You all know by now I’m a huge fan of C.S. Boyack. From the moment I read “The Hat”, I was hooked, and after “Viral Blues” I concurred that these stories about a snarky talking hat and his symbiotic friendship with ‘gal-with-a-heart-of-gold’ Lizzie St Laurent, were my favourite stories in Boyack’s impressive repertoire. So, when I learned about a new ‘hat’ installment, “The Ballad of Mrs Moloney”, I was jazzed to say the least.
“Mrs Moloney” picks up where “Viral Blues” left off, with Lizzie and the Hat just doing their thing, working gigs, getting by, and obsessively shopping the internet for stuff a five-hundred-odd year old hat finds cool (forgive me if I’m off on the Hat’s age – his history is so damn rich it’s hard to keep track of his age, and you know, he hardly shows any wrinkles).
Lizzie and the Hat soon come across a sorry excuse for a vampire – Kevin – and after a few jests about the lad’s teeth (which makes me think he must have British ancestry), they decide to help the poor sod to find his sister who’s been kidnapped as take-out by a bunch of cowboy vampires. Sound weird? Yeah, well, it’s Boyack!
The story unfolds in an unhurried way, with Lizzie and her band taking on country music festivals and gigs to try and track down the vamps. This provides plenty of comedic fodder with lines like:
“Then we have their anthem, ‘Friends in Low Places.’ Believe me, play this one and they’ll all pay attention. They’ll all sing and give up on any riots they have on their minds. In fact, if you blow the lyrics, they won’t even notice because they’ll be singing them.”
Boyack does his usual excellent job of dropping music into the story (loving that ‘Bad Things’ got a mention), and again floors me with his acute understanding of the female brain (like Lizzie lamenting her ‘long face’ and how certain styles of hat don’t work for her). There’s humour aplenty, and though the Hat was a bit more grumpy (or morose) this go around, his and Lizzie’s relationship has really blossomed into a buddy cop relationship… or a long-suffering marriage. I can’t decide which.
Summing up, “The Ballad of Mrs Moloney” is a great read, especially if you’re a fan of Lizzie and the Hat, and cements why these characters are my favourites in the Boyack universe.
Purchase HERE
Your review is inspiring me to read more of Boyack’s books Jessica. Is it a stand alone book?Recently I’ve read ‘Serang’ and one of his highly imaginative short stories.
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It is an ongoing series. I tried to make each book stand-alone, but they feature the same lead characters. It’s kind of tricky to make them readable on an individual basis, but worth the effort. I believe you could pick this one up without missing anything.
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Thanks, Balroop, glad to hear! Mrs. Moloney features characters Boyack first established in The Hat, and Viral Blue, but I wouldn’t say you necessarily need to have read those to enjoy Mrs. Moloney. It probably helps though, to get some of the ‘in’ jokes 🙂
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A nice review Jessica.
Hugs
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Thanks, David – it’s a great read 🙂
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Great review, Jessica. Cowboy vampires, music, humor, Lizzie, and the Hat . . . sounds like a fab read!
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Thank you, Priscilla.
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It sure is, P. Being a fan of Boyack, you’d love this instalment 🙂
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Thank you for what might be the most enjoyable review I’ve ever gotten. I’m hard at work on the next story about Lizzie and the hat.
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My absolute pleasure, Craig! I LOVE Lizzie and the Hat stories, so please, keep those fingers a-typing 🙂
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Good word count today. Thanks for sharing this with your fans.
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Reblogged this on Entertaining Stories and commented:
Lizzie and the hat get some love over at Jessica’s place today. Go to her site and check it out. While you’re there, check out Guns of Perdition. It’s a weird western that I really enjoyed.
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Great review, Jessica. The Hat series is a favorite of mine, too.
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Thank you, Staci.
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Thanks Staci, 🙂
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Great review, Jessica. I’ve enjoyed The Hat series and Craig’s other books. I’m looking foward to getting around to Mrs Maloney and the latest in The Lanternfish books too. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Thanks, Harmony. I hope they hold up for you. I’m currently drafting material for both series.
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Thanks, Harmony – this one certainly doesn’t disappoint!
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OMG, Jess, you wrote a fun, kick-butt review for Craig’s fun, kick-vamp-butt book. Congrats to Craig. I love Lizzie and the Hat. Mrs. Molony is my favorite of the series so far.
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Thank you for that, Mae. Means a lot to me. I got a big kick out of Jess’s review.
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Hehe, thanks, Mae. I think Lizzie and the Hat inspire fun, kick-butt reviews 🙂
Mrs. Moloney was a brilliant read, but I think Covid Blues might still be my favourite by an eeny bit, because, well, Clovis.
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And Lisa …:)
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Oh yes, let’s not forget fashionista Lisa!
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I can see you being a Clovis fan. He’s one of my most popular characters.
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I think because he says and does the things we all, deep down inside, want to but can’t.
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Pretty accurate description.
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Great review, Jessica. This one’s on my Kindle, and I’m looking forward to it.
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Thank you, John. Hope you enjoy it.
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It’s well worth waiting for, John 🙂
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Terrific review, Jessica, and well-earned, too! I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, myself, and can always count on Craig’s books to entertain and amuse me. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I do think this one has an edge. After all, how many books are there that have a lisping vampire with a name like Kevin? That in itself made me laugh out loud.
Congratulations to Craig for another sterling review, and thanks to you, Jessica, for sharing your thoughts on Mrs. Maloney! 🙂
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Kevin says, “Thanksh.”
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😀 😀 😀
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Bahahaha!
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Hehe, thanks, Marcia! Kevin certainly seems to be a favourite among the masses – much like the root monsters. Maybe he and they should team up (somehow) and steal the limelight from the ‘heroes’? 🙂
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After your review, I’m even more excited to get to this one, Jess! It’s coming up soon for me.
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Thank you, Teri. Hope it holds up to its predecessors for you.
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It’s typical Boyack, Teri – meaning a great romp with chuckles, grins, and awesome action 🙂
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I love this series. Awesome review, Jessica. That Hat kills me. He’s so funny at times.
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Thank you, Sue. I’ve been drafting the next one all morning.
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Yay!!!
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Thanks, Sue. I agree; how a hat can be so snarky and sarcastic, yet so loveable is beyond me!
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Wonderful review, Jessica. Mrs. Molony sits impatiently on my Kindle. It’s time to give her my attention. Congratulations, Craig! 😊
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Thank you, Gwen. Hope it gives you a laugh or two.
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Thanks, Gwen! I think the biggest reveal for me, was learning exactly WHO Mrs Moloney actually is 😉
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Sounds like so much fun, Jess. Craig writes them faster than I can read them. Now I need to decide between this one and Lanternfish. Sigh. I love the addition of vampires. Lol. Great imagination at play here. 🙂
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Amazon is forever. They’ll be there if you get a craving. Hope you enjoy whatever you try.
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Thanks, D. Tough choice!! Alrhough I love the root monsters, the Hat’s snark wins me over every time 😉
Whichever you dive into, I’m sure you’ll love!
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You really captured the essence of the story, Jessica, in your review. I’m a huge fan of this series 🙂
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Thank you for saying so here.
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Thanks, Denise! Boyack’s stories always move me to write a quirky, fun review 🙂
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Great review, Jessica.
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Thanks Joan 🤗
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Great review, Jessica. I could tell by the cover it was a Boyack book! Ballad–that pulls me in, too.
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Thanks, Jacqui. Such a fun review.
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It’s a great read, Jacqui!
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I recently read Viral Blues and really love Jason Fogg. I think the books that feature him will be next on my Boyack reading list. Thanks for this review, Jess, this one also sounds great.
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Ah, you’ll enjoy it, Robbie! A Boyack classic!
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Fab review Jessica. I think everyone enjoyed The Hat. I look forward to this one too by Craig. Congrats to Craig for such an entertaining series. 🙂
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He (the Hat) is such a great character! So snarky and sarcastic…and he’s just a piece of cloth! Shows the talent of the author, if you ask me, to put that much fun in an article of clothing.
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Abso! 🙂
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