Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter

A. E. Moorat
Hodder Paperbacks

There were many staff at Kensington, fulfilling many roles; a man who was employed to catch rats, another whose job it was to sweep the chimneys. That there was someone expected to hunt Demons did not shock the new Queen; that it was to be her was something of a surprise.'
London, 1838. Queen Victoria is crowned; she receives the orb, the sceptre, and an arsenal of blood-stained weaponry. Because if Britain is about to become the greatest power of the age, there's the small matter of the demons to take care of first...
But rather than dreaming of demon hunting, it is Prince Albert who occupies her thoughts. Can she dedicate her life to saving her country when her heart belongs elsewhere?

Yes this was every bit as ridiculous as the name implies.

The story concerns the young Queen's ascent to the throne and the discovery that there was an age old demonic conspiracy against her and that she was unwittingly on the wrong side.

For the first two thirds of the book I was quite enjoying it. It had some nice set pieces, it played fast and loose with Victoria's life story and in Maggie Brown (the royal protector) it had a funny and engaging character.  About two thirds in though I lost all impetus to read it and the last bit became a bit of a chore.  I don't think it was the books fault, it pretty much ended as it began.  I just lost interest in it.

I did finally finish it some two weeks later and it certainly wasn't awful.  Mindless, cliched and fairly inconsequential yes. But not awful.