REVIEW: Jane by Linda O'Byrne

Jane (Cousins of Pemberley #4) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance, Victorian era

Read: 22nd June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 10th December 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice. In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines - cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

The Darcys have always worried about their daughter Jane. Gentle and delicate, she has been cosseted and protected from the world. But all the Darcy wealth and power cannot save Jane from heartbreak and betrayal.

Can she find a courage no one believes she has? Can she break free from the golden cage that imprisons her?

MY THOUGHTS:

The Cousins of Pemberley series is unique in that it is like a Regency romance yet set in early Victorian times that the two eras overlapped. The nuances and innuendos are what one would exepct from a Regency novel with its easy style and gentle pace. But what I have come to love about this series is that each of the leading ladies are different. Each has a different strength to draw on and yet their flaws are not dissimilar, I find.

JANE tells the story of the younger of the Darcy twins. She is the quieter more reserved of the two. She isn't outspoken or bold like her older twin Anne, and yet she has a gentle strength that even she didn't know she possessed. Jane is used to fading into the background, of being of no consequence, of remaining unnoticed. She has had someone take the lead for her all of her life having been the weaker of the twins, there was a danger that she may not survive at all. But she rallied although she was still the first to succumb to a cold or illness, her weakness being explained away as not being as strong as her sister.

The story begins in the wake of Miriam having left to sail the seas with her sea captain Nicholas Sullivan and hoping to marry at the first opportunity. That aside, Elizabeth Darcy's first concern is for that of her daughter Jane whose heart has been broken by the man she claims to have been in love with and him having proposed marriage to Anne instead! Heartbroken, Jane locks herself away in her room as Elizabeth worries about her constitution and how it would suffer such a heartbreak. Thus, it is decided that Jane will leave Pemberley for the confines of her beloved godfather's estate in Dorset, Deerwood Park. But still Elizabeth fears for her daughter and asks Susanna Courtney to accompany her. Jane is both annoyed and delighted. Annoyed that her family still see her as needing kid gloves and delighted that her friend will be joining her on the long journey south.

Their arrival in Dorset is met with a near accident and the irritating arrogance of Archer Maitland, who set Jane's teeth on edge almost from the first. If that wasn't all, upon arriving at Deerwood Park she finds that her god father Colonel Fitzwilliam is not alone but has a guest staying. Celeste is their distant Italian relative from Sicily, granddaughter to her father's disgraced younger sister Rose Fitzwilliam who eloped with an Italian groom at the tender age of 15...and without her father's consent. It seems Celeste is her granddaughter come to meet her English cousins after the death of her beloved grandmother. Jane, who normally has the Colonel's favour, finds that it is Celeste who now sits by his side and has taken her usual rooms. It seems her safehaven is hers no longer.

And just when things couldn't get any worse...Jane discovers that Archer Maitland and his friend Dr Andrew Moore are to be guests for dinner that night. Jane's knowledge of Archer is that he is a law man down in London and that her sister Anne has spoken favourably of him. It is therefore expected that he is to propose to Anne at any moment and Jane believes the couple to be perfectly suited. Both are stubborn and used to getting their own way. Anne loves the parties and high life of London, those which will come with being the wife of a man of law and aspiring politician. Jane, however, does not. She prefers a quiet life. 

So why, whenever she is in his presence, does her heart beat that little bit louder? Why do her hands perspire at the mere thought of him? And why does she tremble at his touch?

So why does Archer look at her so intently? Why does he say things to her that surely cannot mean what he says? And why is he dragging his heels at proposing to Anne?

We are transported back in time to 1834 as we revisit the cousins of Pemberley once again. Although Pemberley features only a little in this tale, it lingers there in the background that is home to everyone. We spend most of the time in Dorset and in London this time as we follow Jane as her story entwines with the expected beau of her twin sister Anne. At first when I met Archer I thought "please no". He was arrogant and irritating but I knew from past experience that this nature would be turned about to reveal a more favourable one. And by the time I was halfway through I was hoping the two of them would quit dancing around what was clearly obvious. But of course in these times, it was not proper to behave so openly.

At any rate, JANE is a wonderful addition to the Cousins of Pemberley series that I would have gotten through a lot quicker had real life not gotten in the way. It has that easy style and gentle place and, unlike the old style of Austen, it is easy to read. It doesn't need full descriptions or to be too wordy to build the picture that readers can clearly see.

A delightfully fun read as with all in the Cousins of Pemberley series, JANE has the easy gentle pace that I love of this type of book. A must for Austen fans and those of "Pride of Prejudice".

I would like to thank #LindaOByrne, #SpellboundBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #Jane in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

   

REVIEW: The Couple Across the Street by Anita Waller

The Couple Across the Street by Anita Waller

Genre: Domestic thriller, Domestic drama

Read: 13th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 20th June 2023

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A darkness settles on this supposedly quiet street...

When Clare becomes a widow, her response is something that shocks her – relief. All she wants to do is move on and figure out how to continue her life, alone, no matter the guilt that brings.

So when Vic, her closest friend, comes to her, showing the signs of trouble in her own marriage, she is more than supportive in helping her leave Rob.

But Vic doesn’t get the chance to do that. Because as they go over to Vic's house to collect her things, they find a body. Rob’s.

It appears someone else had an axe to grind. But for Clare, already reeling from secrets from her own late husband’s dark past, she’s about to find out this murder isn’t as straightforward as it may appear…

MY THOUGHTS:

Who knows what goes on behind closed doors...?

This is only the second book I've read by this author and I'm stil unsure whether it's my cup of tea. I enjoyed the story but it's a kind of mixed bag. The title seems to have nothing really to do with the real story...which I'm still trying to unpick. It begins with a woman becoming a widow and learning to live without her husband to her best friend across the road leaving her own husband to the murder of said husband to the discovery of a secret child!

Clare has just buried husband John after his short battle with cancer. Her description of her husband is somewhat mixed as she attests to having loved him but then says he was a little controlling, preferring her to stay at home to care for him and his daughters. Did he not want her to have an identity or life outside of the home? I don't know. I couldn't get much of a read on him as he was not actually around to assess.

Across the street, Vic and her husband Rob have been having problems and so one day after Rob heads off to work, Vic turns up with the news that she's leaving him...culminating in a bright purple black bruise across her face. Vic has a flat all set across town that not even Clare knows where so she can't be forced to reveal her whereabouts to Rob should he come demanding answers. Which he inevitably does, knowing the two women are best friends.

Clare's daughters are preparing for new lives of their own. Sara and Greg are about to embark on a new chapter in their lives while Grace and Megan have just bought an apartment together...something they felt they couldn't do while Grace's father was still alive as he never really accepted their relationship.

Meanwhile across town a young man, Jed Grantham, has just buried his mother and is now looking for answers that only she could have provided but never did. And his search brings him into the lives of Clare and her extended family, bringing with it a shocking revelation.

Set against the backdrop of the Queen's death and her funeral, I was taken back to that time last year and remembered the emotions I felt too at having lost the only monarch I had ever known. This is the first book I have read with the Queen's death and funeral as a backdrop though it probably won't be the last. It doesn't play a huge part but it is there and serves to remind us.

I really tried to like the story but I really couldn't see the point of all the story threads in one book. It kind of made it a bit of a haphazard mess and I'm still not sure what to think of it. It felt rather disjointed and the characters were hard to connect with. And then another curve ball from ten years previous was thrown in...once that was, it was pretty easy to figure out what happened then.

I would like to thank #AnitaWaller, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheCoupleAcrossTheStreet in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Anita Waller was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire in 1946. She married Dave in 1967 and they have three adult children.

With many books to her name, she feels she has finally realised her dream, a dream offered to her in July 2015 when Bloodhound Books accepted her first novel, Beautiful. She writes mainly psychological thrillers, but was commissioned in 2018 to write a cosy mystery series, the Kat and Mouse trilogy. By March 2022 this will have grown to eight books, plus a spin-off standalone novel called Epitaph, featuring Doris, one of the characters from the series.

She is now seventy-six years of age, happily writing most days and would dearly love to plan a novel, but has accepted that isn’t the way of her mind. Every novel starts with a sentence and she waits to see where that sentence will take her, and her characters.

As of March 2022 the total number of books published by Bloodhound Books will be twenty. Anita’s personal favourite? Winterscroft, her only supernatural thriller. Her first book for Boldwood Books was published in August 2022.

In her life away from the computer in the corner of her kitchen, she is a Sheffield Wednesday supporter with blue blood in her veins!

Her genre is murder – necessary murder.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter SignUp | BookBub | Goodreads

REVIEW: Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas

Read: 12th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 14th June 2023

★ 1 star

DESCRIPTION:

A gritty story of two girls, from opposite backgrounds and their search for freedom and happiness.

1925 - The Midland Canals

Born on the canals, feisty Beth Dawson, knows danger lurks in the shadows. When she falls victim to a vicious attack and knowing she might be pregnant, she quickly marries a fellow boatman.

Her mundane existence is interrupted by the arrival of Anthony Wesley whose mission is to organise the impoverished boatmen for strike action.

Anthony makes her feel valued and she wants to help the cause in any way she can.

Along the way she makes friends with rebellious Abigail Gatehouse, daughter of the owner of the company. She too is in love with Anthony and sensing the attraction between them, Abigail is overcome with jealousy.

Both young women are soon caught up in events that spiral out of control. Only time will tell where the future lies for either of them.

In the meantime, it’s all about survival...

Previously published as Where the Wild Thyme Blows by Jeannie Johnson**

MY THOUGHTS:

I love this author and I was eager to dive into this new saga tale from her pen. But from the first page my blood was boiling and I found myself really struggling with this book. Which is a shame as I have read plenty and have loved many by Lizzie Lane. I love her Tobacco Girls series as well as her newer Coronation Close series. But this one just felt different and I simply couldn't get past Beth's father and his ignorant treatment of her. Having just lost a dear friend maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind, I don't know. But I had to pass on this one as it was for a blog tour and I simply couldn't read it.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TroubleForTheBoatGirl in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: Catherine by Linda O'Byrne

Catherine (Cousins of Pemberley #2) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 18th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 7th March 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice.

In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines - cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

Catherine Collins, a very ordinary young woman - plain, quiet, often over-looked but possessing a reputation for having great common-sense. Or so her distant cousin Elizabeth Darcy believes and so recommends her as governess for little Matilda Courtney.

Catherine travels to Northumberland, full of good intentions to do her best and be a credit to the family.

But appearances and reputations can be deceptive - Robert and Martin Courtney will soon learn exactly what type of girl Elizabeth has sent them.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have to wonder where I was when these books came up for tour as they only came to my attention when I read "Miriam" which is book three in this delightful series. I would have loved to have toured for both "Cassandra" and this one CATHERINE but...better late than never! I do so love a Regency romance and, while these are technically in the new Victorian era, they do reflect that same easy style and temperance of a Regency read.

CATHERINE begins almost exactly where "Cassandra" left off as they are all in a cloud of wedding celebrations and its wake after the delayed nuptials of Dr Richard Courtney and Cassandra Bennet (formerly Wickham). The family travels from far and wide for the wedding with Catherine Collins arriving with her stepmother Kitty and half sister Harriet from Longbourn, the Bennet family estate passed on to Catherine's father the Reverand Collins after the death of Mr Bennet, much to Mrs Bennet's distress...though she remains in residence with her daughter Kitty and the Reverand Collins. Also arriving from the north is Richard's family from Courtney Castle - Sir Robert Courtney, the new heir to the estate since their father's passing earlier in the year, and their Aunt Honoria, their father's sister. And in a flash, the couple are married and making their home in Wyvern Lodge not far from Pemberley.

Catherine Collins is the plain unattractive daughter of Elizabeth Darcy's oldest friend, Charlotte Lucas. But after her death, her husband remarried Elizabeth's sister Kitty and produced a daughter of their own whom Catherine now finds herself in charge of. She dresses more as a governess in plain greys and browns rather than something more becoming. But since her stepmother has thrust the child in her direction at every turn, Catherine has little else to say or do in the matter. So when she is seen dancing in the gardens of Pemberley barefoot and carefree by the two remaining Courtney brothers - Sir Robert and Martin - it is easy to mistake her for a servant.

But Catherine dreams of more than just a life of servitude at her stepmother's behest, though she cares for her little sister at four she is most precocious. So when she is approached by her godmother Elizabeth Darcy with the request that she travel north as Sir Robert Courtney's guest to act as a governess to his six year old daughter Matilda who has remained mute since the sudden death of her mother a year or two before. But after a long and tiring journey from Derbyshire to Northumberland, she is shocked to recognise Sir Robert as one of the men who had seen her so carefree in the gardens of Pemberley! Just as he is as surprised to learn that the young woman he mistook for a servant girl is actually the distant cousin of the Darcys. Much to the amusement of little brother Martin, who is often at Courtney Castle when his cashflow runs low and he is in need of an injection of funds.

Upon arriving at Courtney Castle, Catherine falls into a routine with her young charge and finds that the girl is actually quite bright. The fact she has remained mute since her mother's tragic death is nothing short of a mystery since there is no medical reason for her to do so. And after spending time with Matilda she firmly believes that the little girl will find her voice once again when she chooses to.

Catherine's position as governess is only temporary until Sir Robert marries again and there seems to be an understanding that he will do so very soon to an old family friend, Miss Abigail Richmond, who can bring breeding and money to the union. And Abigail certainly expects Sir Robert to propose at any moment. But Abigail also harbours plans of her own...none of which include Matilda, Catherine or Courtney Castle.

Meanwhile, Catherine and Sir Robert have formed a strained friendship of sorts as they clash over Matilda on occasion. Catherine knows he loves his daughter but he doesn't really know her. Matilda adores her father, that much is clear. And while Catherine loves Matilda, she didn't expect to develop feelings for Sir Robert. But social differences divide them as Abigail is quick to point out. The woman is a patronising snob quick to put Catherine in her place and make disparaging remarks about her dress or appearance...or even a reference to her familiarity with hovels, since she must have come from one herself.

I grew to like Catherine who is somewhat free-spirited though duty constrains her. I did find her thoughts frustrating at times though I guess that's because as the reader we are also privy to Sir Robert's. Martin is a terrible flirt and he did inject some humour with his flirtatious innuendo, as did Honoria with her keen eye and knowledge. I was thrilled to see Bennetta make an appearance and do so hope there will be a story in which she can shine promimently. But Abigail. It goes without saying that she is the fly in the ointment. She is patronising, condescending and I just was dying to see Sir Robert put her in her place...but he was too gentlemanly to do so. 

I thoroughly enjoyed CATHERINE, as I have done with all the Cousins of Pemberley series. I have already read book 3 "Miriam" so I will be moving onto book 4 "Jane" next, followed by "Merryn". And then...I will have to await which of the cousins come next!

A delightfully fun read as with all in the Cousins of Pemberley series, CATHERINE has the easy gentle pace that I love of this type of book. A must for Austen fans and those of "Pride of Prejudice".

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

  

REVIEW: Cassandra by Linda O'Byrne

Cassandra (Cousins of Pemberley #1) by Linda O'Byrne

Genre: Historical fiction, Regency romance

Read: 17th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 23rd December 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice.

In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines - cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.

Cassandra Wickham, daughter of a flirt and a scoundrel, an innocent abroad in a world where money can buy you anything, even a bride.

When danger threatens and the man she thought she could rely on fails her, there is only one place she can turn to

for help -

Pemberley.

Surely the Darcy's will protect her, no matter what happened in the past to divide the two families?

MY THOUGHTS:

Fans of "Pride and Prejudice" will simply delight in this expansion on the Bennet family in the form of the sisters' children, thus the cousins of Pemberley. The first of these novels to come to my attention was actually the third in this series "Miriam" which I read last year and thoroughly enjoyed that I simply HAD to get my hands on the first two. But as time went on, the fell further down my TBR list...until the tours came up for books four and five...and I knew I had to go back to the beginning before forging on with the latest two.

Cassandra Wickham is the daughter of the youngest Bennet sisters, the flighty young Lydia who had a torrid affair with a groundsman and ran off to marry him. And thus producing Cassandra. However, when Cassandra was 8 her father, a  military man, was killed in India leaving her mother in a flair of hysterics before rather hastily moving on to marry Colonel Allerton four months later.

Now, Cassandra is 18 and her mother is preparing her daughter like a lamb to the slaughter for the Regimental Ball where she hopes to find a husband for her. But Cassandra has no thoughts of marriage with any of the men on offer. Her stepfather, however, has other ideas. And whilst she is in the garden taking a breath of fresh air, she hears the Colonel offer to sell her to the highest bidder. Without a second thought, Cassandra steals herself home where she packs a bag and disappears in the night leaving a letter for her mother telling her not to worry. 

She flees to Pemberley and to the safe confines of her Aunt Elizabeth Darcy...only to find that the Darcys are away and only the youngest, fifteen year old Bennetta, is in residence. But Bennetta, bored and looking for adventure, is only to happy to take in the drenched Cassandra that the young footman mistook for a beggar. Cassandra confides in her young cousin the conversation she overheard and, fearing her stepfather will come looking for her, they hatch a plan to bide their time until Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Darcy return.

However, fate intervenes when a blizzard scuppers their carefully laid plans leaving Bennetta injured and unconscious and Cassandra delirious from fever in the house of the respected Dr Richard Courtney. As the good doctor knows that her stepfather is currently in London searching for his runaway charge, will he throw her to the wolves and inform him of her whereabouts? After all, he is unaware of the bidding war the Colonel had with one of his cronies to sell the girl off to. And when Cassandra finally awakes, she begs the doctor to refrain from telling her parents...but is she too late? And why has her Aunt and Uncle Darcy not come to rescue her? Surely they have returned by now and Bennetta has informed them of her circumstances. But maybe in that she has her answer. Maybe the Darcys want nothing to do with Lydia's runaway daughter and the mess she has surely brought to their door. Maybe she should just resign herself to her fate.

I absolutely loved this regency tale of love, lies and deception. Also the added adventure orchestrated by young Bennetta who is an absolute delight! I can't wait for her story! Please tell me there will be one, cause it will be a cracker of a read. CASSANDRA is a delightfully quick read at just 210 pages and I could have easily devoured it in one sitting (had I not needed sleep). 

The cousins of Pemberley is a brilliant and wonderful concept for a series. Linda O'Byrne has harnessed the idea and run with it with great success. She has built on the existing characters of "Pride and Prejudice" in the Bennet sisters and has thus extended beyond them to their own offspring, therefore creating a whole new generation from them. And she captured the spirit of the whole era and that of the original story.

As much as I adore Jane Austen adapted to the screen I find her books very difficult to read so I find this series, whilst being an honourary nod to Ms Austen, it is far easier to read and far less wordy than Austen's own works. Having said that, anyone who loves "Pride and Prejudice" (or Jane Austen for that matter) is bound to enjoy this series.

And on that note, I am off to dive into Book Two of the Cousins of Pemberley series - "Catherine" - daughter of William and the late Charlotte Collins, who was Elizabeth's closest friend. I fear (from what I read in this book) that I will not warm to Catherine's father.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination - I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children!   Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals!  Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time - I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes - but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

 

SPOTLIGHT: Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

 

Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas

Read: 12th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 14th June 2023

DESCRIPTION:

A gritty story of two girls, from opposite backgrounds and their search for freedom and happiness.

1925 - The Midland Canals

Born on the canals, feisty Beth Dawson, knows danger lurks in the shadows. When she falls victim to a vicious attack and knowing she might be pregnant, she quickly marries a fellow boatman.

Her mundane existence is interrupted by the arrival of Anthony Wesley whose mission is to organise the impoverished boatmen for strike action.

Anthony makes her feel valued and she wants to help the cause in any way she can.

Along the way she makes friends with rebellious Abigail Gatehouse, daughter of the owner of the company. She too is in love with Anthony and sensing the attraction between them, Abigail is overcome with jealousy.

Both young women are soon caught up in events that spiral out of control. Only time will tell where the future lies for either of them.

In the meantime, it’s all about survival...

Previously published as Where the Wild Thyme Blows by Jeannie Johnson**

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson

Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson

Genre: Historical fiction, Fact with fiction

Read: 12th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 4th April 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

It is Coronation Year, 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the residents of the Blue Lion hotel.

 

Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold coach will pass by the hotel’s front door, allowing Edie to charge a fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from financial ruin. Edie’s luck might just be turning, all thanks to a queen she is unlikely ever to meet. 

Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at Picture Weekly magazine. London in celebration mode feels like a different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past and bring hope for her future.

James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion, though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is badly amiss at his new home.

When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.

MY THOUGHTS:

At a time of celebration, someone is determined to destroy lives...

As an avid royalist, I simply devour any fiction surrounding the Royal Family. From Princess Charlotte from regency times to Queen Victoria to our very own Queen Elizabeth, merely a glimpse into these lives through the eyes of fiction creates a stunning backdrop to any story no matter the era. CORONATION YEAR provides just that and a little bit more. There is enough history woven into the fabric of the tale to keep it interesting as the main story takes centre stage throughout, shining in the light of the upcoming Coronation. Throughout the story there lurks the shadow of a nation still overcoming the darkness of the second world war...and something else.

The story begins on the 1st January 1953 with Edie Howard, owner of the Blue Lion Hotel, awaking to a new year and new promises of what's to come...thus being the Coronation Year of the new Queen. Preparations are underway for the momentous in just five months' time as she busies to ensure the Blue Lion will surely shine on the day with its position along the procession route of Her Majesty.

Since inheriting the hotel from her parents upon their deaths at the height of the Blitz (not by a bomb but an ambulance, rather), Edie has struggled to dig it out of the hole her father had about buried it in. She is determined to make it a success again and not let it slip through her fingers as for over four hundred years there has always been a Howard running the Blue Lion, since her ancestor James Howard built it in the 16th century. Though she struggles to keep it afloat what with the death duties, the cost of repairs and the basic running of the establishment not to mention the wages for her staff, Edie often wonders if she is at all up to the task. After all, she does seem to be running the hotel at a loss. It doesn't help, of course, that she heavily discounts several of her long term boarders, two of whom are the Honourable Crane sisters who have been in situ since 1927 awaiting the outcome of some legality that saw them disinherited after their father's death. And then there is the somewhat eccentric Professor Thurloe who presents Edie with a list of complaints that he insists on embellishing even further in person, should there be any misunderstanding.

In recent times, she has had numerous offers from an interested party who doesn't appear to be giving up despite her protestations that she will not sell the Blue Lion. This hotel is in her blood. She has grown up here. She was born solely to be its heir after the deaths of her older brothers in the Great War forty years before and she herself is just six year years older than their new Queen. The Coronation does promise to bring in even more custom for the momentous occasion, an event for which Edie can charge a premium for her rooms overlooking the procession route. Of course, two of those rooms are currently occupied by the Honourable Misses Crane and she must first navigate the minefield that they will surely lay at her feet when she requests that they move temporarily across the corridor so that she can charge a premium for those that will be happy to pay for the Coronation. But that is just one of the many things that Edie has on her ever growing list of things to do before she may well combust from frustration...or exhaustion.

We meet Stella Donati, a Holocaust survivor in Rome who sees an advertisement for a photographer for Publisher Weekly in London, never imagining for one moment that she would be successful. When she is, she immediately writes her friend Edie asking for affordable establishments in which she could board but Edie, ever the friend and despite her struggling business, offers her a room at the Blue Lion for a song. She learns her art and gains confidence under the guiding hand of her boss Kaz and her mentor Win. Over time we learn her family's backstory and the sadness she carries and horrors of the Holocaust. Her new life in London sees her develop new friendships and create bonds with those who share a kinship with her story.

Then there is Jamie Geddes, a Scottish artist with Indian ancestry. Commissioned to create a unique painting of the Queen's procession on Coronation Day, he finds himself taking a room at the Blue Lion with the perfect vantage point he needs of the procession route. A man battling his own demons left over from the war, Jamie soon begins a friendship with Edie after offering a few words of wisdom to help her relax and enjoy her surroundings. He becomes something of a confidante when Edie finds herself confessing the dire circumstances facing the hotel to which he offers some suggestions. One in the form of a legend that has carried through time of the first Queen Elizabeth having sought shelter at the Blue Lion during a blizzard - a tale set to draw in tourists as everyone loves a legend, especially one as famous as a previous Queen.

Everything looks promising in the lead up to Coronation Day until a threat emerges attempting to derail everyone's plans and all of Edie's hard work. Who wishes to stop the Coronation from going ahead? Who would want to bring down the Blue Lion? And who wants to bring Edie to her knees? Who has it against her that much that they would threaten to ruin Coronation Day for everyone?

It goes without saying that I absolutely loved CORONATION YEAR. It had that nice blend of fact with fiction bringing to life something that to most of us would be quite out of reach. I especially enjoyed the epilogue ensuring the Queen was not just there as a backdrop. I totally adored the Queen and was devastated by her death so seeing her brought to life once again through this tale was heartwarming. I thought Robson captured her perfectly - that unique essence that was the Queen...there, but just a little beyond reach. You feel that distance even when in her presence but then that is to be expected. How can one not? She was the Queen. How terribly lonely and isolating it would be despite the hundreds of those from ladies in waiting to soldiers and guards at her disposal. To not just be...because you are the Queen. The author captures that in just a few short pages and yet makes you feel as if you played an important part of the day.

Told through the alternating narratives of Edie, Stella and Jamie, CORONATION YEAR brings to life the countdown to this momentous event in history from the dawn of the new year, month by month up until the Coronation and then through towards the end of the year where everything is deftly wrapped up.

I had shelved "The Gown" to read some time ago but forgot about it until I came across this one. Now I shall have to make sure to read it in between my hundreds of others in my TBR pile.

A wonderfully delightful read, CORONATION YEAR is perfect for royal fans with that little bit of fact cleverly woven with fiction.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

An academic by background, a former editor by profession, and a lifelong history nerd, Jennifer is the author of seven novels set during and after the two world wars: Somewhere in France, After the War is Over, Moonlight Over Paris, Goodnight from London, The Gown, Our Darkest Night, and Coronation Year. I was also a contributor to the acclaimed anthology Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War.

Jennifer was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. She studied French literature and Modern History as an undergraduate at King’s University College at Western University, then attended Saint Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, where she obtained my doctorate in British economic and social history. While at Oxford she was a Commonwealth Scholar and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow.

Jennifer lives in Toronto, Canada, with her husband and children, and shares her home office with Bonnie the sheepdog and her feline companions Mika, Rachel, and Obi.

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