Featuring the works of C.J. Archer

It’s my greatest pleasure to introduce one of my favorite indie authors, C. J. Archer! If you haven’t tried out one of her works, you are really missing out. I discovered her works by accident actually in during one of my theatre classes back in November 2020.

Let me explain… sometimes when I have a hard time paying attention in class, I pull up an ebook on my phone and read… I know, I know! Honestly, I should have paid more attention in school, but let me tell you what a wonderful accident this was. Archer was offering a few of her first in-the-series novels for free on iBooks… and well, I picked one up. Next thing I know, I’m literally one of her books per day, skipping meals, cutting down sleep hours, and paying even less attention in class. I was addicted and I needed to know how each of her series ended.

Let’s just say the month of November made up the remaining book numbers in my Goodreads that year!

If you like historical adult fiction with hints of romance, mystery, paranormal themes, and a strong female, you will surely love her books. Archer is currently writing her Glass Library and Cleopatra series as she doesn’t seem like she’s going to stop anytime soon.

So let’s get into it! There’s a lot to unpack. I’ll showcase her series in the order that I’ve read/discovered them!

Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy

Starting off strong, we have Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy. The Medium was the very first book I’ve tried out by this author and what essentially made me go down a rabbit hole of all that is C.J. Archer. The tension between the characters is so thick, I found myself screaming out loud every time they weren’t able to touch!

The story follows, as you guessed it, Emily Chambers, a seventeen-year-old that is able to see and contact the dead. She finds herself in the company of a newly deceased spirit of Jacob Beaufort. Unable to rest until his murderer is found, the two search while trying to capture a shape-shifting demon and dealing with everyday Victorian life. It doesn’t help when romance blooms.

Freak House Trilogies

So the order of this series is a bit hard to understand at first. The Freak House series is three separate trilogies featuring a new romantic couple. Though the other characters are also featured in each book, the overall storyline is based around that one couple showcased in the first of each trilogy. That being said, the general storyline for all nine books is continuous, so you definitely want to read the trilogies in the order listed above.

Another fun fact about this series, the 3rd Freak House trilogy actually ties in with the Emily Chambers series. We see Emily and her husband make a presence in the storyline a couple of times which I thought was super cute.

I really liked how each character brought their own ‘freakiness’ to the overall storyline. Still navigating a Victorian-based setting and society, we get the pleasure of diving into each of their worries and struggles. The romance is always tangible and thick between each couple and I love how they always come together at the end of each trilogy. I also enjoyed the paranormal aspect and magical dimensions offered.

Glass and Steel Series

The Glass and Steel series is another one of my favorites. Don’t be intimidated by the 13 volumes. I promise that you will fly through these so fast that you won’t even notice you’ve read ten books in a week.

The storyline concept is another really unique one. There are ‘magicians’ that have magical power over inanimate objects like clocks, maps, ink, etc. Meaning, that whenever they work with such items, whatever they create become magical and has secret powers. We follow India, our main lead that has power over clocks without really realizing it. She meets Mathew, an American outcast, who is slowly dying from an incurable situation unless India magically helps him. There’s mystery, there’s romance, and of course, there’s magic.

The Ministry of Magic Series

Out of Archer’s series, I felt this one leaned a bit more into the paranormal themes. We have Charlotte Holloway, also known as Charlie that is a necromancer. For many years after her father banished her, she lived in the slums as a boy. Now, people are hunting her all over London, but only one manages to capture her. Lincoln Fitzroy, the head of a secret paranormal organization.

I thought this series was fun and exciting. The character dynamics were comical and yet matched perfectly. It is a longer series, so there’s plenty of drama, action and feelings to read through.

After the Rift Series

Honestly, the After the Rift series is by far my favorite of all of her works. There’s something about it that makes me crave that 10 million read. It doesn’t even matter how many times I’ve dived deep into the story, I only fell more in love with the characters and the beautiful world-building.

Compared to her other works, After the Rift isn’t your typical historical romance mystery. Archer presents a palace where every person inside suffers from extreme memory loss. Kind of like Beauty and the Beast, and yet somewhat a more interesting concept when the town surrounding it witnessed the palace being built within WEEKS. Our main lead named Josie and medical practicer, suddenly finds herself involved with the palace, more importantly, Captain Hammer…

There’s magic, beautiful world-building, a unique story concept, well-developed characters, and character growth. Where this lacks in spice, Archer offers really well-written sexual tension between our beloved characters, Captain Hammer and Josie. I highly suggest this series.

The Witchblade/WitchBorn Chronicles

Looking for a shorter read compared to Archer’s other series? Try out the Witch Born duology! In my opinion, this is her spiciest series. Not only does she keep up with the sexual tension themes from other books, but this series gets a bit *frisky* in the best way.

Right off the bat, we are introduced to Isabel, a secret witch hiding from her husband for seven years in fear of rejection. After an attempt to assassinate the queen, Isabel finds herself face to face with her husband, the royal spy Sir Nicholas Merritt. Tangled up together during up investigation, Isabel helps solve the mystery while trying to keep her secrets close.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between the characters even though I felt like pulling my hair out many times. I also enjoyed the subtle themes of witchcraft and magic where it was more about the investigation rather than the fact that Isabel has powers. It’s spicy in a Victorian setting and I’m heartbroken that I don’t see more of it in other stories.

Unread Series!

Listed below are Archer’s novels I have yet the pleasure of diving into.

Cleopatra Fox Series

The series is still in the process of finishing.

The Glass Library

The Glass Library is a spin-off of the Glass and Steel series. The series is still in the process of finishing.

Lord Hawkesbury’s Players

Lord Hawkesbury’s Players is one of her older trilogies based in historical victorian.

The Assassins Guild

The Assassins Guild is a completed series!

Various Standalones

So did I convince you? Let what you see, head on over to the author’s website to get more information and updates of upcoming books!

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