Category: Historical fiction

Recent Reads: My Fair Lord by Elisabeth Hobbes

Posted on by Pam

My review:⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a play on ‘My Fair Lady’s and is set the Gilded Age, but with less singing!

I enjoyed the storyline and the settings, which starts in Liverpool.

I found it to be a fun story, and was a quick read, with a very feisty female lead who is struggling to find her place in her family, and in the world.

The clash of the wealthy Americans coming to Britain, looking for titled husbands for their wealthy heiresses, whilst the British have titles but could very much do with an infusion of cash is story that is told often, but I’ve often encountered it from the side of the British, rather than the American, so that was enjoyable!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to One More Chapter.

Recent Reads: The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk

Posted on by Pam

My review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk is a historical story, with automata, travel to the Ottoman Empire, and all set in the 18th century.

This is a mystery story with a fantastical element as Zachary can see into people’s hearts and minds.

I enjoyed the story, and the adventures.  It has sweet moments, and some danger. It was also interesting to look at automata from such a long time ago!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House.

 

Recent Reads: The Year Without Summer by Guinevere Glasfurd

Posted on by Pam

My review:⭐⭐⭐

The Year Without Summer by Guinevere Glasford is set in 1816 when a volcano erupted and the aftereffects caused world wide weather issues, and this follows six different people.

I liked the idea of this book, but I found that jumping around the different points of view to be a little confusing. It has some famous characters in it, like Mary Shelley, and I found that it assumed some prior knowledge about them and what has happened before the book starts.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to John Murray Press.

Recent Reads: Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

Posted on by Pam

My review:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare is a cosy crime set in 1936 with characters going from London to New York on a ship!

It was a good story, and made the time come alive! 

I enjoyed the storyline, the murder mystery, and I was kept guessing the whole way, which is always a good sign to me!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ.

Recent Reads: Plan for the Worst by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 11)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Max went to war with the Time Police in the last book, and Dr Bairstow had to restrain her when they left, all to find that Matthew was with Leon, after the Time Police tried to keep him!

The Time Police are very much people who aren’t allowed at St Mary’s anymore!

Dr Bairstow sends Max, Leon and Matthew off to do what should be a light, easy, uncomplicated job, but because they’re St Mary’s, you know it’s going to be more than that!

The Markham and Hunter hilarity has been going on for a while – are they married or was that a slip of the tongue for Matthew?  Also, Hunter is very pregnant!

I do wish these people would talk to each other, some times, and that’s not just Max and Leon!

Plan for the Worst was published on 16th April 2020 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can read my reviews of the other books in the series below:

Just One Damned Thing After Another – book 1

A Symphony of Echoes – book 2

A Second Chance – book 3

A Trail Through Time – book 4

No Time Like the Past – book 5

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – book 6

Lies, Damned Lies and History – book 7

And The Rest Is History – book 8

The Long and The Short of It – short stories 

An Argumentation of Historians – book 9

Hope for the Best – book 10

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: Long Story Short by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s short stories for books 8-10)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Long Story Short by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s short stories for books 8-10) gives us stories like what happened at Battersea Barricades, and the war that ended because of it.  I’m still not sure what’s happening in America, but that might come out somewhere else!

Some of the stories are very short, and some are more novella length, and I enjoyed the differences.  The novellas added more to the overall story, whereas one story that was very short (Desiccated Water) was just more about the madness that is St Mary’s!

These stories are really only for you if you’re reading the St Mary’s Chronicles, which I hope my enjoyment of them has encouraged you to do!

You can read my reviews of the other books in the series below:

Just One Damned Thing After Another – book 1

A Symphony of Echoes – book 2

A Second Chance – book 3

A Trail Through Time – book 4

No Time Like the Past – book 5

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – book 6

Lies, Damned Lies and History – book 7

And The Rest Is History – book 8

The Long and The Short of It – short stories 

An Argumentation of Historians – book 9

Hope for the Best – book 10

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 10)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

In Hope for the Best by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 10), with Matthew living with the Time Police, as they’ve offered to educate him.  Max is going to work for the Time Police, so she can be near Matthew.  Captain Matthew is Matthew’s person at the Time Police, and they’ve been getting on well.

But you know it’s not going to be smooth sailing!  There’s still Clive Ronan out there somewhere, Max isn’t certain at her position in the Time Police, and wants to be sure Matthew is happy.  Oh, and missing everyone back at St Mary’s!

Another good book in a series that I’m really enjoying for what it tells me about history, as well as the colourful characters!

Hope for the Best was published on 25th April 2019, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can read my reviews of the other books in the series below:

Just One Damned Thing After Another – book 1

A Symphony of Echoes – book 2

A Second Chance – book 3

A Trail Through Time – book 4

No Time Like the Past – book 5

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – book 6

Lies, Damned Lies and History – book 7

And The Rest Is History – book 8

The Long and The Short of It – short stories 

An Argumentation of Historians – book 9

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 9)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor (The Chronicles of St Mary’s book 9) has Max having had enough of Ronan and coming up with a cunning plan!  After he stole Matthew as a baby in the previous book, and killed Helen, and with Leon hunting for him, and returning with Matthew aged 8, he has it coming!

Matthew doesn’t like women because of his last owners, Max feels very redundant, and so this plan is the thing that keeps her going.

The problem with Ronan is one that seems difficult to solve.  The previous book was one of hideous waiting, and this one has Max trying to take control of things.  

This is the only book series I’ve read which has ongoing time travel, and I have been interested in the big bad vs monster of the week that these books have.

An Argumentation of Historians was published on 10th April 2018, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can read my reviews of the other books in the series below:

Just One Damned Thing After Another – book 1

A Symphony of Echoes – book 2

A Second Chance – book 3

A Trail Through Time – book 4

No Time Like the Past – book 5

What Could Possibly Go Wrong? – book 6

Lies, Damned Lies and History – book 7

And The Rest Is History – book 8

The Long and The Short of It – short stories 

You can follow Jodi Taylor on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and her website.

Recent Reads: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell is a historical spooky thriller.  Elsie is newly married and newly widowed, pregnant, and in her late husband’s country estate with a relative of his family.  No one seems to be especially pleased to see her, and then there are some odd things happening.  

They discover some strange wooden figures, and a diary from two hundred years before, all of which suggests something bad happened.

A gothic tale, with settings including a mental asylum, this was an unsettling and thrilling read.

The Silent Companions was published on 5th October 2017 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Laura Purcell on Twitter and her website.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Bloomsbury Books.

Recent Reads: Tell Me, Pretty Maiden by Rhys Bowen (Molly Murphy book 7)

Posted on by Pam

My review:🌟🌟🌟🌟

Daniel is still suspended, waiting on his trial and so has time to kill.  Daniel and Molly go out to skate in Central Park, and they find a body of a woman in the snow, and then they realise the woman is actually alive.

Molly hires Daniel to work for her, as she has a lot of cases at once, and so whilst Daniel looks into the case of a man who has vanished, accused of robbery, Molly is hired by an actress who claims a theatre is haunted!

It’s great to see so much going on for Molly, but also highlights some issues between her and Daniel.  I’m looking forward to the next book, and hope that Daniel’s case is over soon!

Tell Me, Pretty Maiden was published on 4th March 2008 and is available from Amazon and Waterstones.

You can follow Rhys Bowen on Twitter, Facebook and her website.

You can read my review of books in this series: 

Murphy’s Choice (book 1)

Death of Riley (book 2)

For The Love Of Mike (book 3)

In Like Flynn (book 4)

Oh Danny Boy (book 5)

In Dublin’s Fair City (book 6)