‘The Blooding of Jack Absolute’ is a prequel to ‘Jack Absolute’ and the second book in the series.

I just loved this story. I may have even loved it more than the sequel, ‘Jack Absolute’ and the reason for it is Young Jack and what he lived through at such a young age.

It so reminded me of ‘Tom Jones’ by Henry Fielding. It was packed by action and reaction and many very fascinating characters. It was always moving, never letting me catch my breath.

I thought grown up Jack was complex and following the life of young Jack, I now see how his character was formed from an early age. He was impulsive, reckless and adventuress.

Once more the author pulls me in Jack’s life, making me a part of this fascinating and very personal journey. So much a part of it that I honestly wanted to reread the book as soon as I was done, just to make sure that in all my excitement of this story, I didn’t miss anything.

I enjoyed and envied this boy, and later man. I was entertained by following him all over the world. I watched him become a spy and blood brother to Ate.

Talk about living a full life!

He’s done everything a young man did in his time: drinking, gambling and whoring. He’s fearless and that gets him in hot water more times than even he can count or remember, but once he ends up in North America, the reckless boy is poised to become a man.

There’s a lot to recommend this novel: the author is well versed in history and it shows throughout the novel, but what I loved the most was the pace. I was on a roller-coaster ride and I’m not a fan of them, but this ride was exciting, and I knew I was in no danger of falling off!

I’m highly recommending it to all that love a good, solid adventure with romance, rogues and scoundrels, but especially to those that love history.

Melanie for b2b

*Book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. ( )

This novel is actually a prequel to the previously published Jack Absolute and chronicles the bawdy youth of the titular character during the 18th century.

Jack starts his tale as an abused bastard in his uncle’s house in Zennor, Cornwall but through a varied series of events finds himself sent off to boarding school in London. Once there Jack becomes a dab hand at both cricket and billiards whilst also enjoying the less sober pursuits of a young man about town. When Jack gets involved in a duel against his own cousin his father, an old-soldier himself, decides that the Army is the safest place for him and Jack soon finds himself shipped off to fight the French and their allies in Canada. Jack’s arrives just in time for the Battle of Quebec but in the aftermath of the battle Jack is captured by a group of the French Indian allies who take him as a slave. With help from an Iroquois brave, a fellow slave, he escapes only for them to have to endure the rigours of a Canadian winter living in the wild. Eventually, Jack returns to civilization a changed man but he is faced with a critical decision: Which life should he lead?

This is a bit of a boy's own story which is full of action yet manages to remain within the realms of the believable. It is a bawdy, raucous tale with a strong central character who has plenty of scope for further development and could be the starting point of a long series of books. As such I will be keeping my eye out for his further adventures. ( )

THE BROODING OF JACK ABSOLUTE by C.C. Humphreys is an exciting Historical Fiction. Prequel to "Jack Absolute". James Bond meet Jack Absolute of the American Revolution. Author C.C. Humphreys has created a combination of historical detail with a real-life hero in Jack Absolute. Filled with interesting plots, a bit of violence, imminent death, swordplay,adventure, mixed with a bit of romance and intriguing characters. Jack is transformed from a dashing, rambunctious, dreamer to a bigger than life hero all while trying to stay alive. Jack MUST learn to kill, among hostile Indians, rivalries, and the brutal land of North America during the French and Indian War if he intends to survive. A great tale of sacrifice, and learning to be a man could never be harder,especially in a New World far from his England home. If you enjoy history, war, and a grand adventure than, "The Brooding of Jack Absolute" is the story for you to read. I can hardly wait to see what Jack gets into next. A daring story from beginning to end. Fast paced! Well written! Received for an honest review from the publisher and Net Galley.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/2010/06/11/the-blooding-of-jack-absolute/ ( )

The Blooding of Jack Absolute is the middle book of the trilogy and an exciting prequel to book one, that introduces the reader to Jack Absolute’s origins, and to how he became Britain's topmost spy during the American Revolutionary War. The first installment simply titled Jack Absolute, introduced the two main characters of this fabulous series, Jack himself, and his partner in crime Ate, a Canadian Mohawk Indian. That introductory story was an exciting adventure tale as they both served under General John Burgoyne spying in the wilderness outside Albany New York, rooting out espionage involving the Illuminati and the Freemasons.

This prequel of book two, takes us back to Jack’s early days as a young teenager in England. Jack is forever the ladies man who continually finds himself upon a fogged shrouded heath at dawn, with a sword in his hand dueling to defend his honor after a night of female dalliance. Always in trouble in school , the ladies, or with his tyrannical father, Jack eventually is forced to flee London by the skin of his teeth, his father rescuing his endangered backside from death by enrolling him in the army under General Burgoyne.

Landing in Quebec after a long sea voyage, Jack grows up quick and is tutored on board by seasoned army mates and the mentorship of the general. Once landed, military skirmishes ensue and Jack finds himself fighting for his life as well as for King and Country. Mastering languages, ciphering and cryptography, fencing and engaging in the art of espionage, Jack soon becomes England's prime spy. After one long and blood-bathed battle, Jack is left alone in the Canadian wilderness, thought dead by his fellow soldiers. He is soon found by a local Indian tribe and learns he is to live there as a slave. Together with another lone captive Indian of the Mohawk tribe, the two unlikely men bind a friendship forever. Jack and Ate escape and the rest of the story is their grueling survival during a harsh Canadian winter, scraping and scratching, hunting and bleeding to survive in the wilderness alone. During their long incarceration hiding in a cave with barely enough food to survive, Jack teaches Ate how to read, and humorous scenes abound as Ate acts out Shakespearean plays and falls in love with book and the written word. This aspect follows along in the first book where we find Ate reading James Fenimore Cooper to Jack as cannon fire explodes around them in the New England countryside.

Their eventual emergence from their hellish winter experience finally leads them towards enemies, friends, action scenes, endearing human emotions, ladies in waiting, family feuds, military battles, duels of honor and both men's lives within a very short time turn from coming-of-age to hardened soldiers always ready for the next adventure. A well rounded series filled with all the ingredients a reader would enjoy. ( )