Category: Historical fiction
+ cult, dark humour, feel-good, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, humour fiction, List, Magical realism, murder mystery, mystery, thriller, Victorian Britain, World War Two, WW2
My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Two
Here are my favourite 10 books of 2024 Part Two, not counting audiobooks. Quite a disparate selection for a change. Away Weekend by Lesley Fernández-Armesto Geraldine is divorced. Her military ex-husband Jonty has run off with Sally, leaving Geraldine with only her apricot poodle Bolly. She now lives in a tiny mews house in St John’s Wood. Then she meets Ellis, smooth, handsome, American, … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part Two
My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part Two
Here are my favourite audiobooks of the year Part Two. Diane Setterfield appears twice, because I adored both her books. Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield I think this has to be one of my favourite books ever. It’s so original, with a cast of characters that I absolutely adored. It’s set in the area around the banks of the River Thames in … Read More My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part Two
+ audio book, fiction, gothic, grief, Historical fiction, literature, mental illness, review, secrets, sisters, twins, whimsical, writer
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield narrated by Jenny Agutter
All children mythologize their birth…So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter’s collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist. The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself — all of them inventions that have brought … Read More The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield narrated by Jenny Agutter
The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy
Germany, 1929.When Max, a Jewish architect, and Bettina, a beautiful and celebrated German avant-garde artist, meet at a party, their attraction is instant. In love with each other and the art they create, their talent transports them to the dazzling lights of Berlin. But Germany is on the brink of terrible change, and their bright beginning is soon dimmed by the rising threat of … Read More The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy
+ family, fiction, friendship, grief, Historical fiction, history, holocaust, jewish history, jews, loss, nazi germany, obsession, revenge, review, war, World War Two, WW2
The Girl from Berchtesgaden by Alistair Birch and Kim Rigby
In early 1930s Germany, life for the Stiepermann family was simple yet idyllic. Artistic Ingrid and her inventive brother Dieter loved the freedom of the Bavarian Alps, but that was before the Jew haters surfaced in their society. Fuelled by Nazi ideologies, Stefan Weiss and his friends suppress and destroy anyone who opposes their beliefs. #TheGirlFromBerchtesgaden X(Twitter) @ABirchAuthor #KimRigby @ZooloosBT #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour #BookX Instagram #alistairbirch @kimrigby27 @zooloosbooktours #bookstagram While one family battles for … Read More The Girl from Berchtesgaden by Alistair Birch and Kim Rigby
+ adventure, child abuse, devil worship, family, fiction, gothic, Historical fiction, literature, London, loss, love, obsession, sisters, twins
The Fascination by Essie Fox Paperback Out Now
Twin sisters Keziah and Tilly Lovell are identical in every way, except that Tilly hasn’t grown a single inch since she was five. Coerced into promoting their father’s quack elixir as they tour the country fairgrounds, at the age of fifteen the girls are sold to a mysterious Italian known as ‘Captain’. #TheFascination @essiefox @OrendaBooks #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #blogtour #paperback Theo is an orphan, raised by his grandfather, … Read More The Fascination by Essie Fox Paperback Out Now
+ audio book, fiction, gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, review, superstition, witchcraft
Fyneshade by Kate Griffin narrated by Charlie Sanderson
Many would find much to fear in Fyneshade’s dark and crumbling corridors, its unseen master and silent servants. But not I. For they have far more to fear from me… On the day of her grandmother’s funeral, Marta discovers that she is to be sent to be governess at Fyneshade, her charge the young daughter of the owner, Sir William Pritchard. All is not … Read More Fyneshade by Kate Griffin narrated by Charlie Sanderson
Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke
Think you know Great Expectations? Think again Raised in the darkness of Satis House where the clocks never tick, the beautiful Estella is bred to hate men and to keep her heart cold as the grave. She knows she doesn’t feel things quite like other people do but is this just the result of her strange upbringing? As she watches the brutal treatment of women around her, … Read More Estella’s Revenge by Barbara Havelocke
+ crime fiction, female friendship, feminism, fiction, Historical fiction, murder, murder mystery, review, WW2
The Midnight Man By Julie Anderson
Winter 1946 One cold dark night, as a devastated London shivers through the transition to post-war life, a young nurse goes missing from the South London Hospital for Women & Children. Her body is discovered hours later behind a locked door. #TheMidnightMan X(Twitter) @jjulieanderson @HobeckBooks @ZooloosBT #ZooloosBookTours #blogtour #booktwitter Instagram @zooloosbooktours #bookstagram Faye Smith, the hospital canteen manager, joins forces with a mysterious new arrival, Eleanor Peveril, to investigate the … Read More The Midnight Man By Julie Anderson
+ audio book, child abduction, fantasy, folklore, Historical fiction, kidnapping, Magical realism, mythology, review, superstition
Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it … Read More Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield
+ fiction, Historical fiction, London, murder, prostitution, review, serial killer, Victorian Britain
Whitechapel Autumn of Error by Ian Porter
Whitechapel 1888; a killer is on the loose and the newspapers are ensuring the nation knows all about not just the crimes but the terrible living conditions in which they are being perpetrated. Nashey, a tough, scary yet charismatic man of the night, whose mother had to prostitute herself when he was a boy, knows the identity of the killer but keeps it a secret. … Read More Whitechapel Autumn of Error by Ian Porter
Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O’Donnell
In 18th century London, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A lot of knowledge is deadly. When ambitious apprentice chemist and secret alchemist Peter Woulfe is tasked with caring for a mysterious illustrated book, the Mutus Liber, he quickly realises that the grimy underworld of Georgian London is even more dangerous than he first believed. #SparksOfBrightMatter #LeeanneODonnell @Tr4cyF3nt0n #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour Soon the book is stolen … Read More Sparks of Bright Matter by Leeanne O’Donnell
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