A Raucous Time

A Raucous Time by Julia Hughes
Amazon ASIN B0062SDMV8 $2.99

Julia Hughes (author of the Celtic Cousins Adventures) freely admits to being bowled over by the success of this novel which nearly never was. 
She explains: '"A Raucous Time" follows the adventures of two cousins, one of whom believes he knows where the almost mythical treasure of King John can be found. Agents liked the concept, but asked that either the story line was made less sophisticated, or the two lead characters were made older. Basically it didn't easily fit into any genre.' This intelligent action packed adventure was shelved, and Julia focused on other projects. When Amazon introduced self publishing, the manuscript of "A Ripple in Time" also featuring the Celtic Cousins was uploaded. 'This time travel romantic adventure was well received, but some readers picked up on the fact that the cousins had a history. One or two commented that they felt as though they'd been dropped in mid story.' So with no great expectations Julia uploaded "A Raucous Time." 'I did increase the part played by Detective Crombie, and he's been such a hit, he now has his own adventure. I wasn't surprised when friends enthused about the story, but when unsolicited reviews started appearing on Amazon with comments such as "you can't get your eyes to move fast enough down the page" and "I absolutely loved it, story telling at its best" I felt almost guilty for neglecting the first Celtic Cousins Adventure. One reader even contacted me to say she'd spent Sunday morning ignoring household chores while she read the story in one sitting. The moment she finished reading, her son snatched her kindle up and he too is engrossed in the story.' And you cannot ask for a better recommendation than that. But as Julia says: "The great advantage with ebooks is that you don't have to rely on other readers' opinions, you can download a sample and judge for yourself."

"A Raucous Time" on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0062SDMV8
One of the five five star reviews, reproduced by kind permission of "Beeza68":
There are certain ingredients a story needs to make it better than just good. If any author can gather these ingredients and blend them seamlessly together, then they are always on to a winner.

For me, this is my first step into the world created by author Julia Hughes, a world that revolves around two teenage boys - Wren, the geeky brainbox and his cousin Rhyllann, a pilot wannabe and Wren's best friend. Add to this, Crombie, the copper and oft self-appointed social worker, the lost treasure (a treasure that includes the fabled sword of Arthurian legend - Excalibur) of King John, and a gang of villains who will stop at nothing - including murder - to retrieve said treasure and you have a story that takes all of those ingredients, lovingly mixes them together and creates a wonderful story.

Most authors would have been very happy with the fact they had created a `wonderful' story. But no. Not this author. If ever writing a novel can be compared to creating a meal, then Ms. Hughes grabbed all those correct ingredients and then, when no-one was looking, slipped in an extra, secret one that a lot of other stories lack, and created something very special. That special ingredient is - for want of a better word - love. Love of the story, love of her characters. Love of her ART. Because that's what storytelling is. It's an art and Julia Hughes is one hell of an artist!

This is a story that defies genre. It cannot be labelled as simply an adventure story, or a teen angst story, a thriller or a comedy. It is all of these and more. It made me laugh out loud; it made me turn pages (well push buttons - on kindle) at speed to see what came next. There is a section of the book that in a summer (July 2012) that has had torrential rainfall here in the UK; you will feel a particular kinship with the boys. I know I did.

The author has created believable characters that you will love from the off. Her storytelling is tight and flows seamlessly from start to finish. Her descriptive style pulls your imagination along and paints the places and people so vividly, they will stay in your mind long after you have closed the book or switched off your kindle.

The good news is that there two other stories featuring the characters you meet in `Raucous Time'. `A Ripple in Time' & `An Explosive Time'. I have just started `Ripple' and can already announce that I love it.

Make a note of the name Julia Hughes because in literary terms, it's a name I'm sure we're going to hear a lot of in the future and I genuinely cannot wait!!!