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Aug 13, 2009

Katie(babs) rated it:

Cross genre books are a hard sell. And unless the author has the skill to pull it off, the book will not find a readership. When it comes to The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, this could have been a problem. This novel is a Victorian Gothic Paranormal Ghost filled tale with romance that both teens and adults can read. The sensuality is subdued enough to fit the time period of 1888 London, England. Emotions such as the yearnings of love and lust are meant to pushed way down. What More...

3 comments like (15 people liked it)

Apr 26, 2010

Smokinhotbooks rated it:

There aren’t enough words the Internet Thesaurus dictionary can describe for how ‘in-hearts’ I am with The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. This book was a re-imagined homage to the Victorian romantics such as Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte mixed with the supernatural aspects of Sherlock Holmes. This book brought to life what is so often missing in contemporary romance, the ability to build romantic tension with nothing more than stolen glances and a poet’s heart. I was swept a More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jun 15, 2010

Melissa rated it:

This first book in the series had me captured pretty quickly. You can tell that Leanna Hieber has done her homework as the book really does capture the essence of those 18th century romantic novels. In fact the prose was quite poetic. She was also able to fully introduce the paranormal aspects within the book while keeping to the time period. Persephone Parker is true to her name and what happens within the book keeps pretty true to the mythical story. There are a few twists and turns within to More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 25, 2010

Leanna Renee rated it:

This is the only book of mine I'll ever rate, and while it won't be the best book I ever write, I'll remain particularly partial to it. After a decade-long journey to publication, my debut remains the book of my heart.

0 comments like (10 people liked it)

Sep 17, 2010

Tammy rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 06, 2011

Rex Robot Reviews rated it:

Strangely Beautiful by Leanna Renee Hieber is full of rich writing that will grip onto your imagination and throw you into a story so fast that you will think you're in the late 1800s. I never wanted to put this book down when I was reading, I just wanted more. More ghosts, more Percy, more Alexi! I am so in love with this plot, atmosphere - Talk about being smitten with steampunk.

It all begins with the destiny of six children. The six are now The Guard, a specially formed team with More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 16, 2010

BOOK BUTTERFLY rated it:

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker was an exquisite start to what surely will be an engaging series. Leanna Renee Hieber has created an enticing novel by blending together a combination of historical characters, potent paranormal elements and a sweet, satisfying romance. Add a dash of mythology to the mix and you’re ready to serve up a captivating gothic fantasy that should appeal to both adult readers and a mature teen audience.

The six members of The Guard (Ale More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 16, 2011

Anna rated it:

The Guard protects the mortals of London from the supernatural. A prophecy states that a seventh will join them in their battle and that she will bring balance.

I really enjoyed Miss Percy Parker. She is a lovable and endearing character, very unique. I found it easy to relate to her. Percy looks different from all her peers, which makes her shy and not very confident. Most of the time she tries to hide herself, that is until she encounters Professor Rychman.

While the titl More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 07, 2012

Rea rated it:

Full review can be found here.

First of all, let’s get the bad out of the way. The language use was often clunky with terms and expressions that really didn’t fit the era. As for the foreign language use, I couldn’t believe how bad it was considering this book was published by traditional means: close to every single sentence in French (that went beyond one word) had either grammar or spelling mistakes – or both. I did write them all down but then I lost the piece of paper it was on. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 03, 2011

Karen rated it:

Every once in a while I need a good romance book that I can giggle with and just have a fun time. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker fits the bill and adds an element of fantasy and Greek myth that made it better than your average Victorian romance.

Percy is an orphan and has grown up in a convent but has embarked on an adventurous term at the Athens Academy. Her ear for languages is highly valued but her albino status makes her uncomfortable around her fellow stu More...

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Sep 30, 2011

Linda rated it:

This book starts with an important prologue that is necessary to read so you can understand what happens later on. It is 1867 and six youths are bestowed with special gifts that can destroy evil. When they meet, the kids find out that they come from all over London and have different backgrounds. Important as individuals they are complete as a group (The Guard); each needs the other.

Fast forward to 1888 and the children are now grown and a force to be reckoned with. Warned that the More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Amanda rated it:

Victorian Gothic fantasy comes to life in Leanna Renee Hieber's debut novel The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. As the title implies, the story is both strange and yet, beautiful, but also quirky, witty and downright fun. Fans of well-written, witty novels and paranormal/gothic romance will fall in love with Hieber's unique heroine.

Miss Percy (or, as we learn later, Persephone) Parker is an albino orphan with a gift for languages and, oddly enough for the period, a highl More...

0 comments like

May 17, 2011

Jindra rated it:

Twilight for adults? I felt I'd scream if a had to read about the hero's good looks and rich voice one more time. And perhaps Ms Hieber should employ an editor or proof-reader to help her get her "thee"s and "thou"s right and find a balance between quaintly historic, badly done Irish brogue, and too modern for the timeline diction. And to keep her from calling a group of people "beloveds". GAAAAH! English is not my first language, but even I could see how bad the En More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 21, 2011

Carissa rated it:

I love the title of this book. I wish I could say the same thing for the book itself. I really enjoyed the premise and the storyline. It felt unique and original. I was glued to the story for the entire time that I read it. I didn't love the characters but I didn't dislike them either. My main annoyance was the romantic element. It was just too over-the-top for me. It went into the bounds of melodrama. I'm sure that if I read some of the lines out loud to my husband that we would have b More...

0 comments like

Feb 01, 2011

Tracy rated it:

I'm not a fan of historical romances (I used to be, but they fell out of my favor years ago). In fact, I almost exclusively read urban fantasy and paranormal romance - and Gothic romance? Never. But something about this book, whether it was the introduction to the paranormal Gothic romance or the title or whatever, caught my eye.

I am so glad it did.

I couldn't put it down. I just couldn't tear my eyes away from the story, and I can't remember the last time I read a book in More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 21, 2011

Jess rated it:

Leanna Renee Hieber has created a fantastic and spellbinding adventure in THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE MISS PERCY PARKER. Her writing is positively captivating. She creates a lovely and believable glimpse into a genteel Victorian-era London plagued by ghosts.

The foggy streets of London are lit by gas lamps and the hope of the The Guard to find the missing piece of their group, Prophecy. Ghosts have always haunted the living, but in this world, they can be deadly. It is the responsib More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Oct 28, 2010

Eva rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Sep 02, 2010

Allison rated it:

I'm not a big fan of romances, the only reason I picked this one up was because it had an intriguing title and it was on sale for a dollar. The premise is interesting enough, but there are details and explanations that are left out that would have made the novel a better read. The climax is also a little underwhelming. I think this story may have been more enjoyable to me if it was told from the Guard's point of few and not Percy's and Alexi's. If the book were written like that, it would ha More...

0 comments like

Aug 19, 2010

Karen rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 03, 2010

Susie rated it:

I desperately wanted to like this book because I am all out of series to read. I read a glowing review and double checked goodreads before I purchased this ebook. I should know that anytime a book has a rating lower than the 3.9ish range, I should never read it. The writing was not terrible, but I just did not click with any of the characters. They lacked depth and were at times extremely irritating. Normally I have soft spots for meek heroines who have inner strength, but Percy made me wan More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 01, 2010

MarsianMan rated it:

Interesting novel. A group of six children are gifted with power to protect the world from spirits and given a prophecy that eventually a seventh will join them. Nearly twenty later, they are still searching for their seventh member and protecting London from behind the shadows. Miss Percy Parker is a young women who joins a co-ed academy. She has been cursed with looks that make her look so ghostly that everyone fears or hates her. Until Professor Alexi Rychman.

Although the words on More...

0 comments like

Jun 20, 2010

Lea rated it:

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker begins with six children being called to their destiny as protectors of the world from spirits and demons. They are given a Prophecy, that a seventh will join them, a female peer who will be especially important to their leader, Alexi.

More than twenty years later, the now-grownup children are still waiting.

Miss Percy Parker has been raised in a convent, but has been sent to the Athens Academy to further her education, as i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 15, 2010

Kirsten rated it:

I can't remember where I heard about this book; probably from one of the Powell's emails or something. I put it on hold at the library and promptly forgot about it until it arrived a month later. I don't think I realized when I requested it that it was very much a paranormal romance, a genre of which I am automatically suspicious. (I like the paranormal parts, but I'm not really a romance reader, so when things get too romance-y I get bored)

The paranormal parts are interesting, and More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 31, 2010

Dottie rated it:

Six were called to soothe the spirits, six were called to protect the humans, and to them will come a seventh, the Balance. The Healer, The Intuition, The Artist, The Heart, The Memory, The Power...... all await the Balance yet to come......

Alexi Rychman has been looking for the fulfillment of the Prophecy for two long decades, and as yet, his Goddess has not returned. There is to be signs of her arrival, and London is thick with them, but not the most important of all....The port More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 09, 2010

Laura rated it:

I'm not exactly sure what star rating to give to this book; three stars seems at once too generous and not generous enough. Perhaps it would help to simplify and break my review down into what I like and what I don't like about the book.
What I Like: The gothic spin on a traditional Victorian London setting. The dark, gloomy and terrifying atmosphere of classic gothic storytelling fits perfectly with this book, whose story takes place in the year 1888, the year of Jack the Ripper. I als More...

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2010

Rebekah rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Nov 20, 2009

Mishel rated it:

Leanna has created a rich and unique world filled with interesting and new characters going through things I haven't quite seen before. As the story opens we meet six children that have all been chosen to fulfill a destiny that none of them ever asked for. They are specifically chosen to be a part of The Guard - a team gifted with special powers. Their job is to police the unruly spirits that are constantly around the streets of London. However, they are told to be on the lookout for a seventh m More...

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Nov 19, 2009

Beth rated it:

Aptly named, this was a strange and beautiful tale indeed. A combination of gothic romance and paranormal mystery it is hard to categorize this book.
The beauty is in it's characters. Percy Parker is an 18 year old girl, an albino who hides herself beneath scarves and dark glasses, she has strange visions and sees and speaks with spirits. Alexi Rycroft is her dark and brooding math professor (reminiscent of Richard Armitage in North and South - did I mention I liked that movie???). He is More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 12, 2009

Angie rated it:

This book has made the rounds and no mistake. I started seeing early reviews awhile back and read a few delightful interviews with Leanna Renee Hieber and found myself intrigued to read her first novel--THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE OF MISS PERCY PARKER. I was, therefore, tickled to receive a copy for review from Ms. Hieber and quickly set about settling in. I knew it was a Gothic paranormal mystery of sorts, featuring (among other things) a group of loyal comrades, a private London academy, a bi More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 01, 2009

Bookaholics rated it:

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
Historical Paranormal Romance -Aug 25, 2009
3 stars

This book started out with an enchanting fairytale like quality that quickly attracted me. A rag tag group of youngsters are drawn together and given powers to create a new Guard to protect the city of London. They are visited by a ‘Goddess’ who portends a great prophecy yet to be revealed. But they must wait for their last and final member to joi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)