#Book On Tour #The Marriage Season: A BRAND NEW regency novel # Jane Dunn # Boldwood Books Publisher # Regency Historical Romance

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW

This book is beautifully written by Jane Dunn and is a story of two sisters Lucie Carey and Sybella Lovatt set in the humorous time of regency England. Lucie rode horses and they lived in the Shotten Hall neighborhood trespassing the grounds for the last four years. Lucie was a fair-haired beauty with blue eyes but strong too. Lucie was not only charming and pretty, she was an accomplished dancer- she knew both to waltz and play piano-forte. She was a fearless rider and could handle a team of horses. Sybella became a widow within two months of married life while in service in the peninsular war against Napolean. Captain Lovatt, Sybella's husband was wounded in the battle of Sahagun when his favorite horse was shot from under him. Leaving Sybella and their son Baby James in grief. 

Once Lucie was in her neighborhood trespassing in the Shotten hall woods, and she finds Mr. Freddie Lynwood on road under a fallen tree branch, he was barely twenty.  Lucie and Sybella help the young man to fix his left leg broken with Dr. Bristow's help. Young Freddie Lynwood was a handsome, well-bred earl.  Sybella Lovatt spent her time in the Orchard gathering apples and honey. Sybella has been very protective of her younger sister. But Lucie and James were the people she loved the most in the world and she longed to see her sister settled with her own home and family. Sybella found her sister Lucie to be very beautiful, competent, and brave. They get to meet Mr Antony Brabazon who is Freddie's Guardian. The Carey sisters were acquainted with old Brabazon when they were small by their father. Mr . Lynwood invites the sisters to London for the season. Will their paths cross in London? What happens to their romantic relationships and flirtatious pretenses there? When they all meet is a delightful splendid read until the happy ending of the novel. Will the Carrey/Lovatt sisters find a suitable match? Will Sybella marry again as her sister Lucie wanted her to marry again and have another child? Will Lucie find a good husband with a respectable estate during the season in London as they stay with Lady Godley? 

Book Description

‘It’s not a fair world I’m afraid. Beauty or fortune carries the day. You have the beauty and I the fortune, so there’s every chance we’ll succeed’

In Regency England, marriage is everything. For young widow Sybella Lovatt, the time has come to find a suitable husband for her sister and ward Lucie. Male suitors are scarce near their Wiltshire estate, so the sisters resolve to head to London in time for the Season to begin.

Once ensconced at the Mayfair home of Lady Godley, Lucie’s godmother, the whirl of balls, parties and promenades can begin. But the job of finding a husband is fraught with rules and tradition. Jostling for attention are the two lords – the charming and irresistible Freddie Lynwood and the preternaturally handsome Valentine Ravenell, their enigmatic neighbour from Shotten Hall, Mr Brabazon, and the dangerous libertine Lord Rockliffe, with whom the brooding Brabazon is locked in deadly rivalry.

Against the backdrop of glamorous Regency England, Sybella must settle Lucie’s future, protect her own reputation, and resist the disreputable rakes determined to seduce the beautiful widow. As the Season ends, will the sisters have found the rarest of things – a suitable marriage with a love story to match?

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life in a page-turning novel packed with surprising revelations, which all comes wittily, gloriously, good in the end.  Perfect for fans of Gill Hornby, Janice Hadlow, Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in their lives.

'Jane Dunn’s THE MARRIAGE SEASON gives all the immersive pleasure of Georgette Heyer’s brilliantly confected Regency novels, in a sublime alternative world of joy. Bridgerton look out!' Melanie Reid, The Times

 

About the Author

Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing - a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which, The Marriage Season, is to be published in January 2023. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

Social Media Links –  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaneDunnAuthor 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janedunnauthor/ 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jane-dunn 

Purchase Link - https://amzn.to/3DqXPOI

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Publishers for an advance copy for my honest review. 

#BOOK REVIEW: THE-INLAWS BY LAURA WOLFE #BOOKOUTURE PUBLISHERS #PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW

Happy Publication Day! The bride-to-be Abigail arranged a camping trip for three nights adventure for her Dad and Mom, Kristen and John Cates, as well as her fiancé Pete and his parents, Darla and Kenny, before their upcoming wedding. They headed towards Michigan's upper peninsula to their trekking and camping site. She had her Diamond ring on during the trip as she was getting married just three months from now. Liam was their tour guide. Pete was working for Abigail's Dad who was very impressed with Pete's work for him. The first few nights of their trip were not as blast as they thought. As they followed Liam into the dense woods with their professional guide, things started getting creepy and someone started leaving messages at the campsites creating a negative energy threatening them. Secrets and troubling stories about each other's families that were hidden unfolded on this trip. Abigail's dad loses his medication and they lost the bear spray. Was someone stealing their belongings? 

I found this book a bit slow in the middle chapters though it was a real page-turner and a quick read after that. And then, One of them is missing and gets killed by accident at the rock cliff as they approach the deep, dark forest with Liam guiding them along a remote trail for another two days. The killing is like in a scene from a horror movie. This made the others worrisome. What would have actually happened? Who could not be trusted on their trip? Abigail has her secrets and intentions that she reveals along the way. The author has kept the reader suspenseful till the end. 

Thanks to Bookouture Publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book for my honest review. I reviewed the book, The In-Laws by  Laura Wolfe, Publication Date: 26 January 2023.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

I peered over the ledge with my heart in my throat. A pop of color caught my eye – I would recognize that jacket anywhere. The body I knew so well lay still, torso twisted one way, head facing the other…

I’d planned this trip to the gorgeous, remote Michigan woodlands as a last-ditch attempt to help strengthen Pete and our families’ bond before the wedding of our dreams. Instead, it has turned into a nightmare that I can’t seem to wake up from. Anger, resentment, and heated arguments weren’t at all what Pete and I had imagined, even less so the horror of discovering a dead body…

Looking around the campsite at my terrified family and future in-laws, I realize that someone on this trip has been keeping secrets from me. What could be dangerous enough to kill for? But then again, I also have secrets of my own, something that if known, could be deadly. The only thing I know for certain is that the murderer is ruthless enough to do anything to keep their story hidden.

Who will be next to pay the ultimate price?

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 26 January 2023

Book Review #The Undercover Secretary #Ellie Midwood #Historical Fiction #Bookouture #Holocaust #War # World War II

 

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW

France, 1942. "I forced myself to hold his gaze. My heart thrashed inside my chest like a bird battering its wings. They knew who I was. They knew what I’d done." These chilling lines set the stage for Ellie Midwood's emotionally charged World War Two novel, "The Undercover Secretary," a tale of courage, sacrifice, and indomitable spirit.

The protagonist, Dora Schaul, has suffered immeasurable losses at the hands of the Nazis. Her loved ones have been torn away from her, leaving her in a world consumed by chaos and despair. Yet, in the face of unimaginable adversity, Dora refuses to succumb to the tyranny of Hitler's regime. The Nazis may have shattered her world, but they will not crush her spirit.

Midwood's storytelling weaves a compelling narrative around Dora, who becomes a beacon of resistance. Working in secret for the underground network in France, Dora undertakes an extraordinary mission – infiltrating the very heart of the enemy as the secretary to the Head of Gestapo, a figure synonymous with brutality and cold-bloodedness.

The tension rises as Dora daily navigates the treacherous waters of her undercover life, constantly at risk of exposure. She rubs shoulders with those she despises, serving coffee to the perpetrators of her family's demise, all the while working towards a mission that could alter the course of history – leaking the names of SS officers to the British press.

Midwood's portrayal of Dora's internal struggles and external challenges is both heart-wrenching and gripping. The juxtaposition of her daily interactions with the enemy and her clandestine mission creates a narrative that is rich in suspense and emotion. The author skillfully captures the essence of the time, the palpable fear, and the unwavering determination of those who fought against an oppressive regime.

The question of survival permeates the story, not only for Dora but for the countless lives she seeks to save. As readers, we are drawn into a world where every moment is fraught with danger, and the consequences of failure are catastrophic.

"The Undercover Secretary" stands out in the genre of World War Two fiction, offering a fresh perspective on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable atrocities. Fans of "The Tattooist of Auschwitz," "The Alice Network," and "The Lilac Girls" will find themselves utterly swept away by this poignant and enthralling novel, a testament to one woman's courage in the darkest hours of history. Ellie Midwood has crafted a tale that lingers long after the last page is turned, reminding us of the power of hope even in the bleakest of times.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Publisher for an advance digital copy for my advance review.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

France, 1942. “I forced myself to hold his gaze. My heart thrashed inside my chest like a bird battering its wings. They knew who I was. They knew what I’d done.” This heartbreaking and unputdownable World War Two novel tells the incredible true story Dora Schaul, who risked her life by coming face-to-face with enemy—the monsters who killed her loved ones.

Dora has lost everything to the Nazis. Her dearest friends have disappeared into thin air. Her parents have been imprisoned in concentration camps and murdered for the crime of simply existing. She has no idea if her darling husband, the devoted and brave Alfred, is still alive.

Though her world is crashing and burning around her, Dora refuses to give in to Hitler’s tyranny. The Nazis may have broken her heart, but they will not break her spirit.

Secretly working for the underground network in France, Dora risks her life on the most dangerous mission in the history of the local resistance. She goes undercover as the secretary of the Head of Gestapo; a soldier with a brutal reputation. A cold-blooded killer.

She is tasked with leaking the names of the SS to the British press. Every day, she rubs shoulders with the enemy. She makes coffee for the people she despises. She types letters for the monsters who killed her family. At any second, she could be found out…

Can she survive, turning the tide of the war and saving thousands of lives? Or will those she loved the most in the world, and millions of other innocent people, have died in vain?

Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network, and The Lilac Girls will be utterly swept away by this heart-wrenching and totally gripping novel about one of history’s most courageous women.

Format

254 pages, ebook

Published

January 19, 2023 by Bookouture

ISBN

9781837900442

Language

English

#BOOK ON TOUR #DEATH AT CROOKHAM HALL #MICHELLE SALTER #HISTORICAL FICTION (The Iris Woodmore Mysteries Book 1)

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW 

Happy Publication Day! In the book Death at Crookham Hall, Iris investigates her mother's death, Violet Woodmore set in London in 1920 while visiting Crookham Hall. Iris Woodmore worked as the only permanent reporter for Elijah Whittle, editor of The Walden Herald. As Iris was looking for stories during the by-election for the next MP for Aldershot. Mrs. Siddons had been declared as the woman candidate for the liberal party. Mrs. Siddon was Iris's friend after her mother's death six years then, and Great War had passed. Lady Delphina Timpson is standing for the conservatives. And Donald Anstey was standing for the labour candidate. Iris investigates her mother suffragette Violet Woodmore's death and finds the waterman of Thames telling Iris that her mother jumped into the water of Thames sinking into the filthy darkness, another martyr to the cause. At the same, Mrs. Siddons had been a suffragette, Is Iris's mother's death caused by the authority by forcing her into the water?. Her mother was marching on Buckingham palace with the other three women, Iris mother went to the house of commons, she didn't go alone, there was Rebecca Dent who was with her - Rebecca had gone missing at the short of the war. Rebecca lived in Walden and not in London. Rebecca worked as a maid for Lord and Lady Timpson. She went missing in August 1914. Iris Woodmore visits Crookham Hall, to the House of Commons to find out more about her mother's death revealing that her mother might have jumped into the Thames. That's when Iris found out Rebecca was with her mother that day. 

And then it happened the murder of Lord Timpson, I enjoyed the courtroom scenes at the end chapters. A cozy mystery set in the 1920s full of suspense and an in-depth plot. 

Thanks to Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (January 18, 2023), Netgalley for an advance copy for my honest review.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (January 18, 2023)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 18, 2023

• BOOK DESCRIPTION
• 
  
• London, 1920. For the first time ever, two women are competing against each other to become an MP. Reporter Iris Woodmore has a big story on her hands when she accompanies one of the candidates to the House of Commons. But it’s a place that holds painful memories. In 1914, her mother died there when she fell into the River Thames during a daring suffragette protest. Then, in the shadow of Big Ben, a waterman tells Iris her mother didn’t fall – she jumped.
• 
  
  Iris discovers that the suffragette with her mother that fateful day has been missing for six years, mysteriously disappearing just after the protest. Desperate to know the truth behind the fatal jump, Iris’s investigation leads her to Crookham Hall, an ancestral home where secrets and lies lead to murder…
  
  
  The first book in the Iris Woodmore cozy crime series.
• 
  

  I just reviewed Death at Crookham Hall by Michelle Salter #DeathatCrookhamHall   #NetGalley

   ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MICHELLE SALTER

Michelle Salter is a historical crime fiction writer based in Hampshire, United Kingdom. Many of her novels are set in the area where she lives and are inspired by real-life 

She brings a love of social history to her novels, 

which reflects how issues of 100 years ago are not so different from the challenges we face today.

When she’s not writing, Michelle can be found knee-deep in mud at her local nature reserve.

She enjoys working with a team of volunteers undertaking conservation activities on land and in water, 

repairing riverbanks, sloshing around in the marshes, and driving a tractor badly.

Boldwood’s IG account - https://www.instagram.com/bookandtonic/

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleSalterWriter 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleASalter 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellesalter_writer/ 

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-salter