Category: Historical fiction
A Bitter Remedy Oxford Mysteries #1 by Alis Hawkins
Amongst the scholars, secrets and soporifics of Victorian Oxford, the truth can be a bitter pill to swallow…. Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus college fellow with a secret to hide, … Read More A Bitter Remedy Oxford Mysteries #1 by Alis Hawkins
+ alcoholism, domestic noir, family, fiction, grief, Historical fiction, history, loss, love, marriage, motherhood, photography, relationships, review, war, World War Two, WW2
Hungry Ghosts by C J Barker
The lives of Vic Woods and Ruth Wolfe, working-class teenagers from Liverpool and London, are profoundly disrupted by the arrival of World War II. Ruth’s journey leads her to aerial photographic interpretation, though her aspirations for advancement are denied, while Vic’s wartime experiences with bomber command haunt him long after the war is over. Their post-war marriage and tumultuous relationship with their son, James, … Read More Hungry Ghosts by C J Barker
+ assisted dying, Australia, dark humour, dystopia, eco thriller, Historical fiction, Italy, kidnapping, List, murder mystery, mystery, thriller, World War Two, WW2
My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part One
I couldn’t decide whether to cheat or not. Should I move my favourite audiobooks into their own section and give myself more room for extra favourites in this list? Or should I feature them in both? Then I looked back to last quarter and I did move them. So here are my favourite 10 books of 2024 so far, not counting audiobooks. The Dubrovnik … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2024 – Part One
My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part One
A new list! I love a list. I only just started listening to audiobooks last year, and it’s not just about the story – it’s also about the narrator/s. One of my biggest issues with audiobooks has always been the length, as I am a fast reader and I don’t have the patience to listen for, say 11 or 12 hours, when I could … Read More My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part One
Leaving Fatherland by Matt Graydon Cover Reveal
Oskar Bachmann always imagined that giving his first lecture would be the defining moment of his life. It was, but not in the way he expected… Growing up a misfit in Nazi Germany, a victim of his father’s beatings, Oskar’s love of books is a constant comfort in a world turned upside-down by violence. As a student, as a pilot in the brutal Luftwaffe … Read More Leaving Fatherland by Matt Graydon Cover Reveal
Daughters of Warsaw by Maria Frances
An emotional and inspiring World War Two time-slip novel of danger and courage. This is a story inspired by true events and stories of Irena Sendler and the women of the Polish Żegota. It’s the worst time in humanity and yet there is still light in the darkness… X (Twitter) #DaughtersofWarsaw #MariaFrances @KellyALacey @lovebookstours Instagram @julietconlin @avonbooksuk @lovebookstours 1942, Warsaw Young Zofia finds herself leading a double life when … Read More Daughters of Warsaw by Maria Frances
+ gothic, gothic horror, Gothic mystery, Historical fiction, obsession, supernatural, superstition, Victorian Britain
The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of her clients is murdered shortly after sitting for Agnes, and then another, and another… Why is … Read More The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
My Top 5 Books of 2023
As we slip quietly into 2024 it’s time to reflect on my absolute favourite books of 2023. I used to pick three but I’ve had to up that to five as I just couldn’t narrow it down. It’s always hard. There were instant standouts again – about 10 of them but I had to cut it down to five. I have tried to include a mix … Read More My Top 5 Books of 2023
+ crime fiction, feel-good, fiction, folklore, Ghost story, Historical fiction, List, Magical realism, review, Scandi noir
My Top 10 Books of 2023 – Part Four
Here are my favourite ten books of the fourth quarter of 2023. One or two of these might make it into my top books of 2023. Once again only a bit of ‘crime’, as a crime novel needs to be totally unique and exceptional to make it into my favourites. There are ten this time – it’s been a good quarter – but then hey ho … Read More My Top 10 Books of 2023 – Part Four
My 3 Favourite Audiobooks of 2023
A new list! I love a list. I have only just started listening to audiobooks, and it’s not just about the story – it’s also about the narrator/s. Which is why Geneva is the outright winner. One of my biggest issues with audiobooks has always been the length, as I am a fast reader and I don’t have the patience to listen for, say … Read More My 3 Favourite Audiobooks of 2023
The Girl Who Fled the Picture by Jane Anderson
A girl who won’t conform. A journey across 18th Century Europe. A dangerous pursuit of forbidden love. 1742, Constantinople. Fifteen-year-old Isabella dons Turkish dress to pose for her portrait. The touch of the artist’s apprentice freeing her from corsets and draping her in sensuous silk unleashes a passion that changes her life forever. Fleeing to Rome to avoid an arranged marriage, Isabella rebuilds her life … Read More The Girl Who Fled the Picture by Jane Anderson
When Love Comes by Penny Zeller Out Now
Can love be found amidst broken hearts and unexpected loss? Determined to heal her broken heart, Charlotte Eliason visits her aunts in Prune Creek, Wyoming. What should be a time of peace and calm becomes one of chaos and unwelcome surprises when she discovers her longtime foe, Tobias Hallman, is the new blacksmith. To make matters worse, her two meddlesome aunts are constantly inviting … Read More When Love Comes by Penny Zeller Out Now
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