A Longer Fall is the second book in the Gunnie Rose series. I wasn't crazy about the first book so I didn't have high expectations for this one. But I ended up thoroughly enjoying this book! While this book was in my opinion much better than the 1st, I would suggest that everyone reads An Easy Death, first as it gives information that you would be lost without. I am looking forward to more books in this series.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Longer Fall, the second book on Charlaine Harris Gunny Rose series is even better than the first!
Lizbeth Rose has had to hire onto a new crew to transport a crate into Dixie, a country in a part of the former United States that seems to be stuck in the previous century. Lizbeth isn't happy about the destination but, the job seems straight forward enough until an explosion derails their train and a gunfight kills half of the crew and injures the other half. When the crate is stolen, Lizabeth decides she will find it so the job will be finished and they will get paid. Her friend, Eli, shows up looking for the same crate and wanting to see it arrive safely at its destination. They must pose as a married couple to fit into the town's rules. They have to fight to find the crate and it's contents and then fight to leave the area after finishing the job.
I have been a fan of Charlaine Harris for many years and love this new series she has begun. I can't wait to see what happens next.
Thank you NetGalley, Saga Press and Charlaine Harris for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

First and foremost i want to thank NetGalley for the digital ARC. I have always been a fan of Charlaine Harris since she introduced me to to Sookie Stackhouse. I wasnt sure how i would feel about jumping into this book as i am partial to the vampire stories and because i didnt read book one. However, i couldnt be more thrilled! I didnt need book one to follow this story- i plan to read it soon but i loved this story! I cant wait for the next book! The mixture of old style western and sci-fi was not something I thought i would enjoy but i loved it!!!’

This second book in the Gunnie Rose series, A LONGER FALL, continues the saga of Lizbeth Rose and her unconventional lifestyle within the topsy-turvy world that author Charlaine Harris has created. The United States has fallen apart and been seized by various other nation-states; carved up into competing worlds that bear only tangential reminders to their former states. Honestly, this world is confusing to remember as a reader. The characters are good and the mystery is enticing. Harris manages to tell her story while always holding back a few key details, thereby making the reader ever more curious. It worked on me; I kept wanting more and couldn’t stop reading. If there is any downside it involves the similarities between the first and second books. Hopefully the next installment will include more of the novelty that Harris excels at so well. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is the second book in the Gunnie Rose series. Lizbeth Rose, a.k.a., Gunnie Rose, is only 19 but already famous for her shooting skills. She is a gun for hire, protecting people and/or property. She joins a new crew to accompany a crate to be delivered to another country, but as they reach their destination their train is attacked.

Prince Ilya Savarov, Eli, returns in this story. Eli and Lizbeth have a very interesting relationship, they are mutually attracted to each other, but he is highly educated a royal and a Grigori of the Holy Russian Empire. Lizbeth was born out of wedlock and went to school until she was 16, taught by her mother who is a teacher.

I liked the world building; this is a post-apocalyptic world which seems like the Old West but with magic. The United States has broken up into a number of countries and includes the Russian royals setting up in California. Lizbeth’s community is small, close-knit, and poor.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest review.

Another epic, remarkable, entertaining and literally magical series freshly out and all set to be served! You just need to reach, take and devour it!

Lisbeth Rose is another tough, skilled, down to earth, easy to empathize and connect, lovely character. Is she a good alternative after Sookie!Well there are some resemblances but Lisbeth is more independent,badass and my kind of free spirit. She knows who she is and she carries it well.

The second book of the series is suffering from less of action. Only the opening parts about the derailment of the train, heart throbbing parts of the book. And good to see Eli Savarov is back! So they can team up together to fight against enemies. Because now they’re in confusing state to differentiate who are their real enemies and who are they are real friends.

Ms Harris expert to combine various genres and create an unique, original, different and magical series. This series is a great mash-up of urban fantasy, fairy tale’s kind of magic, alternative history and western.
The characters, their adventures keep growing on me. So I don’t want to miss the sequels and I’ll be happy to read more upcoming books.

So I’m giving my four blazing, sizzling, gunning stars! ( I think the book needed more action so as a cruelest grader, I ate one star the book deserved, shame on me!)

Special thanks to NetGalley, Saga Press/ Gallery for sharing this fantastic ARC COPY in exchange my honest review. As a summary: I need more books of the series please!!!

Some series start strong and get weaker with each new book. Not true for A Longer Fall. Book one was good, book two, A Longer Fall is even better. Great characters and a hard to put down plot. Somethings are solved but there is an open ended finish.

’ve always been a fan of Charlaine Harris’ fiction, starting with her Aurora Teagarden librarian stories. Harris has the capacity to surprise and entertain, traits that are not always together in storytelling. A Longer Fall (the second in a series of Gunnie Rose, of which I have not yet read any other), did not disappoint. A terrific mix of fantasy and strong female leads quirky characters, and small towns. Harris does not flinch from strong storytelling. Recommended to all fans of mystery and fantasy.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy,

Second in the Gunnie Rose urban fantasy series set in an alternative history and revolving around Lizbeth Rose and set in a very different, gunslinger-oriented not-US.

This eARC was sent to me by NetGalley and Saga Press for an honest review.

<b>My Take</b>
I do like Lizbeth. She doesn't tolerate spousal abuse, and she has the chutzpah to stand up to abusers. Ahem. This girl just ain't gonna fit in with what a "proper woman" is in Sally. Nope. Harris plays this up with Liz's matter-of-fact approach to being herself and to sharing a room...and a bed...with Eli, contrasting this with the townspeople's "moral" attitudes. It's all helped along by first person protagonist point-of-view from Lizbeth's perspective. Lol, I can't help it, I do adore Liz's attitude and her commentary as she attempts to fit in.

Conflict...mmm. Seems that Harriet, Liz, and Eli are all after the same thing, although Eli has a greater incentive to succeed — after events in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38136877-an-easy-death" target="_blank" title="Opens a new page" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>An Easy Death</em></a>, 1, he's not in favor at court anymore. There's such potential for drama with each of them having a different goal, but it all slides together too easily.

It's odd how Harris uses lowercase for proper names of people's name tags and businesses.

Oh lord, I HAD to crack up at Liz's deft handling of Miss Mercer's invasion of Liz and Eli's hotel room, lol. It's an incident that leads to that dinner invitation where Millie Fielder receives unexpected support.

I like <em>A Longer Fall</em>, but there are issues in this that bug me. Harris is an accomplished writer. Between her <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/42636-sookie-stackhouse" title="Opens a list of books in Charlaine Harri's Sookie Stackhouse series in Goodreads" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sookie Stackhouse</a> series, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/44857-harper-connelly" target="_blank" title="Opens a list of books in Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly series in Goodreads" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harper Connelly</a> series, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/150649-midnight-texas" title="Opens a list of the books in Charlaine Harris' Midnight, Texas series" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Midnight, Texas</a> series, I'd pick up anything of hers to read. But <em>A Longer Fall</em> slips back and forth between callow and experienced writing.

It wasn't helped by the naive thinking of the do-gooders in Sally about that drastic change coming up. This is a thought process that needed to evolve and not simply jump out at us. I also have a bone to pick with the lack of background. Admittedly, I haven't read the first book in the Gunnie Rose series, but it's still a good idea to figure a reader will happen on a book and read it, without having read the preceding tales in a series. Or that it may have been awhile since they read the previous book. I know it would have lessened my confusion as to whether Texoma is a country, a county, or a town. As for Segundo Mexia... Is it a town? A country?

Although, how the hoped-for change actually does come about was quite unexpected. It's so perfect with how everyone wants to see it go down. Too perfect, really. Too easy.

There is plenty of action in this, and it's driven by <em>A Longer Fall</em>'s characters. And with all the references (I'm guessing) back to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38136877-an-easy-death" target="_blank" title="Opens a new page" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>An Easy Death</em></a>, I reckon I'll have to read it to get the answers to my questions...

<b>The Story</b>
The crew's destination is a small town in a country not far from Dallas. A town very few travel on to. Sally. In Dixie.

The cargo is a crate filled with a chest with unimaginable power, intended to free the downtrodden Blacks of Sally. A promise made by a husband to his dying wife.

But there are those opposed to these rebellious intentions.

<b>The Characters</b>
<strong>Lizbeth Rose</strong>, a.k.a., Gunnie Rose, is a famous shooter based in Segundo Mexia. <strong>Candle</strong> is her mother, a school teacher married to <strong>Jackson Skidder</strong>, Liz's stepfather. <strong>Felicia</strong> is Liz's half-sister, a granddaughter of Grigori Rasputin. Rasputin's bastard son <strong>Oleg Karkarov</strong> had been Liz and Felicia's father.

<strong>Eli Savarov</strong>, a.k.a., <strong>Prince Ilya Savarov</strong>, is a friend, a grigori, a wizard of the Holy Russian Empire with whom Liz has worked before. Eli's father, <strong>Prince Vladimir Savaorv</strong>, had been a traitor. <strong>Peter</strong> is a younger brother as well as a grigori with an affinity for air. There are also two sisters, all of whose futures depend on Eli's success. <strong>Paulina</strong> had been Eli's partner in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38136877-an-easy-death" target="_blank" title="Opens a new page" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>An Easy Death</em></a> with the ability to kill people in exotic ways. <strong>Klementina</strong> was an old woman. Eli's two older brothers claim they'll help the sisters.

<em>The Lucky Crew is...</em>
...Liz's new crew after events in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38136877-an-easy-death" target="_blank" title="Opens a new page" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>An Easy Death</em></a>. It's led by <strong>Jake Tutwiler</strong>, <strong>Lavender Brown</strong>'s former second-in-command. His boyfriend is <strong>Burke Printer</strong>, who prints a newspaper in Sweetwater, Texoma. <strong>Maddy Smith</strong>, another gunnie, comes from a farm in the middle of nowhere; she had introduced Jake to his boyfriend. <strong>Charlie Chop</strong> made a name for himself throwing his hand ax in the border skirmishes. <strong>Rogelio Socorro</strong> seems to handsome people to death.

<strong>Harriet Ritter</strong> is partnered up with <strong>Travis Seeley</strong>, and they work for <strong>Iron Hand Security</strong>, a security company based in Britannia, North Carolina, with a very tough rep.

<em>The town of Sally is in Dixie and is...</em>
...where women are second-class citizens and all magic is godless. The "moralistic" <strong>Mr Mercer</strong> owns the <strong>Pleasant Rest Hotel</strong>. <strong>Nellie Mercer</strong> is his snooty, nosy daughter, whose rudeness is noted by another hotel guest. <strong>James Edward Johnson</strong> is a Black waiter who is part of the conspiracy. <em>Is he also John Edward??</em> <strong>Harvey</strong> is Nellie's "Intended" whose bullying is aided by his "<strong>Friend</strong>".

<strong>Clyde Lathrop</strong> is the sheriff of the county and investigating the train explosion. <strong>Clete</strong> is a bloodhound. <strong>Dr Jerry Fielder</strong> is a decent guy, as is his wife, <strong>Millie</strong>, who has two years of teacher college. <strong>Nurses Finch</strong>, <strong>Underwood</strong>, <strong>Allen</strong> and <strong>Dr Gimball</strong> work at <strong>Ballard Memorial Hospital</strong>. <strong>Miss Mayhew</strong> is the nurse at reception. <strong>Hutchinson</strong> and <strong>Debeham's</strong> are both busy funeral homes; the obnoxious <strong>Donald Barton</strong> works at Hutchinson. <strong>Caleb Wellburn</strong> lost his wife.

<strong>Kempton's Shoe Repair</strong> is owned by <strong>Brent Kempton</strong> who employs <strong>Phineas</strong>. <strong>Beverly's Restaurant</strong>. <strong>Ballard's Pharmacy</strong> does sodas and shakes as well. <strong>Edith</strong> works at a drug store. <strong>Aunt Lillybeth's</strong> is a restaurant that serves pecan pie.

<strong>Galilee Clelland</strong> had been Liz's best friend who had worked as a guard. <strong>Freedom</strong> is the son she'd had by an employer's son; Freedom has a daughter. <strong>Reva and Hosea Clelland</strong> are Galilee's Black parents.

The <strong>Ballards</strong> are the power family in Sally. Amanda Ballard was offered up to Tsar Nicholas by her father, <strong>Samuel</strong>. <strong>Mrs Ballard</strong> is the matriarch. <strong>Holden</strong> is Amanda's violent brother. <strong>Juanita Poe</strong> is a servant.

<strong>Mrs Evvie Moultry</strong> ne&eacute; Ballard sounds like she's a nasty piece of work. <strong>Willa May</strong> is a Black girl hired as her caregiver. Her son, <strong>Norman Moultry</strong>, is a lawyer married to <strong>Carolyn Ann</strong>.

<strong>Sarah Byrne</strong> is an unemployed shooter. <strong>Elijah</strong> is a Black who is more loyal to money.

<em>The Holy Russian Empire (HRE) consists of...</em>
...California and Oregon these days. Eli serves <strong>Tsar Alexei</strong>, who has a bleeding disease and is kept alive by, rather, he had been kept alive, by <strong>Grigori Rasputin</strong>. Now that Rasputin has died, they're hunting for Rasputin's by-blows. <strong>Amanda Ballard</strong> had been Alexei's first wife. <strong>Felix</strong> is a fairly new grigori, a death wizard, without much empathy. <strong>Gilbert</strong> is Eli's immediate superior in the wind guild. His former superior, <strong>Dmitri</strong>, was executed. <strong>Tsar Nicholas</strong> had been Alexei's father. More grigori include two women; a Black man, <strong>Kasper</strong>; a Russian, <strong>Simon</strong>; and, an Englishman, <strong>Godfrey</strong>.

The church of Holy Russia is Christian Orthodox which believes in <strong>Saint Moses the Black</strong>. A.k.a., Abba Moses the Robber and Moses the Ethiopian, this saint actually existed and was one of the first Blacks to achieve sainthood.

<strong>Stewart</strong> and <strong>Burton Cole</strong> are brothers from Shreveport and shooters.

<em>The Society of the Lamb is...</em>
...this tale's version of the Ku Klux Klan who don't tolerate Blacks or witches.

<em>Segundo Mexia is...</em>
...where Liz has a home. <strong>Chrissie</strong> is her best friend with a new baby girl, <strong>Emily Jane</strong>. <strong>Dan Brick</strong> is a neighbor who thinks Liz is his. <strong>John Seahorse</strong> runs a combination stable and garage.

<b>The Cover and Title</b>
The cover has a cloudy brown background with pale gray gender symbols set in a half-moon, bottom-based outline of fire, lined up in a row above the orange-and-yellow gradation of the title at the very bottom. At the top is an info blurb in pale gray. The author's name is immediately below it in the same gradated orange. In the center is a sulky looking Lizbeth in profile, her arms crossed, but her face turned to glare at us and wearing a tan short-sleeved, round-necked blouse and deeper brown trousers. Her left hand is holding a smoking gun. Her dark hair is done up in a braid and twisted together at the back of her head.

The only reason for the title I can think of is that it is <em>A Longer Fall</em> yet, for Liz, when Eli makes his decision.

Charlaine Harris has been one of my favorite authors for a long time and I am always looking forward to her next read. When the first book in this series came out I was a little nervous because this isn't really the type of book I read. However, I was pleasently surprised to find out that I LOVED IT. Now I can say (after reading this one) that this is going to be one of my favorite series she has written! I love the action, the characters, the setting, and the world building. I highly recommend it!

What I like most about Charlaine Harris's books is the entertainment value. She can make me totally forget my daily monotonous bus commute when I open one of her books. I read almost all of the Sookie Stackhouse series and I think Gunnie Rose is a down to earth hero, just like Sookie was. She is a good and loyal friend, but is also a fierce and lethal enemy to those who cross her and the ones she cares about. I like reading her thoughts and following around this realistic protagonist with a touch of magic. I don't even care whether the plot makes sense or not, just give me some tense action, fun dialogue and throw in a little unsappy romance too! A good change of pace between heavier books.

Gunnie Rose is back with a new crew and a new cargo. But things don't go easily for our girl Gunnie Rose, her job isn't exactly the warm and fuzzy kind. Lizabeth leaves home this time headed to Dixie, to deliver a mysterious cargo. Her new crew are mostly strangers to her, so when things heat up She's not exactly sure who she can trust. When Eli the grigori, from her last job shows up unexpectedly things really start to heat up. In a town filled with old prejudices and some very outdated ideas, Gunnie Rose will need a little help to pull this one off. She is after all just a woman!! This was a great next chapter in what I hope is a very long series about Gunnie Rose. I love the characters and the alternate history.

A LONGER FALL by Charlaine Harris is the second book in the new Gunnie Rose series. This series spans several genres including urban fantasy, western, alternate history, and thriller with magic adding another level.

The story begins with our protagonist Lizbeth Rose (Gunnie Rose) on a train heading from Texoma to the country of Dixie with a new gunnie crew guarding a crate they need to deliver in Sally, a town in Dixie. By the end of the first chapter there has been an explosion and the train has been derailed near their destination. What started as an easy protection job has now evolved into something else. Lizbeth’s friend from book one, Eli Savarov shows up shown after the train derailment and they join forces to continue the mission. Both Lizbeth’s weapons expertise and Eli’s magic are needed to help them succeed. Who are their friends and who are enemies?

Dixie has some very old-fashioned beliefs that women should be wearing dresses, not pants. Additionally, this book takes on the underlying themes of racism and social stratification. There is not quite as much action in this book as in book one in the series, but there is still plenty of it as well as a couple of slightly steamy, but not graphic scenes.

Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this unique addition to the new series. The worldbuilding is fantastic and the characters are compelling. Lizbeth's motivations are believable and well-drawn and the secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. Lizbeth is a strong, and capable female protagonist. The plot twists were believable but several were unexpected. The story moved at an appropriate pace. The scenes were well described and gave me a clear sense of place.

I recommend that those that are interested in this series read the books in order. The first book in the series explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in book two. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you like blended genre books, then this may be a book that you would enjoy.

Many thanks to Saga Press / Gallery and Charlaine Harris for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I enjoyed this book more than the first one. I definitely recommend that you read the first book before this one. There are a lot of interactions with Eli that don't make sense without the background. I didn't think there was as much action as the first book but this one didn't really need more action. It's well-paced. I do wonder why the grigoris are still coming after Eli after he completed his mission though. I guess that's for the next book. #AlongerFall #NetGalley

The job of a gunnie is to protect the package at all costs. The package can be a material thing or a person. The world is a different place and is some time stopped centuries ago with women in skirts and blacks as slaves. With the help of a grigoris one gunnie has walked into a whole new world. The adventures are numerous and high octane.

Work has been crazy, and I've been hoping to find a fun, light weight bit of escapism to relax with in the evening. I was excited to see "A Longer Fall" offered on NetGalley for preview since I enjoyed Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books.

There are a number of similarities between our protagonist Lizbeth and Sookie: both are young, pretty, clever, from less advantaged backgrounds with strong female figures, inclined to be a bit cynical about men. These characters are both judgmental with a strong sense of right and wrong, and a tiny bit short in the department of self-examination. Lizbeth is very decisive - and guarded, compared to Sookie's frequent bouts of indecision and tendency to go with her heart over her head.

Despite missing the first book in the series, I was able to understand enough about the world that the author constructing. She didn't over-do the backstory as I noticed happening in the Sookie books. I have questions about this fictional universe, and will read the first book.

There is magic in this world, but it's the kind of magic created by trained magicians who display an early gift. There's also a conservative Bible-belt South here that resembles "Stepford" in many ways. There are automobiles, trains and telephones - but no digital technology or mobile phones. Aside from one song performed as a ritual - not a lot of music, either.

The action is well written -- I could picture this being converted to a screenplay. There were a few more disposable characters than I expected and some odd turns and twists that seemed a bit too tidy. Overall, it was a fun escape into a world full of women characters who aren't just strong but who run a wide gamut of personality and motivation, just like men, in a complex world of shifting values.

Not since Sookie Stackhouse has Harris written such a kickass heroine as Gunnie Rose. In this second book in the series Lizbeth is hired onto a crew to transport a crate to Dixie. While it should be a simple delivery, the contents of the crate draw numerous people to try to steal it, making the protection job a long string of attacks and shoot outs. I love this new series and the character of Lizbeth.

Ms. Harris has my loyalty for many years, and A Longer Fall is no exception. She's going to be doing something special here, and its going to be awesome!

Harris in true form. Lizbeth begins a new job only to have it go sideways very quickly. This book has more of a linear plot than the first in the series. More magic and a really strong romance component. The characters are really fleshed out. Left me wanting a whole lot more but the ending was satisfying.

Gunnie Rosie is back in business with a new crew. They are hired to bring a chest to a state that is known to be very backwards, male dominated and racist.
After the train they are on crashes, the chest disappears, but she meets an old friend who helps her finding it again.

What starts with action and, of course, lots of dead people, ends more in the romance compartment. And all together the story did, unfortunately, not make much sense to me.

I admire Charlaine Harris' writing. Even a book like this, where neither story nor characters really catch my interest, I am entertained enough to read without skipping pages. However, I wished it would have been a more convincing story line with more likeable protagonists.