📖 Book Review ~Two Women in Rome by Elizabeth Buchan

 

Corvus
 June 2022

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

In the Eternal City, no secret stays hidden forever...

Lottie Archer arrives in Rome excited to begin her new job as an archivist. When she discovers a valuable fifteenth-century painting, she is drawn to find out more about the woman who left it behind, Nina Lawrence.

Nina seems to have led a rewarding and useful life, restoring Italian gardens to their full glory following the destruction of World War Two. So why did no one attend her funeral in 1978?

In exploring Nina's past, Lottie unravels a tragic love story beset by the political turmoil of post-war Italy. And as she edges closer to understanding Nina, she begins to confront the losses in her own life.

📖 My Review

When newly married Lottie Archer moves to Rome it signals a new beginning for her and she is excited to start her job as an archivist researching into the history of old documents. Laura is especially intrigued when she discovers a valuable fifteenth century painting and in her search to discover more about Nina Lawrence, the woman who left this ancient art work behind, Lottie unravels a tragic story which is set in post-war Italy. 

With the clever use of a dual narrative a picture of two very different time periods comes to life and both Nina's time in the 1970s and Lottie's life in the present day are equally as vivid. Both of these women have a story to tell and as the story emerges, the beautiful city of Rome soon becomes very much part of the story. The sights, sounds, aromas and tastes of this vibrant city come to life as scrumptious descriptions of food, wonderful art and intricate gardens are laid out before you.

Two Women in Rome is a lovely immersive read which reveals its secrets slowly and takes the reader on an complex journey through the hidden parts of Rome and to long buried secrets.

Best read with ...an aromatic coffee and rich Italian pastries 

About the Author

Elizabeth Buchan was a fiction editor at Random House before leaving to wrote full time. He r novels include Consider the Lily, Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman, The New Mrs Clifton, and the Museum of Broken Promises. She is a patron of the Guildford Book Festival and co-founder of the Clapham Book Festival.

Twitter @elizabethbuchan

Website

@CorvusBooks

📖 Blog Tour ~ A Child of the East End by Jean Fullerton

 

Corvus
4 August 2022

My thanks to the publisher and edpr for my copy of the book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Sorrow and joy in London's oldest suburb..

Welcome to the East End.

Life in Cockney London was tough in the post-war years. The government's broken promises had led to a chronic housing shortage, rampant crime and families living in squalor. But one thing prevailed: the unbeatable spirit of the East End, a tight-knit community who pulled through the dark times with humour and heart.

Drawing on both family history and her own memories of growing up in the 1950s and '60s, as well as her working life as a district nurse and local police officer, Jean Fullerton vividly depicts this fascinating part of London - from tin baths, to jellied eels, to tigers in a Wapping warehouse.

A Child of the East End by Jean Fullerton published on the 4th August by Corvus, in paperback original, priced £8.99

📖 My review..

I have enjoyed reading Jean Fullerton's novels over the years and have always been impressed by the way she brings the East End of London to life in such an authentic way. Her remarkable ability to get right into the heart of the community springs from her own background of growing up in the places she writes about so vividly.

In A Child of the East End we meet Jean in 1954 when she lived with her family in a small workers' cottage in London's East End. Surrounded by extended family, and friends, Jean's upbringing was typical of the time, and whilst material possessions were in short supply in houses with no indoor plumbing, there was never any shortage of friendship and support amongst those who called the place home. Tight knit communities, who saw both the best, and the worst of times, encouraged a deep seated loyalty and the unique ability to make the best of what you'd got but still reach for something better.

I've really enjoyed reading this memoir which takes us from the mid-1950s, through to the late 1970s, and found it to be a fascinating journey through the social history of the post-war generation, inviting us into the East End of London during some momentous years of change. The author's warm personality come shining through as does her love for her family, the area she lived in and her genuine rapport with everyone she comes into contact with. I enjoyed the different chapters and found much to enjoy as we get to observe all aspects of the author's life, the good, the bad and even, at times, the sad and the challenging.

A Child of the East End is a beautifully written memoir with a fascinating insight into the author's life growing up in this vibrant part of East London.

🍴Best read with..a plate of jellied eels

About the Author

Jean Fullerton is a native East Londoner and authentic cockney. Born within the sound of Bow Bells, as a child she lived in a derelict one-up one-down cottage by London Docks before being rehoused as part of the post-war slum clearances

Because of her love of history, Jean hoped to become a theatrical costumier, starting out as a general dogsbody in a local clothing factory before working her way up to being a patter cutter at Jaegers. Clearly not the next Mary Quant, Jean decided take a completely different career  pathway and at twenty-three joined the Metropolitan Police Force, an 'eye-opener even for a street wise East End girl'.

After taking time off to have children, Jean trained as a Registered Nurse once her youngest went to school and spent most of her working life in the East End of London. She is also a qualified teacher and has lectured on community nursing at a London University.

The author of nineteen historical novels, including The Ration Book series, Jean now writes full time. 

Twitter @JeanFullerton_ #AChildoftheEastEnd

@CorvusBooks

@ed_pr

Facebook

Amazon UK

📖 Blog Tour ~ The Cornish Captive by Nicola Pryce

Corvus
6 January 2022
#6 Cornish Saga

My thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of this book
and the invitation to the blog tour

Cornwall, 1800.

Imprisoned on false pretences, Madeleine Pelligrew, former mistress of Pendenning Hall, has spent the last 14 years shuttled between increasingly destitute and decrepit mad houses. When a strange man appears out of the blue to release her, she can't quite believe that her freedom comes without a price. Hiding her identity, Madeleine determines to discover the truth about what happened all those years ago.

Unsure who to trust and alone in the world, Madeleine strikes a tentative friendship with a French prisoner on parole, Captain Pierre de la Croix. But as she learns more about the reasons behind her imprisonment, and about those who schemed to hide her away for so long, she starts to wonder if Pierre is in fact the man he says he is. As Madeleine's past collides with her present, can she find the strength to follow her heart, no matter the personal cost?

📖 My Review..

This is now the sixth book in this Cornish series of historical novels and whilst it is perfectly possible to read each book as a standalone story, it does make more sense to start at the beginning and go back to the early eighteenth century and follow the characters who have made this lovely series their own.

The Cornish Captive takes us into the world of Madeleine Pelligrew who, when we first meet her, has been unnecessarily incarcerated in various madhouses for fourteen long and painful years. When her unexpected release comes she is understandably bewildered at the sudden change in her circumstances and is determined to seek out those who put her way for no reason. Returning to Fosse, where she lived with her husband, Madeleine sets about trying to solve the mystery of what happened fourteen years ago and why she is now totally alone but for her friendship with Rowan, who looked after her in the various mad houses, and Madeleine's growing acquaintance with Captain Pierre de la Croix, a French prisoner currently on parole.

The mood throughout the story is captured perfectly, the clandestine world of espionage operations, learning who is trustworthy and who is harbouring deep and deadly secrets and in the midst of it all is Madeleine who wants to find out the truth of her past. As always time and place come alive, Cornwall with all its intricate nooks and crannies, its association with the sea, and the lure of unease with the hostilities against the French, all combine to make this another beautifully written and suspenseful historical mystery. 

The Cornish Captive is filled with drama, intrigue and a lovely hint of romance, it captured my imagination right from the start.

📖 Best Read with .. fragrant oranges, warm from the Cornish sun

About the Author

Credit : Katia Marsh

Nicola Pryce trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. She has always loved literature and completed an Open University degree in Humanities. She is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer and lives with her husband in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. Together they sail the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure.

Twitter @nicolapryce #TheCornishCaptive

Facebook Instagram

Website

Purchase Link

@CorvusBooks

@rararesources

📖 Hist Fic Saturday ~ The Surplus Girls' Orphans by Polly Heron

 

On Hist Fic Saturday

Let's Go back to Manchester...1922

Corvus
2021

Book #2 

My thanks to the author for my copy of this book

Manchester, 1922

Molly Watson has had enough. Engaged for the last three years to a penny-pinching pedant, she finally decides she'd rather be a surplus girl than marry a man she doesn't truly love. Aware of the need to support herself if she is to remain single all her life, she joins a secretarial class to learn new skills, and a whole world opens up to her.

When she gets a job at St Anthony's Orphanage, she befriends caretaker Aaron Abrams. But a misunderstanding leaves them at loggerheads, and damages her in the eyes of the children she has come to care so deeply about. Can she recover her reputation, her livelihood, and her budding friendship, before it's too late?

📖 My Thoughts..

Those who have read the first book in The Surplus Girls' series will be entirely familiar with the notion of those women who, after the loss of so many young men during WW1 now find, in the 1920s, that there is, quite simply, not enough eligible men to go around, and faced with the prospect of life as single women they need to find a way to support themselves.

As with the first book, this second story brings alive the impact of living through times of social inequality, especially for women who were still very much seen to be of value only if they were wives and mothers. Independent women were classed as something of an oddity, however, this stalwart group of women certainly lead the way for change, but, that doesn't mean that these changes came about easily, or without high personal cost.

From the very start of the novel I hoped that Molly Watson wouldn't just settle for second best and that she would strike out for independence. I needn't have worried as Molly decides that life as a Surplus Girl is infinitely preferable to spending the rest of her life with her penny pinching fiancé. Leaving behind her sheltered life and taking up employment with the newly formed Board of Health opens up new horizons and leads Molly into a job at St Anthony's Orphanage.

There's a definite sense of social deprivation in this novel, especially for the orphans at St Anthony's who, although, by the standards of the day, are reasonably well cared for, they do lack emotional warmth from some of the care givers. However, children are very much at the heart of the story, not just about what happens for those at the orphanage but also for those who linger in the shadows.

The Surplus Girls' Orphans is both heart breaking and heart warming in equal measure and was everything I wanted in a continuation of this excellent historical series. I raced through the story hoping that everything would eventually come right for those characters I had quickly come to love. Beautifully written and imaginatively described The Surplus Girls' Orphans once again brings the northern spirit alive so in many different ways. The early part of the twentieth century, with its multifaceted shades of light and dark, infuses the story with so much character that following Molly Watson's journey through this time in history has been such a joy to read.  

For those who are interested the next book in the series is available Christmas with the Surplus Girls is published by Corvus and is out now. And just to remind you that they are all perfectly readable as standalone stories.

Corvus
October 2021

About the Author

Polly Heron is a historical saga writer living on the North Wales coast. She is originally from Manchester, which is where her books are set.

 

Twitter @Polly_Heron #TheSurplusGirlsOrphans #SagaSaturday

Website

@CorvusBooks

📖 Blog Tour ~ A Woman Made of Snow by Elisabeth Gifford

  

Thrilled to be hosting today's stop on this blog tour

Corvus
7 October 2021

My thanks to Kirsty Doole at the publishers for my copy of this book
and to Random Things Tours for the invitation to be part of this blog tour

Scotland, 1949: Caroline Gillan and her new husband Alasdair have moved back to Kelly Castle, his dilapidated family estate in the middle of nowhere. Stuck caring for their tiny baby, and trying to find her way with an opinionated mother-in-law, Caroline feels adrift, alone and unwelcome.

But when she is tasked with sorting out the family archives, Caroline discovers a century-old mystery that sparks her back to life. There is one Gillan bride who is completely unknown - no photos exist, no records have been kept - the only thing that is certain is that she had a legitimate child. Alasdair's grandmother.

As Caroline uncovers a strange story that stretches as far as the Arctic circle, her desire to find the truth turns obsessive. And when a body is found in the grounds of the castle, her hunt becomes more than just a case of curiosity. What happened all those years ago? Who was the bride? And who is the body...?

📖 My Thoughts...

Home to the Gillan family, Kelly Castle in Scotland has been in their family for generations. A sinister discovery there, in 1949, opens up a family secret which has been hidden for over a hundred years. Charged with the task of searching through the family archives, Caroline Gillan discovers far more about Kelly Castle, and its Victorian occupants, than could ever have been imagined.

The story moves seamlessly between learning more about the Victorian owners of the castle and what's happening to the Gillan family in 1949, especially that of Caroline who has married into the family and is finding life with her mother-in-law, Martha, a little overpowering. The Victorian mystery of Kelly castle is gradually uncovered in a fascinating dual time story which takes us deep into the biting cold of an arctic winter when Oliver Gillan finds himself on board a whaling vessel bound for the Artic. Discovering more about the eponymous woman made of snow adds a tantalising mystery and as we gradually discover just who she was, so we discover why her secret has lain hidden for so long.

The story is one of stark contrasts, harshly beautiful in places, whilst gently beguiling in others, and yet is also wonderfully descriptive of a bygone age. The oppressive restrictions of the social morals of Victorian England runs alongside that of the harsh beauty of the Arctic tundra, as the proud nature of the Inuit people, their legends and customs, come gloriously to life. Atmospheric, imaginative and beautifully written, A Woman Made of Snow, combines multi-generational history with a mesmerising family drama which was every bit as good as I knew it would be from this talented author who, since her very first book, in terms of story content, has never let me down. 

A Woman Made of Snow takes its well earned place on my Books of the Year List...

About the Author

Elisabeth Gifford grew up in a vicarage in the industrial Midlands. She studied French literature and world religions at Leeds University. She has a Diploma in Creative Writing from Oxford OUDCE and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway. She is married with three children, and lives in Kingston upon Thames. A Woman Made of Snow is her fifth novel.

Twitter @elisabeth04liz #AWoman Made of Snow

@CorvusBooks

@RandomTTours

📖 The Surplus Girls by Polly Heron

 

On Hist Fic Saturday

Lets go back to ....Manchester, 1922

Corvus
2020

My thanks to the author for the copy of this book

After the loss of war, can there be hope for the future?

Manchester, 1922.

Belinda Layton is a surplus girl. One of the many women whose dreams of marriage perished in the Great War, with the death of her beloved fiancé, Ben. After four years of mourning, she's ready to face the future, even though Ben's family is not happy to see her move on, and her own only cares about getting hold of her meagre factory wages.

Then, Belinda joins a secretarial class and a whole new world opens up to her as she quickly finds herself drawn to beguiling bookshop owner Richard Carson. But after all the loss and devastation she has experienced, can she really trust him with her heart.

📖 My Thoughts...

In the aftermath of the Great War when a generation of young men lost their lives there was a huge number of surplus girls who would never have the chance to marry, either because they had lost husbands, fiancés and boyfriends in the war, or quite simply that there just weren't enough eligible men to go around.

Belinda Layton is mourning the loss of her fiancé, Ben, who died in France in 1918. Whilst living with Ben's mother, and grandmother, helps to keep Ben's memory very much alive, Belinda is still only a young woman who feels that there is more to life than wearing mourning clothes forever. Belinda's home background is one of constant hardship and struggle, and so she becomes determined to make life better for herself, and in doing so she hopes to pull her own family out of poverty. In the hope of improving her employment prospects, Belinda makes the controversial decision to enrol in a newly established secretarial college, however, this decision doesn't sit happily with either Ben's family, or her own hapless relatives who rely on Belinda wages from her job in the mill.

The Surplus Girls is set in the 1920s, when there was so much social and economic change, and I think that this story reminds us just how far women have come in the last hundred years, when in 1922, even for a woman to enroll in a secretarial college to learn typing, shorthand and book keeping was viewed with distaste by some parts of society.  Rich in historical detail, The Surplus Girls brings to vibrant life the strength of those people who made the suburbs of Manchester their home. The harsh background of mills and poverty, the snippets of northern humour, and the sheer grit and determination which is so characteristic of this area all help to make this into such an engaging historical saga. 

Beautifully written by an author who knows how to bring northern history alive in the imagination, The Surplus Girls is the first in a series of historical sagas about this forgotten generation of young women.

 

About the Author

Polly Heron is a historical saga writer living on the North Wales coast. She is originally from Manchester, which is where her books are set.

 

Twitter @Polly_Heron #TheSurplusGirls

Website

@CorvusBooks

📖 His Fic Saturday Blog Tour ~ A Ration Book Daughter by Jean Fullerton #Giveaway

 

📖 On Hist Fic Saturday I am delighted to host one of today's blog tour stops 📖

Let's go back to.... London, 1942

Corvus
ebook 6 May 2021
Paperback 6 August 2021

East End Ration #5

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for my invitation to the blog tour.

Not even the Blitz can shake a mother's love.

Cathy was a happy, blushing bride when Britain went to war with Germany three years ago. But her youthful dreams were crushed by her violent husband Stanley's involvement with the fascist blackshirts, and even when he's conscripted to fight she knows it's only a brief respite divorce is not a option. Cathy, a true Brogan daughter, stays strong for her beloved little son Peter.

When a telegram arrives declaring that her husband is missing in action, Cathy can finally allow herself to hope she only has to wait 6 months before she is legally a widow and can move on with her life. In the meantime, she has to keep Peter safe and fed. So she advertises for a lodger, and Sergeant Archie McIntosh of the Royal Engineers' Bomb Disposal Squad turns up. He is kind, clever and thoughtful; their mutual attraction is instant. But with Stanley's fate still unclear, and the Blitz raging on over London's East End, will Cathy ever have the love she deserves?

📖 My thoughts..

In this fifth outing to London's East End we meet again with the indomitable Brogan family who have featured so strongly in the previous books. In A Ration Book Daughter we follow the story of Cathy Wheeler who lives with her small son, Peter, and her domineering mother-in-law, whilst her husband, Stanley, is on active duty overseas. When Cathy receives the dreaded telegram informing her that Stanley is missing in action, rather than be sad, Cathy lives in hope of finally being rid of her violent and aggressive husband.

We follow Cathy as she tries to keep both herself and her son safe from the increased threat of the bombs which drop constantly on the East End, and rather than take shelter with her nasty mother in law, Cathy prefers to spend her nights with her Brogan family in the shelters beneath a London tube station. When Cathy comes into contact with Sergeant Archie McIntosh who is part of a bomb disposal unit based in the East End there is a pull of attraction between them and it is this bureoning relationship which features so strongly in the story.

What then follows is a lovely story which bears all the hallmarks of this authors passion for bringing the history of the East End to life. With meticulous research and genuine delight in recreating the lives of this stalwart generation the author gives us a story which is alive with warmth and compassion and filled with characters who, with each successive story, just get stronger and stronger and who find a place in your heart.

A Ration Book Daughter continues the series is grand style. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Cathy's story and desperately wanted her to find her happy ever after ending. Archie McIntosh is a welcome addition to the story and I found his story both poignant and uplifting in equal measure. The Brogan's are, of course, as wonderful as ever, particularly Queenie, the matriarch of the family who continues to rule the roost with her own inimitable brand of stern common sense.

It's worth saying that whilst A Ration Book Daughter may be read as a standalone story, it would be advisable to enjoy this series from the beginning in book #1.

About the Author

Born and bred in East London Jean is a District Nurse by trade and has worked as a NHS manager and as a senior lecture in Health and Nursing Studies.She left her day job to become a full time writer in 2015 and has never looked back.

In 2006 she won the Harry Bowling Prize and now has seventeen sagas published over three series with both Orion and Atlantic all of which are set in East London.

She is an experienced public speaker with hundreds of WI and women’s club talks under her belt,plus for the past fifteen years she has sailed all over the world as an enrichment speaker and writing workshop leader on cruise ships.

Twitter @JeanFullerton_ #ARationBookdaughter

@CorvusBooks

@rararesources

Facebook

Amazon UK

📖

 **Giveaway**

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📖 Blog Tour ~ The Dark Room by Sam Blake

 

Delighted to share my book review on today's blog tour

Corvus
7 January 2021

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

Hare's Landing, West Cork. A house full of mystery...

Rachel Lambert leaves London afraid for her personal safety and determined to uncover the truth behind the sudden death of a homeless man with links to a country house hotel called Hare's Landing.

New York-based crime reporter Caroline Kelly's career is threatened by a lawsuit and she needs some thinking space away from her job. But almost as soon as she arrives, Hare's Landing begins to reveal its own stories - a 30-year-old missing person's case and the mysterious death of the hotel's former owner.

As Rachel and Caroline join forces, it becomes clear that their investigations are intertwined - and that there is nothing more dangerous than the truth...

My Thoughts..

The intriguing opening chapter of The Dark Room sets the scene for a convoluted mystery which has all the elements of surprise needed to keep you guessing. 

In London, a homeless man, known only as Alfie Bows, is found dead in mysterious circumstances, and not only does this bode ill for those who have been filming his life in a documentary but it also puts into danger the lives of two women when they each visit the mysterious Hare's Landing, a hotel  in West Cork. Hare's Landing is a place of secrets and the brooding nature of the hotel, and the distrustful nature of those around it, all help to maintain this illusion throughout the story. 

The two female protagonists each have their own reasons for being at Hare's Landing. After some unsettling disturbances, Rachel Lambert flees her home in London determined to investigate more about Alfie Bows and his connection to Hare's Landing. Meanwhile New York journalist Caroline Kelly has returned to her native Ireland in order to re-think her career and is little prepared for what she gets involved in whilst staying at Hare's Landing. The brooding nature of Hare's Landing is maintained throughout and as Rachel and Caroline become more and more involved in a missing person mystery so the tension starts to build up.

The author writes well and brings a nice air of mystery without becoming too fanciful. I was intrigued by Hare's Landing, it's such a gloomy old place, and so well described that it very easily becomes another character in the plot and an integral part of the story.

The Dark Room is an intriguing and mysterious thriller with enough twists, turns and red herrings to keep you turning the pages.

About the Author

Sam Blake is a pseudonym for Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin, the founder of The Inkwell Group publishing consultancy and the hugely popular national writing resources website Writing.ie. She is Ireland's leading literary scout and has assisted many award-winning and bestselling authors to publication. As Sam Blake, she has written four previous novels and has topped the Irish bestseller chart.

Twitter @SamBlakeBooks #TheDarkRoom

@CorvusBooks

@RandomTTours

Hist Fic Saturday ~ A Cornish Betrothal by Nicola Pryce

 

On Hist Fic Saturday 

Let's go back to ...1798

Corvus
5 November 2020

My thanks to the author and publishers for my coy of this book

Cornwall, 1798.

Four years have passed since Midshipman Edmund Melville was declared missing, presumed dead, and Amelia Carew has mended her heart and fallen in love with a young physician, Luke Bohenna. But, on her twenty-fifth birthday, Amelia suddenly receives a letter from Edmund announcing his imminent return. In a state of shock, devastated that she now loves Luke so passionately, she is torn between the two.

When Edmund returns, it is clear that his time away has changed him - he wears scars both mental and physical. Amelia, however, is determined to rekindle their courtship and nurse him back to help. Luke, who has always understood that Amelia's love for Edmund would take precedence, backs away.

But soon, Amelia begins to question what really happened to Edmund while he was missing. As the treads of truth slip through her fingers, she doesn't know who to turn to: Edmund, or Luke?

What did I think about it..

It's always such a pleasure to return to the Cornwall of this author's creative imagination and in A Cornish Betrothal we meet with Amelia Carew just as she has found happiness again after the sad loss of her fiancé, Midshipman Edmund Melville, who was presumed lost abroad. Her new relationship with the handsome physician, Luke Bohenna, is however, sadly uninterrupted when Amelia discovers that Edmund is alive.

The story which follows has all the trials and tribulations we have come to expect from this talented author's writing. Amelia's relationship with the two men in her life is tested to the limit and yet there are many obstacles to overcome before she can find true happiness. There is a special poignancy to the story when we go back in time to read the letters which Amelia exchanged with her fiancé, and we experience all her despair when she realises that he is missing and again witness her natural trepidation when she discovers he is home again.

The author writes historical romantic fiction with a reliable authenticity and the latter part of eighteenth century Cornwall, and Truro in particular, with descriptions of the town and the area around the small estuary port come  alive, especially where there was much activity from small boats plying their trade. The Carew family are much loved members of this small community and feature strongly in all aspects of the story. Amelia is a really lovely heroine, her natural beauty, her genuine warmth and compassion and her quite special regard for people from all walks of life comes across in such lovely detail that I could well imagine walking the streets of Truro with her at my side. 

There's a delightful sense of historical accuracy in these stories and the author brings extensive research to play particularly with all aspects of seafaring and naval history which she explains with lively interest. Given Amelia’s interest in herbal remedies, I also enjoyed the botanical references, and the tantalising snippets of information from The Lady Herbalist which end each chapter are particularly enlightening.

I've followed this author's skilful writing since the beginning of this wonderful series of Cornish historical novels. A Cornish Betrothal is now the fifth book, but worry not, if you haven't read any before, as they  all work as standalone stories, however, it's always such a real treat when the characters from the other novels pop up again, and I was delighted to see the return of a few well-loved characters in this story.

There is no doubt that A Cornish Betrothal is a wonderful continuation of this series. The essence of thwarted love, the dilemma of family secrets and the revelation of shocking truths add a certain piquancy to the story. There is no doubt that in all of these novels the author brings place and people to life in a very special and totally readable way.

 Twitter @NPryce_Author  #ACornishBetrothal

@CorvusBooks

 

Blog Tour ~ A Ration Book Wedding by Jean Fullerton

Jaffareadstoo is thrilled to be part of this Blog Tour

Atlantic Books
7 May 2020

My thanks to the publishers and Rachel's Random Resources for my ecopy of this book
and the invitation to the blog tour

It's February 1942 and the American's have finally joined Britain and its allies. Meanwhile, twenty-three-year-old Francesca Fabrino, like thousands of other women, is doing her bit for the war effort in a factory in East London. But her thoughts are constantly occupied by her unrequited love for Charlie Brogan, who has recently married a woman of questionable reputation, before being shipped out to North Africa with the Eighth Army.

When Francesca starts a new job as an Italian translator for the BBC Overseas Department, she meets handsome Count Leonardo D'Angelo. Just as Francesca has begun to put her hopeless love for Charlie to one side and embrace the affections of this charming and impressive man, Charlie returns from the front, his marriage in ruins and his heart burning for Francesca at last. Could she, a good Catholic girl, countenance an illicit affair with the man she has always longed for? Or should she choose a different, less dangerous path?

What did I think about it..

It's always such a treat to return to the lively Brogan family to see what they have been getting up to in the East End of London during WW2.  As the story opens we are now in 1942, and the Brogan family are still doing their best to keep safe, disappearing into the bomb shelters during the frequent air raids, and making ends meet in the best way they can. Charlie Brogan, fighting in North Africa, is constantly in their thoughts especially when the family receive word that he is being shipped home. This news is not met with any great enthusiasm by Charlie's flighty wife whose questionable reputation leaves a lot to be desired.

Whilst the story centers around the Brogans, A Ration Book Wedding also gives us Francesca Fabrino's story, which I found particularly fascinating especially when she seeks employment at the BBC. Those who have read the previous books in the series will appreciate the story focusing on this lovely character, who has, up to now, been rather overshadowed by the more rambunctious Brogans.

As always the author make this corner of London's East End entirely her own. The Brogans with their lively characters come alive in the stories she tells of their lives and loves during this particularly difficult time, when bombs were dropping on London, and lives and families were destroyed. This stoical endurance is brought sharply into focus by Queenie Brogan, the indomitable matriarch, who doesn't suffer fools and who dispenses her own brand of rough justice.

There's a real sense of history and an authentic feel to the hardships the Brogan's endured but it's also about the fun times, of the challenges they faced and how they coped with the difficulties, especially preparing for a family wedding when rationing made sure everything was in short supply.

A Ration Book Wedding continues this saga in a story which is both poignant and exciting. There are some lovely sections which made me smile, and some truly difficult moments which had me scared for the outcome, but throughout it all the author's passion for story telling shines through. I am sure we have much more still to challenge the Brogans as they go through their eventful lives.

About the Author

Jean Fullerton is the author of thirteen novels all set in East London where she was born. She also a retired district nurse and university lecturer. She won the Harry Bowling prize in 2006 and after initially signing for two East London historical series with Orion she moved to Corvus, part of Atlantic Publishing and is halfway through her WW2 East London series featuring the Brogan family.

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Featured Book ~ The Lost Lights of St Kilda by Elisabeth Gifford

🌠 It's the first of the month and my featured book is The Lost Lights of St Kilda 🌠 

Corvus
March 2020

My thanks to the author and publisher for my copy of this book

When Fred Lawson takes a summer job on St Kilda in 1927, little does he realise that he has joined the last community to ever live on that desolate, isolated island. Only three years later, St Kilda will be evacuated, the islanders near-dead from starvation. But for Fred, that summer is the bedrock of his whole life...

Chrissie Gillies is just nineteen when the researchers come to St Kilda. Hired as their cook, she can't believe they would ever notice her, sophisticated and educated as they are. But she soon develops a cautious friendship with Fred, a friendship that cannot be allowed to develop into anything more...

Years later, to help deal with his hellish existence in a German prisoner of war camp, Fred tells the tale of the island and the woman he loved, but left behind. And Fred starts to wonder, where is Chrissie now? And does she ever think of him too?

What did I think about it..

Beautifully evocative of a bygone time, The Lost Lights of St Kilda, takes you into itself and wraps you safe from the smouldering storm of seas which crash along the coast with some ferocity, and which continually threaten the livelihood of this close knit community, who are only ever one bad season away from starvation.

Chrissie Gillies is a beautiful young woman, she's also something of a rarity having been born and raised on the remote Scottish island of St Kilda. The stoicism of the islanders and their tenacity in clinging to a life of hardship allows no room for sentiment. However, Chrissie's head is filled with dreams of a very different life that she may never fulfill, and featuring strongly in those dreams, is the local laird's son, Archie Macleod, whose casual return to the island with his friend, Fred Lawson, in the summer of 1927, causes some disruption, not just to Chrissie's life, but also to the peaceful equilibrium of the island and islanders.

The second arc of the story takes us to an altogether more troubled time as we learn of the events which unfolded in 1940, and Fred Lawson's wartime account is just as compelling as his memories of that poignant summer on St Kilda, and is no less heart breaking.

There's far too much I want to say about this beautiful story but that would spoil everything. I'll concentrate instead on this talented author's ability to pitch every story absolutely perfectly, so that rather than the story overshadowing the reader, the reader becomes part of the natural landscape, blending as one with the islanders as they eke out their meagre existence in a place of such natural beauty that the author's descriptions of the island left me quite breathless. And then of course there's the history of St Kilda and its people, the simple beauty of their myths and legends, their rich stoicism and natural reticence, which is juxtaposed against the horror of a world war which claimed a generation of young men.

Combining a rich tapestry of history, a detailed mystery and heart breaking lost love, The Lost Lights of St Kilda, is everything I ever wanted in a story. Beautifully researched, evocatively explained and with an undeniable attraction that keeps you turning the page with a desperate need to discover what happened to Chrissie Gillies, Archie McLeod and Fred Lawson.

About the Author

Elisabeth Gifford grew up in a vicarage in the industrial Midlands. She studied French literature and world religions at Leeds University. She has written articles for The Times and the Independent and has a Diploma in Creative Writing from Oxford OUDCE and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway College. She is married with three children. They live in Kingston upon Thames.

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Blog Tour ~ The Rector's Daughter by Jean Fullerton

Delighted to co-host one of today's stop on this blog tour

Corvus
7 November 2019

My thanks to the publishers for my ecopy of this book
and to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to be part of the blog tour

Charlotte, daughter of Reverend Percival Hatton, has been content to follow the path laid out for her. Charlotte has an understanding with Captain Nicolas Paget every inch the gentleman who she expects someday to marry. But then she meets Josiah Martyn, and everything changes... 

A driven and ambitious Cornish mining engineer, and the complete opposite to Captain Nicholas,Josiah has come to London to help build the first tunnel under the river Thames. When unpredictable events occur at the inauguration of the project, Josiah and Charlotte are suddenly thrown into an unexpected intimacy. 

But not everyone is happy with Charlotte and Josiah growing closer. As friends turn to foes, will they be able to rewrite the stars and find their happy ever after, although all odds seem to be stacked against them...?

What did I think about it..

Set in London in 1825 this story takes us straight into the heart of late-Georgian life as Charlotte Hatton tends to the needs of her father’s parishioners. The Reverend Percival Hatton is reliant on his daughter for much of the good work that takes place within his parish of St Mary's in the Rotherhithe district of London, and initially there’s a sense that Charlotte is rather overshadowed and content to support her father and stay in the background. She has a sort of ambiguous romantic connection with a certain Captain Nicholas Paget, who is a bit of damp squib in the romance stakes, and who doesn’t set Charlotte’s heart racing as much as the handsome Josiah Martyn, a young man who is working as an engineer building the ambitious new tunnel under the River Thames. Charlotte’s growing involvement with Josiah causes a great deal of speculation within the parish.

What then follows is a beautifully written historical saga which looks at all the social complexities which beset young women during this time. The author brings the story alive with her descriptions of Charlotte’s life, especially the restrictions placed on women whose only security came from securing a husband. The story flows well and kept my interest throughout and the many twists and turns in the plot add an interesting dimension to Charlotte's burgeoning friendship with Josiah Martyn. There’s a nice array of characters, some were far more likeable than others, but it was interesting to see how they all fitted into the wider detail of the story. I have to admit to knowing absolutely nothing about the Thames tunnel, so it has been fascinating to learn more about this event, and of the real life people who were involved with its construction.

This type of romantic historical fiction is something of a departure for this author whose previous novels have been set in a later time period, so its been interesting to see how she brings the London she knows so well alive in an altogether earlier historical setting.

The Rector's Daughter is a well researched and beautifully authentic historical saga by an author who really knows how to bring history alive in the imagination.

About the Author

Jean Fullerton is the author of thirteen novels all set in East London where she wasborn. She also a retired district nurse and university lecturer. She won the Harry Bowling prise in2006 and after initially signing for two East London historical serieswith Orion she moved to Corvus,part of Atlantic Publishing and is half way through her WW2 East London series featuring the Brogan family.

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Twitter @JeanFullerton

@rararesources

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