of how things work was smooth and wonderful.I loved him, loved Nate and Logan. Loved every part of this brilliant, yummy book. less

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