Monarch [Paperback]

 

 

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For those of you who've read this Contemporary Thriller, what did you think? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts?

For those of you who haven't, what are you waiting for? Grab your self a copy and let's get chatting!

Here we go!...

Monarch is a somewhat intense, romantic and suspenseful thriller that may keep you guessing and slightly intrigued, but fails to address some pretty prominent parts of the whole. While easy flowing with plenty of potential, readers my find themselves left feeling rather hallow at the conclusion of their reading experience. Too many questions are left unanswered in spite of an implied importance to the overall.

What is the significance of the repeated mention of the Monarch Butterfly? Sure, Lilian loves them and cares for their fate, but what purpose do they serve in the grand scheme of things? Perhaps I just don't get it, but I certainly did not discover enough of a significance to warrant a book title.

Lilian Love, while fairly well written, is a weak and indecisive character who is ultimately stuck in the past. A middle-aged divorcee with a B&B business she can be proud of, one would think that Lilian would rise above and realize the potential for her future. Here's this gorgeous man who's suddenly reappeared in her life and all she can do is mope and pine for him while he's gone? Oh! And let's not forget that she's still stuck on her ex-husband and hung-up on the failure of their marriage.

Why do Nick and Clara blame Violet for her mother's murder? Sure, Violet was there when it happened, but it is never full explained as to why Nick and Clara hold her accountable. Throughout the novel there is an intense animosity between Clara and her sister and the lack of love that Nick displays for Violet, his own daughter, is really quite sad. Sure, at the conclusion of Monarch, Nick ultimately realizes his folly makes amends with Violet, but seriously! What could this poor girl have done that was so horrible? There must have been something; unfortunately Mrs. Davidson Argyle failed to share this with her audience.

All this aside, Michelle is a technically fantastic writer. The story flows well, descriptions are clear and concise, and for the most part, foundation is solid.

Please don't discount Monarch simply because I've failed to be fully satisfied. I am the first to admit that I feel like I have "missed" something and perhaps Monarch and I are just not a great fit. Plenty of room for discussion here readers!

Argyle's "Monarch" is, at first blush, a mash-up of the romance and thriller genres with a dash of espionage thrown in. While my characterization of the novel may come across as dismissive, the blending of the two styles actually works quite well. Argyle starts "Monarch" off with a literal bang (or rather a muffled 'pop' from a silenced gun) during a failed assassination attempt. Here we are introduced to one of three principal characters: CIA officer, Nick Avery.

Nick has troubles with the ladies, to say the least. His previous wife committed suicide, his daughters are distant both emotionally and geographically, and the one person who can help clear his name is the wife of a drug lord hidden somewhere in Brazil. Only slightly more important than saving face and staying alive is finding the woman who might just redeem his soul. And here we come to Lilian Love.

Lilian runs the rustic Monarch Inn in the secluded woodland of West Virginia. With the help of her twenty-six year old son Devan, she plays host to honeymooners, travelers and scientists all looking to get a glimpse of the Monarch butterflies during their migration. In Lilian and Devan, Argyle introduces us to the other two principal points of view. She allows each character to develop their own personality throughout their respective chapters and it's done in a way that never becomes boring or predictable.

Nick is clearly the driver of the action in this story and there's plenty of it. While he seems to mess up more than he gets right, luck stays on his side for the most part. The fight scenes are well crafted and entertaining without being over-the-top. The comparison of survival in the harsh Brazilian jungle to the relaxing atmosphere of the West Virginia woods is nicely done (although events cause those two settings to crash together in a very satisfying climax!) Nick, while borderline incompetent with his trust at times, means well and comes off as a good-hearted fatherly type who deserves to win out at the end of the day.

Devan, whom I related to the most (probably because I'm a late-twenties male who's been in love triangles/affairs/what have you...) is a late-twenties male who gets caught up in a love triangle (fancy that!) when Nick drops off his similarly-aged daughters, Clara and Violet, at the Inn for safe keeping. It was great to read through Devan's reactions as he tried to figure out just how to handle these women and just what to do with his own life.

The one issue I did have with Devan's character came early on when Nick first shows up at the Inn. Devan knows Nick and his mother, Lilian, have a bit of a past. He also knows that his mother is still crushed over the divorce from Devan's father. When Nick shows up on the scene with his slick words and overly helpful attitude, Devan seems to take it in stride like it is no big deal. As the only son of a divorced mother, that is NOT the way I would have reacted. The Inn is Devan's territory and Lilian is his to protect. Even if he eventually had no say in the matter, Devan made things a bit to easy on Nick and thus missed out on, not only a realistic portrayal, but also a building of conflict that could have resolved later on.

On to Lilian. Though she is arguably the most important character in the novel, I found myself liking her the least. Now hold on, let me explain! Throughout the story, I found her to be too pliable, a doormat, a wandering spirit with no purpose or direction. To me, she wallowed too much in her past relationships and reflected too often on their failures. For a time, all of the relationships in "Monarch" were about as shallow as those in a paranormal, young adult novel you'd buy off the supermarket shelf. But about halfway through, they pick up, add depth and develop into something that's got a bit of a nasty bite to it as well as hope for a silver lining. Like any romance worth is words, Argyle layers the paths connecting her characters so that it actually means something when one of them is hurt, or even killed; all the more so when they end up happy.

Back to Lilian. I mentioned how much I didn't like her early on. I kept waiting for her to wake up, to snap out of it, to stand up for herself. I'm happy to say that Argyle did not disappoint. There's a dark little scene towards the end that forces Lilian to take control, if only for a moment; it was enough to put me back on her side.

And then it hit me...the Monarchs, these fragile little creatures that have been a major theme throughout the story. They're at the mercy of countless events that are beyond their control. They lack the strength to resist a strong wind or to fly through heavy rains, yet still they persist. They weather storms and droughts and declines in their population. They go through a physical metamorphosis that changes them from inside-out, wholly, completely.

Once that revelation hit me while reading the last few pages of "Monarch," it made me appreciate all of the characters that much more. Each of them evolved in their own way and none of them were simple or one-dimensional. Even the villains had some gray areas to them, making them more human and less cartoonish. It's a revelation that warrants another read of "Monarch" to fully appreciate the journey. I hope that, whether you're a fan of romance or spy-thrillers or just fantastic writing in general, you'll give Michelle Davidson Argyle's "Monarch" a try!

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