Book Reviews

Book Blurb

The son of a famous movie star, Mercury Morrison is used to all eyes being on him. So of course he’s grown up to be one of London’s premier influencers, with followers across the globe.

But when Mercury finds himself on the wrong side of the law after a run-in with a paranoid concept artist at the Tate Modern, it all comes crashing down. The worst bit is, he’s innocent! Advised to plead guilty, he dutifully arrives for his first day of community service at a youth project in South London…and walks slap-bang into his new boss, the handsome Nick Campbell.

The attraction between them is instant and electric. Romance may be on the cards but this summer is going to shake Mercury’s whole view on life to its foundations. Can Mercury take the huge leap of faith needed to make his dreams come true, and, if he dares, will Nick be there to catch him?

 

Book Review

Some authors quickly change styles, locales, even genres – perhaps to the extent of generating boredom. Others seek new ways of expressing themselves, challenging ultimate success. The ‘Queens Crescent’ series seemed quite successful, though eventually it risked becoming formulaic. Here, author Parker cleverly continues a connection to the familiar, but only just. The location is the upper-class residential street, a few (very few) residents are mentioned and included in minor, expected roles, and then the tale seems far from further installments in the series. This is a successful choice.

 

The introduction to Mercury Morrison, a Crescent resident with his movie-star mother, may be somewhat unexpected – much as having one’s balls grabbed in a crowded elevator or subway car. We begin with Mercury, twenty-eight years old, who is an “influencer” (which means one who persuasively relates his opinions about events, trends, and ways to be cool, more than participating) with two equally uninspiring friends. Here is a lost generation. Surprise! The cell phone seems to be their lifelines!

 

Having expressed quite a negative opinion about the art work of a shallow-talented would-be artistic trend setter, the artist’s unpleasant reaction sets Mercury up for a penalty term of public service at Bodhi House, a center for underprivileged youth, aged from eleven to eighteen. Author Parker’s apt description of Mercury, his roue friends, the very clothing court attendees are wearing – all sets the tone. Exaggeration or pastiche – Mercury and his mother, represent the current generation of popular people who are popular merely for being known, and whose artificial standards provide absolutely no “value added”.

 

Nick Campbell is in charge at Bodhi House. The novel is about current times, which perhaps explains why Nick’s physicality is without more specificity – described as “tall, dark-skinned, with a buzzcut and deep brown eyes”. Huzzah for the end of racism, or is that an option for open casting of a future cinema? Nonetheless, here is an immediate attraction.

 

Their different backgrounds are part of the charm of what clearly will be a romance. The story also intelligently presents personality changes, for the better, as our main characters grow together and ‘get’ together. Sex! That is to what I am alluding.

 

Earlier ‘Queens Crescent’ installments seemed to feature characters who were unreal. In ‘Mercury Rising’, the Crescent is merely a literary hook for the tale, and with the particularly varied cast of youth attending Bodhi House, we are given a picture of members of the borderline underclass.

 

Details are unnecessary in my recommendation of the book. The characters are well defined, and the reader becomes involved. Episodes move the narrative forward and effect changes in our personae dramatis. Mercury and Nick have nicely-described sex which readers are likely to quite enjoy.

 

Yes, author Parker may be exploiting the success of prior Crescent installments to sell this book, but a quote from Mercury to Nick well explains it: “You still don’t get it. I love it here. It’s a home. I am only a lodger at my mother’s house.”

 

‘Mercury Rising’ is light, lovely, and sufficiently lurid.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by the author via GRRT for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 222 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	09-August-2024
Price	$5.17 ebook, $11.35 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Rising-Queens-Crescent-Kristian-ebook/dp/B0D9KWVNYC