📖 Blog Tour ~ Catherine : A Retelling of Wuthering Heights by Essie Fox

Orenda Books
12 February 2026

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and to Random Things Tours for the invitation to the blog tour

The greatest tragic love story ever told – but this time, Catherine tells it herself. In Catherine, Essie Fox breathes new life into Wuthering Heights, transforming a gothic masterpiece into a haunting confession of obsession, madness and love that even death cannot end.

With a nature as wild as the moors she loves to roam, Catherine Earnshaw grows up alongside Heathcliff, a foundling her father rescued from the streets of Liverpool. Their fierce, untamed bond deepens as they grow – until Mr Earnshaw’s death leaves Hindley, Catherine’s brutal brother, in control and Heathcliff reduced to servitude.

Desperate to protect him, Catherine turns to Edgar Linton, the handsome heir to Thrushcross Grange. She believes his wealth might free Heathcliff from cruelty – but her choice is fatally misunderstood, and their lives spiral into a storm of passion, jealousy and revenge.

Now, eighteen years later, Catherine rises from her grave to tell her story – and seek redemption.

📖 My Review..

Catherine is told from Catherine Earnshaw’s point of view, firstly as a child, then a young teenager on the cusp of womanhood and finally as a ghost following her untimely death.  Both Heathcliff and Catherine come forcefully to life and as we experience the intensity of their ill-fated relationship so we gain an insight into the unpredictable nature of their characters and the cause and effect of their upbringing at Wuthering Heights. 

By no stretch of the imagination is this a comfortable tale and there’s certainly no guarantee of a happy ever after ending but the sheer lyricism of the writing brings the whole of this tragic story to life. It compares really well with Emily Brontë’s original and offers a different perspective and one which is no less powerful than the 1847 classic. This retelling encapsulates the very essence of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw’s fateful relationship, a relationship which was tormented and filled with passionate intensity which spiralled into a dark and dangerous world of sadness, grief and desperate obsession.

There’s a certain amount of trepidation in reading a retelling of a much loved classic however, if anyone can retell Cathy and Heathcliff’s story, and do the book justice, it is Essie Fox whose work I love to read. As I settled down on a rather grey, wintery afternoon, so the stark beauty of this timeless story began to take shape and I was back on the high moors with Cathy and Heathcliff as they whisper together in the shadow of Penistone Crags, leaving their tokens in the Fairy Cave and dreaming of an uncertain future.

🍳 Best read with…Nelly Dean’s buttered eggs..

About the Author

Essie Fox is the Sunday Times bestselling author of seven historical novels, including The Somnambulist, shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and The Fascination, an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Her work has twice been selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month, most recently for her gothic mystery Dangerous. She appears regularly at literary festivals and cultural institutions and is the host of the podcast Talking the Gothic. She lives in Windsor.

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📖 Book Review ~ A Most Unsuitable Suitor by Emma Orchard

Boldwood Books
28 February 2026

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

She must marry for her family’s future. He must never marry at all.

Spring, 1805. Nineteen-year-old Allegra Constantine is under pressure to choose a husband, but none of her suitors inspire her. Lord Milton is respectable but passionless, Sir Harry is charming but witless, and the dangerously handsome Mr Englishby has designs she cannot trust. The only man who truly interests her is Max Severin – cynical, scandal-shadowed, and not at all a suitable prospect.

But when a stolen kiss ignites a fire between them, Allegra realises she is in more danger from her heart than from society’s gossip. Because Max carries a secret so perilous, it could ruin them both. And when long-buried truths about Allegra’s family and Max’s past come to light, the consequences threaten more than her reputation. Torn between duty and desire, Allegra must choose: a safe, sensible marriage… or risking scandal, ruin, and her very future for the only man she has ever truly loved.

📖 My Review..

Allegra Constantine realises, for the sake of her family, that she must marry however, her current suitors do not inspire her to romantic thoughts of love but ever pragmatic, Allegra realises that love has nothing do do with her need to find an eligible marriage partner. And yet when she encounters the enigmatic Max Severin at the various social soirees Allegra is intrigued by his dark good looks, his air of detachment and his apparent cynicism of the social niceties. 

There is much to enjoy in this deliciously passionate Regency romance, both Allegra and Max have their secrets and watching these unfold, together with their burgeoning, and at times, illicit relationship made me smile. The story is beautifully written in the style which this talented author has made her own and there's enough intrigue, innuendo and passion to ignite the pages and a real revelation I didn't see coming but which seemed entirely plausible.

A Most Unsuitable Suitor is another hugely entertaining and enjoyable Regency romance from one of my favourite writers of this genre.

It is published by Boldwood on the 28th February.

Best read with..a glass of sweet lemonade

About the Author

Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11 because she’d read all the children’s books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasn’t stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.

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📖 Book Review ~ Fireflies in Winter by Eleanor Shearer

 

Headline 
10 February 2026

Thanks to the publisher for the copy of this book 

Nova Scotia 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her. Until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow.

Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross.

Deep amongst the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes’s past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom—and of love…

📖 My Review..

Travelling from Jamaica in 1796 Cora is newly arrived in the Maroon community in Nova Scotia where she takes time to settle into this new way of life. It’s a place where the change of customs, the biting cold and the ever present fear of danger never really goes away. When Cora discovers another young black woman called Agnes living in the heart of the surrounding woodland a tentative friendship develops between them and which, over the course of the story, becomes something much more meaningful.

Running alongside the burgeoning relationship between Cora and Agnes is that of a trial which is taking place and as the story progresses, we get to know more about, and the reason why, one of the women is facing such a terrible ordeal. It becomes obvious that both young women are trying to escape from a traumatic past but it is not until all the jigsaw pieces of the puzzle come together that we realise just what is at stake for both Cora and Agnes.

So beautifully and imaginatively written, I felt the story coming alive, not just learning about a period of history of which I knew nothing but also experiencing new way of life alongside Cora and Agnes as they both strive to survive in a world which doesn’t understand either of them nor does it offer any sort of respite from old prejudices. Whilst Fireflies in Winter is an emotional and poignant love story, it also offers an insight into this difficult moment in black history.

🥣 Best Read with..Bone broth over a smoky fire..

About the Author

Eleanor Shearor is a mixed-race writer and the granddaughter of Windrush generation immigrants. She splits her time between London and Ramsgate. Her debut novel River Sing Me Home sold in 20 territories. It was named as one of Time magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books of 2023, was a finalist for the 2024 Dayton Literary Peace Prize Fiction Award, shortlisted for the Grand Prix des Lectrices ELLE 2025 in France and also shortlisted for the Prix Fragonard 2025 in France. It was a Good Morning America Book Club pick, and has been optioned for film by AL Films and BBC Films.

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📖 Book Review ~ Whipster by Susan Grossey

31 October 2025
Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries #3

Thank you to the author for the copy of this book

 

With the University preparing for Michaelmas term in 1827, Cambridge is alive with promises of fortunes to be made. University constable Gregory Hardiman has neither the appetite nor the funds to invest, but many others are tempted by the gleam of Bolivian silver. On patrol one evening Gregory is called to a violent incident at an inn, and before long his enquiries lead him to several of the town’s best-known figures – including the Master of St Clement’s College.

Struggling to make sense of what he has learned, Gregory himself is targeted as someone threatens to blackmail him. And with a chance of happiness once again within his grasp, can he risk losing it all if his past is revealed?

📖My Review..

Cambridge 1827 and as the town readies itself for a new term Gregory Hardiman continues to combine his duties as ostler at the Hoop inn together with the role of university Constable. On one of his nightly patrols Hardiman is called to an inn in town where he witnesses the results a violent crime and is dismayed to discover he recognises one of the victims. However, it would seem that whilst seeking out the evil within his midst he upsets someone who has the power to shatter Hardiman’s well guarded secrets. With his usual keen eye for sleuthing Hardiman sets about discovering who was responsible for this heinous crime and in doing so he  uncovers a a sorry tale of blackmail, corruption and deceit.

It’s been a real pleasure to be back in company with Hardiman, he’s such a steadfast man, filled with a genuine need to help others and has a keen eye for seeking out the truth. He cleverly spots charlatans and miscreants and does his utmost to bring them to justice but is always aware of the fickleness of human nature. There is such a strong sense of historical authenticity that whilst reading I feel as if I am whisked away to walk the dark streets with Hardiman as he maintains his role as university Constable finding trouble in the shadows and hidden passageways of Georgian Cambridge.

The eponymous Whipster on whom the story revolves is written with a fine eye for historical detail and an uncanny knack of bringing the smallest detail to life. I must admit to sneaking to the back of the book to the excellent glossary in order to look up the meaning of the word and it fits the story perfectly.

☕️ Best Read with: A strong coffee and a couple of generous slices of damson loaf

About the Author

Susan Grossey is the author of the successful Constable Sam Plank series of historical novels set in the early part of the nineteenth century. Sizar is the second novel in the Cambridge Hardiman Mysteries, set in Cambridge in the 1820s and narrated by a university constable called Gregory Hardiman.

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📖 Blog Tour ~ Death of A Stranger by John Pilkington

Boldwood Books
14 November 2025

Bishopsgate Ward Mystery #1

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources 
for the book and invitation to the blog tour

1594, Bishopsgate Ward, London. Within the walls and without, unease and uncertainty lurk beneath the noise and bustle of a smoky, teeming city.

Matthew Cutler, newly widowed and caring for two spirited daughters, takes his position as constable for the parish of Spitalfields very seriously. So when Paulo Brisco, a quiet Venetian perfumer is found brutally murdered in his own shop, Cutler throws himself into his first major crime, and one which threatens to set all Bishopsgate alight. 

Being a humble parish constable, Matthew Cutler’s powers are slight – and yet he possesses a skill which most others do not. As a former actor he can employ disguise, to considerable effect and to his unique advantage...

Plunged into a treacherous world of notorious rakes, angry tradesmen and a community seething with anti-foreigner sentiment and suspicion, Cutler must decipher shattered clues and confront a killer whose motive remains a baffling mystery - until the very last.

📖 My Review..

Elizabethan London with its dark and dangerous corners features in the mysterious and brutal death of Alessandro Brisco, a Venetian perfumer, who has his premises in Spitalfields. Matthew Cutler is a newly widowed, former actor with Pembroke’s Men, who has agreed to take on the office of constable, in lieu of his father-in-law, for the Bishopsgate Ward. Cutler takes his responsibilities seriously and he is respected, and occasionally feared, by some of the inhabitants who call this part of London home. Discovering who wanted the quiet perfumer dead will take all of Cutler’s considerable skills as he delves further and further into the mysterious life of Alessandro Brisco.

This is a really atmospheric and well written Elizabethan murder mystery which highlights the dangers of living in a time when neighbours were suspicious of neighbours and to be a stranger was to incite anger amongst those who felt threatened by their very presence in the neighbourhood. There’s an authenticity to both place and the people and I thought that the author did a great job of introducing us to the ordinary folk who inhabited Elizabethan London, the sights, sounds and smells of an overcrowded city are brought to life.

The author has created a likeable and engaging character in Matthew Cutler, I enjoyed getting to know him, learning about his family and the relationships he has with others all help to create a well rounded character who I am sure we will get to know well as the series progresses. The murder mystery at the heart of the story is done well, keeping the momentum of the investigation going without it ever becoming overly complicated. 

Death of a Stranger gets this new Elizabethan murder mystery series off to a really strong start.

About the Author

A writer for over forty years, John Pilkington was born in Lancashire and worked at many jobs including laboratory assistant, farm worker, weaver, shipping clerk, picture frame-maker and cabaret musician before taking a degree in Drama and English and finding his true vocation. He has since written plays for radio and theatre, television scripts for a BBC soap, a short-lived children’s series and numerous works of historical fiction, concentrating now on the Tudor and Stuart eras. He also ventured into speculative fiction with his biography of Shakespeare’s famous jester, Yorick.

He now lives in a village on a tidal estuary in Devon with his long-term partner Elisabeth; they have a son who is a psychologist and musician. When not at the desk he walks, swims, listens to music and tinkers with d.i.y. projects, and is enjoying being a grandfather.

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📖 Blog Tour ~ Pilgrim’s War by Michael Jecks

Boldwood 
10 November 2025
Pilgrim’s War #1

My thanks to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources
for the book and the invitation to the blog tour.

The tale of a journey that will shape the world for centuries to come...

France, 1096. Crowds gather in Sens, Northern France,to hear the Hermit speak. He talks of a great pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a quest filled with promise for those Christian soldiers who march with him.

Sybill knows the perils of the road ahead, but follow it she must. Her husband is a reckless gambler, easily swayed by the Hermit's words. For Odo, the pilgrimage provides the chance to demonstrate his unshakeable piety, while his brother Fulk craves adventure and excitement.

Jeanne and Guillemette have been mistreated by the men in their lives and are desperate for this chance of redemption and a brighter future - but for the two women alone on the journey, life on the road will befull of perils...

As the lines between love and hate, virtue and sin, good and evil become blurred, each must survive as best they can. Who will live to reach the holy city, and will the sacrifices they make to get there be worth the price they all must pay?

📖. My Review ..

The aim of the First Crusade in 1096 was to free Jerusalem from the rule of the Saracen and the call of Peter the Hermit in the French town of Sens in March 1096 mustered enough interest to get the exodus of townsfolk underway. With fine attention to historical detail we travel every step of this momentous journey with the crusaders who come from all walks of life. Rich, poor, men, women and children all set out on a journey which seems, at first, highly impossible when considering the scale of the task ahead which was fraught with considerable danger from the very start.

I’ve enjoyed this first book as from the very beginning I felt like I was transported back to a medieval world which certainly had its share of troubles and which relied heavily on the power of orators such as Peter the Hermit to rally people to causes which were the start of a change of power in the medieval world.  The story gets off to a good start, bringing to life characters and their individual reasons for joining the crusade. The story doesn’t shy away from violence but it’s all within the realistic context of the story, after all, this was a very different time when violence and conflict were commonplace.

Pilgrim’s War makes history come alive in a thrilling medieval adventure which grips the imagination from the very start.

About the Author

Michael Jecks is the author of over fifty novels inspired by history and legend. He is the founder of Medieval Murderers, and has served on the committee of the historical Writers’Association, the CWA  and the Detection Club. He was International Guest of Honour at the Bloody Words festival in Toronto, and Grand Master of the first parade in the New Orleans Mardi Gras.

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📖Book Review ~ A Tale of Two Dukes by Emma Orchard

Boldwood Books 
20 September 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

No one is more surprised than Viola, Duchess of Winterflood, when she receives an offer of marriage from a man she’s not seen in over a decade. An independent widow, close to thirty, with two rambunctious boys, Viola has no obvious reason to accept the new Lord Ventris’s proposal. And yet… within two weeks, Viola finds herself walking down the aisle towards a man she despises and has sworn she'll never kiss. But kisses are all that’s off nothing else.

Accustomed to living a secretive life on the outskirts of society, Richard Armstrong never expected to inherit a title, nor the significant property that comes with it. But now that he has, he’s determined to keep it within his bloodline, and for that he needs an heir. And so, he seeks out the striking widow of his cousin, the late Duke of Winterflood, and offers his hand.

While their passionate but turbulent union raises eyebrows among their family, and the ton at large, both Viola and Richard carry their own secret reasons for agreeing to marry.

But as they start their new life together, they will soon discover that the shocking secrets they’ve both been keeping cannot stay hidden forever. And the revelations, when they come, could turn both their worlds upside down.

📖 My Review

When Viola, the widowed Duchess of Winterflood, receives an unexpected proposal of marriage from a man she has not seen for over ten years, she is rather shocked to hear from Richard Armstrong and even more surprised to find herself accepting his marriage offer even though it comes with certain conditions.

What then follows is a lovely story which takes us back to the time when Richard and Viola first met and the significant effect that this relationship would have on both of their futures going forward. As always the Regency period is brought to life and whilst Viola is a formidable bride she is also constrained by what society expects of her. Richard, with some deep secrets of his own is an interesting character, wonderfully handsome but with an aching vulnerability. 

As always, this talented writer gives us a passionate romance, which sits comfortably alongside the historical period in which it is set, with two central characters who share their innermost secrets in a story which has a dash of spice, a pinch of romance and a wonderful second chance at happiness.

About the Author

Emma Orchard grew up in Salford and was given tickets to the grown-up library at the age of 11 because she’d read all the children’s books and the librarians were sick of the sight of her. She became obsessed with Georgette Heyer and hasn’t stopped reading her novels since. She studied English Literature at university and went on to work at Mills & Boon and behind the scenes in television and in publishing.

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📖 Blog Tour ~ Desolation by Keith Moray

Boldwood Books
17 October 2025

A Ralph de Mandeville Mystery #1

My thanks to the publisher for the book
And Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour

The Black Rood of Scotland, stolen.

A coroner of York, murdered

An evil worse than plague itself, at large…

1361, York. As the country recovers from the war with France, and whispers that the pestilence has returned to England grow louder, fear is in the heart of every nobleman and commoner alike. Sir Ralph de Mandeville, ex-solider and newly appointed Justice of the Peace is sent to Langbarugh, just outside York, to investigate the murder of Coroner Sir Boderick de Whitby.

More deaths quickly follow, and while these are swiftly dealt with as plague victims, Sir Ralph and his two assistants Merek and Peter soon uncover something altogether more horrifying… A greater evil is at large in the northern wapentakes.

As panic escalates and the lines between plague and murder blur, Sir Ralph is thrust into a desperate race against time. Every shadow hides a potential killer, every cough could be a death knell. Can he unmask a murderer lurking in the terrifying shadow of the Black Death before they’re all consumed by a terror more sinister than any plague?

📖 My Review ..

The middle of the 14th century was a dark and dangerous time as England was still reeling from the effects of the war with France and only just recovering from the aftermath of the great pestilence in 1348, people are naturally cautious and fearful of an unknown future.

In 1361, Sir Ralph de Mandeville is a newly appointed Justice of the Peace, who has been sent to Langbarugh, near York, to investigate the untimely death of Coroner Sir Broderick de Whitby. This is an uneasy time as not only has the death left the locals feeling uneasy but there is also the very real fear that the deadly plague has once more resurfaced, and with a series of unexplained deaths everyone, it seems, has something to fear. 

This is an interesting medieval mystery with an authentic sense of time and with a complex and rather dark mystery at its core. The medieval setting is imaginatively described so that I felt like I was placed within the small Yorkshire villages watching as the mystery deepened. The characterisation is flawless, I especially enjoyed watching how Ralph de Mandeville, and his companions, set about solving the murder mystery and by the end of the story I was already looking forward to seeing how they would go forward in future stories.

Desolation is an atmospheric and well written historical murder mystery. 

About the Author

Keith is a retired GP, medical journalist and novelist, writing in several genres. As Keith Moray he writes historical crime fiction in the medieval era and in ancient Egypt, The Inspector Torquil McKinnon crime novels set on the Outer Hebridean island of West Uist, and as Clay More he writes westerns. Curiously, his medical background finds its way into most of his fiction writing.

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📖 Book Review ~ The Women in the Shadows by Harriet Fox

HQ
9 October 2025
Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

London, 1888. A monster prowls the gaslit streets, and the police are looking in all the wrong places, at all the wrong suspects. But three women refuse to stay silent.

Emma, the chief detective’s sharp-witted wife, sees the investigation failing. Maggie, a private investigator, exposes men’s darkest secrets. Bet, a police station cleaner, overhears what others ignore.

Together, they form an alliance to hunt down the killer dubbed Jack the Ripper. But as the women weave through the slums, brothels, and smoke-filled parlours of London’s underworld, they uncover corruption more sinister than they ever imagined.

The city belonged to men – until now.’

📖 My Review..

There are endless conspiracy theories around Jack the Ripper and many books, both fictional and non-fictional, have been written about him. Women in the Shadows takes what is already known about the murders and weaves them into a very readable fictional story about three women, from different backgrounds, who come together to try and solve the murders. Emma is the wife of Inspector Abberline who is in charge of the Ripper investigation, Maggie is a clever female private detective, and Bet is a feisty young woman for whom the streets of Whitechapel are achingly familiar.These intrepid women are a great bunch of characters, brought to life so clearly that you walk the streets alongside them as they do what they can in order to bring a killer to justice. However, I did suspend belief a little at some of the outcomes of their investigations but that added to the overall dynamic of the story.

The Women in the Shadows is a fascinating story which keeps true to the murder victims without sharing any of the more gruesome details and yet gives a plausible explanation for could have happened during the Ripper’s killing spree in the latter part of 1888. Well written, and with a realistic sense of time and place, the dark, and shadowy streets, around Whitechapel come alive, highlighting the poverty of its inhabitants, the desperate nature of those who seek comfort in a gin bottle and of the true vulnerability of those women who walked the streets at nights in fear of their lives.

About the Author

Harriet Fox is a writer and journalist who writes dark and twisty crime novels about women’s stories out if the shadows of history. Harriet is obsessed with crime fiction, horror films and ghost stories as well as history podcasts and cryptic crosswords.She also writes historical fiction as Kerry Barrett.

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📖 Book Review ~ Arkansas Black by Alexander Blevens

Lost Meridian Press
27 September 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book to review 

 

A DYING ORCHARD

A CARNAL SECRET

A BROTHER’S LAST STAND

Tragedy strikes a Northwest Arkansas orchard when a late spring frost destroys the apple crop. Faced with bankruptcy, Jesse Fitch prepares to leave the family farm with his wife and son. His identical twin brother, however, vows to stay and braces for a fight against anyone who tries to displace him. Before the family can split, tragedy strikes again, revealing a secret that forever binds the twins together. As one brother clashes with the other, stretching bloodlines to a breaking point, the ultimate survival of the Fitch clan is uncertain.

Like two trees planted in the same spot and reaching for the same light, the Fitch twins can no longer thrive together; one must fall to the axe.

📖My Review

I wasn’t aware of the apple growing orchards of North West Arkansas, nor of the devastation which was felt by the apple growing community in the early years of the twentieth century. This once thriving industry historically produced millions of tons of apples but, at the time of this story, the area is facing financial ruin due to bad harvests caused by fire blight and harsh frosts. 

The Fitch family have toiled their apple orchards for many years but times are desperate and whilst Jesse can see the end is near, his twin brother Silas refuses to see reason, and with the bank about to foreclose on debts owed, Jesse sees that the only possibility is to cut their losses, pack up and leave their ancestral homeland. However, Silas has other plans which may well plunge the family into dangerous territory. The tension builds quite slowly, we get to know the main characters well and begin to understand their very different personalities. However, there is sense of impending doom as neither of the brother are quitters but when the chips are down there is only so much they can tolerate before they each reach breaking point, and with hidden family secrets threatening to surface, so the resentment between the brothers continues to fester.

Poignant and descriptive Arkansas Black brings to life the American history of ordinary folk who once toiled away, battling nature over nurture for little reward. It gives us an interesting slice of early American history, about a community of people facing real hardship, with no workable solution to ease their plight. Written with a fine eye for historical detail, Arkansas Black is well written historical fiction about a forgotten period in American history.

About the Author

Alexander Blevens is an Air Force veteran and a retired orthopaedic surgeon who lives and writes in Mississippi. Originally from California, he married a "New Orleans belle" and developed a keen eye for all things Southern.

 

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Queen’s Necklace by Adrienne Chinn

One More Chapter
25 September 2025

My thanks to the publisher and Rachel’s Random Resources for the copy of the book to review

The most famous necklace in the world has finally been found…

Bryher Finch’s life isn’t just a disaster, it’s a catastrophe, until a chance invitation to chart her family tree changes everything. As Bryher uncovers the ancestry she never knew about, she stumbles on the find of the century – Anne Boleyn’s ‘B’ necklace, as enigmatic as Henry VIII’s most notorious Queen herself.

But Bryher isn’t the only one who wants the necklace…

📖My Review..

The lasting portrait we have of the ill-fated Tudor Queen Anne Boleyn features an enigmatic young woman wearing her trademark “B” necklace. This necklace is almost as iconic as the woman herself so to have a modern day mystery based around the whereabouts of this necklace adds an interesting dimension especially when it’s combined with the Tudor period and Anne Boleyn’s relationship with her older sister, Mary, together with Anne’s drive and ambition as she sets out on her path to destiny.

The Queen’s Necklace is an interesting dual time mystery which shows the differences, and some similarities, between characters who have been separated by time. I thought that both time frames were well written, although, for me, the Tudor sections had the edge as this is my favourite period in history and I rather enjoy stories about Anne Boleyn. However, I did enjoy the modern day mystery with Bryher Finch, she’s an interesting character, not always likeable and filled with all sorts of celebrity angst but that added to the overall appeal of the story.

About the Author

Adrienne Chinn was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, grew up in Quebec, and eventually made her way to London, England after a career as a journalist. In England she worked as a TV and film researcher before embarking on a career as an interior designer, lecturer, and writer. When not up a ladder or at the computer writing, she often can be found rummaging through flea markets or haggling in the Marrakech souk. Her debut novel, The Lost Letter, was published in 2019. Her second novel, the international bestseller, The English Wife, was published in 2020. Her third novel, Love in a Time of War, the first in a series of four books in The Three Fry Sisters series, was published in 2022. The second book in the series, The Paris Sister, was published in 2023, and the third book, In the Shadow of War, was published in March 2024. Her next book, an historical timeslip novel, The Queen's Necklace, will be published in September 2025, followed by the fourth book in The Three Fry Sisters series, set during WWII, in 2026.

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🌞 Summer Reading ~ The Hollywood Runaway by Alexandra Weston

Boldwood
30 August 2025

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this novella to review

Liverpool, September 1932.

Miner's daughter Olivia Swift believed her future was clear-cut: a steady husband, a home, and a family of her own one day. But when a shocking secret shatters her wedding plans, Olivia makes a desperate, irreversible choice. With a one-way ticket to America, she abandons everything familiar for a terrifying unknown.

Far from England and her family, Olivia is adrift in a strange new world, the promise of excitement overshadowed by a growing dread. Can this runaway forge a new life from the ashes of her old one, or will her American dream remain just out of reach?

A reckless journey of escape...or a chance to start living again?

🌞My Review..

Having a narrow escape from an ill fated marriage night club singer, Olivia Swift makes a hasty decision to leave Liverpool on a one way ticket to America. Gradually over the 5 day voyage we learn more about Olivia, the fiancé she left behind and her growing friendship with two of her fellow passengers.

This is an ideal summery sort of read and coming in at just 131 pages, it’s great escapism for a sunny afternoon by the pool or in the garden. The author captures the excitement of a long sea voyage and introduces us to the unpredictable world of the night club singer in 1930s.  Olivia, and her friends, are all off to make a fresh start in a new world and this heady excitement is captured really well. 

Small, but perfectly formed, The Hollywood Runaway compliments the other books in this enjoyable golden age of Hollywood series by this talented writer of historical fiction.

About the Author

Alexandra Weston writes historical fiction. She has a MA in Creative Writing from York St John University. She has a lifelong passion for history and loves visiting stately homes, museums and old churches. She also writes fantasy as Alys West. She lives with her partner and a ginger cat called Wilf in East Yorkshire. She sings with her local community choir and loves live music, hanging out in bookshops and eating cake.

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