I love Victorian detective stories, and when I chose this, I think I was maybe expecting a sort of young adult take on Sherlock Holmes. That wasn't really what this was, but I enjoyed it.

The main characters were Bart and Spencer, and I felt that they didn't get much of an introduction; I felt that as a reader, I didn't have much of a chance to get to know them before the story started. As this is the second book in a series, maybe some readers would feel that wasn't needed, but it did make me wish I'd read the previous book first.

I found the characters humorous, and found myself chuckling as I was reading, and while this didn't really feel like a detective story to me, it was a fun adventure story. It was a very light, easy read, and probably the type of book that I'd choose to relax with in the evening, so I would be interested in reading more of the books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

The 2nd Great Big Demon Agency book starring the affable rogues in Spencer and Bart is another resounding success!

As entertaining as its predecessor, Peter Oxley has managed to crank up the humour, whilst keeping up the action packed pace.

Victorian London, Demons, Magicians, and a couple of characters you can only enjoy make for a great rollicking read. It rarely lets up.

As a reader of book 1, I would very much recommend the reading of that book first to get the full experience and understand the characters and where they are now, but if not, you can still pick it up here.

Sometimes I just want my reading to be enjoyable, light, funny and to leave me wanting more. Peter Oxley ticks those boxes again. A burgeoning new series that I’ve grown to like very much very quickly

In return of the ARC, I'll write an honest review.

First of all, I want tl say thank you for giving me the opportunity for having the ARC.

This book was fun and enjoyable to read. The characters were interesting. I read this without reading the first book, yet I still enjoy it. I'm going to read the first book to get to know the characters better!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC. All opinions are my own.

I didn't know this was the second book until after I'd finished. That said, it works really well as a standalone as the reader is given enough explanation about the trio's background to have it make sense.

Spencer, Bart, and Tess have been asked to help hunt a demon before it harms someone. While Tess (aka Lady Marchant and the group's entre to helping aristocrats) is the ostensible leader of the group, Spencer and Bart have distinct personalities that don't change whether they're talking to servants, constables, or aristocrats. They know what they don't know and they don't let anyone make them embarrassed about their upbringing or their past.

The story takes place outside of London on a country estate and the action scenes and planning scenes are kept in good balance. Not having read the first book I wasn't aware, but demons do exist in this universe. They're like people with some troublemakers and some hard workers. I didn't hear nearly enough about Trevor to be satisfied. Can he please show up in the next book?

This is a a good mix of mystery and fun. I'll be looking for the first book to get up to speed, and for any further books after.

Tess, Spencer and Bart, find themselves out in the countryside to solve a mystery involving a malevolent demon at the Flint Hall estate. They are there to help a childhood friend of Tess. Tess is also still struggling with what happened to her in the past. Could this be the clue that solves the problem at Flint Hall?

This is another perilous adventure in pursuit of evil demons and it starts with a bang. The book is a bit slow at times but I really like the characters and the historical setting combined with demons and magic. Tess learns her purpose and where she belongs in the world. What I miss is more backstory for Spencer and Bart. Overall a good book and I look forward to the next in the series.

I received an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.*

This was a fun book, full of quirky and amusing characters. A woman and two ex-criminals are hired to defeat a demon resulting from a curse. This book is a sequel, and I think it I would have enjoyed it even more if I had read the previous book and had a better idea of the history of the characters. Overall, a fun read.

Peter Oxley has once again written a fun, action-packed book with The Great Big Demon of Flint Hall.
All of the characters we came to love in the first book are here again, embroiled in new shenanigans with a flair that only they can provide. The mystery they are charged with unravelling takes an unexpected twist, and Oxley's superb writing keeps you turning the pages.
The book is a perfect mix of adventure, steampunk, comedy, urban fantasy, and historical mystery.
I was happy to get an ARC of #TheGreatBigDemonofFlintHall from #NetGalley .

Review:
Spencer and Bart’s first book, “The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency”, was my last read of 2022 and it was definitely enjoyable. Because of that, when I saw their second book listed on NetGalley this close to the end of 2023, I figured there was no better way to potentially end the reading year again (we’ll see if more happens in the next couple days!) than with these two bumbling cons gone good.

What I liked:
🔍 My two biggest gripes for book one were it wasn’t as humorous as I thought it would be and it wasn’t as action-packed as I thought it would be. Not sure if Peter Oxley directly read my review and said, “I’ll show her,” but these gripes of mine did not reoccur in this second book.

The book starts out with one hell of a fight that is definitely memorable, and similar fights (or almost encounters) with the demon of Flint Hall are similarly familiar. More depth was added to the fights, and having Tess involved in many of them also helped since it was another person to keep track of in the brawl.

As far as funny goes, this one was filled with more witty banter and well written sarcasm than book 1, especially given more “main characters”. I did find myself laughing aloud while reading this second installment in the series, instead of appreciative “hmmmms” like book 1.

🔍 I liked that I didn’t see the ending coming. I had my suspicions throughout the story of what was happening, and none of it was correct. Nor did I connect the big “breakthrough” at the end. It was genius.

🔍 I loved Tess’s character development in this one! She really leaned into her uniqueness and became a true leader. The way Oxley wrote her character especially, her interactions with and about Spencer and Bart, were fantastic, because it didn’t place her in a spot of becoming their leader because she thought she was better than them (which could have easily come across that way), but because she was turning a new leaf in her own life and wanted to surround herself with great people. Rather than having her come across as bossy, it definitely cemented the partnership between the three of them and what she brings to the table.

🔍Of course, I loved seeing my Thaddeus make another couple of appearances. I’m also not sure if it was wishful thinking on my part or if I was truly spying a little love connection between him and Tess, but I would 100% be down for that!

🔍Speaking of romance, there did seem to be inklings of crushes and whatnot far more apparently in this installment. Hopefully this is representative of what is to come. That would make this hopeless romantic scream with joy, as that’s really all these books are missing at this point!

Thank you to NetGalley, Burning Chair, and Peter Oxley for the opportunity to read this book. The opinions expressed above are honest and my own.

I had a hard time getting into the setting and feeling of the book from the beginning as I didn’t know the backstory from the first book. I would have wanted to know there was a first book in the series before starting this one. I feel like I was missing things while reading this and that made me feel like I was struggling with the story. I’ll probably go back and read the first and then read this one again. Overall I enjoyed the premise but definitely with that knew there was a first book.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Not realizing this is book two in a series, I think I would have liked this better if I had read the first book first.

2.75☆

I think the premise of the book is great, but the execution isn't working for me. It doesn't seem to impact the reading experience that I did not read the first book, but the writing style isn't selling it. I was hoping I could enjoy the story, but didn't want to give a bad rating when I knew I wasn't enjoying it. I would consider trying something else by this author in the future though!