Category: Historical fiction

Recent Reads: Protector by Conn Iggulden (Athenian 2)

Posted on by Pam

My review:???

Protector by Conn Iggulden is the second book in the Athenian series.  You can read my review of The Gates of Athens here.

Protector is set after the Persians have taken Athens, and it’s burning.  Themistocles is ready to go to war with the Persians again to reclaim Athens.

This is an action packed book, with lots of fighting, and descriptions of men fighting with swords, but there are also fights of words. 

I found this book to be very battle heavy, and have realised that this isn’t something that I always want in my books, but I enjoyed the classical Greek history that inspired this book. 

Protector was published on 13th May 2021, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Conn Iggulden on the official fan facebook page, run by his publishers.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Michael Joseph.

Recent Reads: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is set both in present day and in 1791.  Caroline is in the present day.  She’s travelled to London on a ten year anniversary trip, except she’s without her husband, who she’s just caught cheating on her. 

Nella is in 1791, an is an apothecary.  She follows her mothers work of helping women, except she does it by providing poisons that they use to kill the men causing them problems.

Caroline starts to discover information about Nella’s apothecary, and spending time researching helps Caroline understand what she wants to do in her life.

This was a good story, with situations in the past and present echoing each other.  It’s well written, and really interesting.

The Lost Apothecary was published on 2nd March 2021, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Sarah Penner on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

Recent Reads: The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles is set in Paris during World War 2, and is the story of the librarians at the American Library in Paris.

We meet Odile who is young and in love, living with her parents and brother in Paris in 1939.  She has a young man who is courting her, and works at the American Library, except the Nazis have taken control of Paris.

In Montana in 1983, Lily is a teenager, whose mother is dying and her neighbour Odile is there at a time when she is most needed.

We jump between these two stories, learning more about Odile and Lily, and what happened in Paris and Montana.  This is a well written book, with stories of friendship, love and loss.  

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles was published on 9th February 2021, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones (signed edition!) and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Janet Skeslien Charles on Twitter and her website.

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

Recent Reads: The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden

Posted on by Pam

My review:????

The Gates of Athens by Conn Iggulden is set in ancient Athens, starting in 490 B.C.E. (I prefer B.C.E which stands for Before Christian Era compared to B.C which stands for Before Christ.  It’s exactly the same year.  The book is written with B.C.)

Anyway, we’re in 490 B.C.E in Athens, and we’re joining men of Athens who are going to Marathon to fight the Persians.  We meet Xanthippus, Thermistocles, Aristides and other historical figures, and see events unfold for them.  Because yes, this is the famous battle of Marathon!  We see the aftermath, and how the Athenians carry out day to day affairs.

I enjoyed this book for the look at ancient Athens, and how democracy worked for them during this time, and there is a lot of political machinations and war in this book.  I also enjoyed revisiting characters that I learnt about during my degree.  

This is the first in a new series that will be set in these ancient times, so if you’d like to learn more then this is an enjoyable way to do it!

The Gates of Athens was published on 29th September 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and from your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Conn Iggulden on the official fan facebook page, run by his publishers.

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Michael Joseph.

Recent Reads: The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle by Neil Blackmore

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle by Neil Blackmore starts with brothers Edgar and Benjamin being declared ready by their mother to go on The Grand Tour, where the young and rich would visit Europe, meet people, see historic sites, and make mistakes.  Above all, their mother makes them swear that they will look after each other, and she is sure that this tour will be the making of them in society.

Benjamin is our protagonist, and so it’s his experiences on the journey that we see, along with his meeting Mr Lavelle, which changes so many things for Benjamin, and for Edgar.

It is a story of love, of changes, and of consequences.  I thought it was good, and uncomfortable in places, but didn’t want to put it down.  

The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle was published on 13th August 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Neil Blackmore on his website and on Twitter.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House, Cornerstone (the publishers).

Recent Reads: Asgard, Vol 1, Ironfoot with Script by Xavier Dorison and Art by Ralph Meyer

Posted on by Pam

My review: ???

Asgard Volume 1, Ironfoot with script by Xavier Dorison and art by Ralph Meyer is a graphic novel set in the time of the Vikings.  

Asgard is born without the lower half of one of his legs, and so should have been killed as a baby, but his father decided not to.  Since then, Asgard has become a renowned killer of beasts of legend.

When a sea serpent of mythical size starts attacking, Asgard is the man that the king wants on the job, but they have history.

I enjoyed this trip into history, and seeing what life was like for the Vikings.  

Asgard was published on 17th April 2019, and is available on Amazon.   I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can have a look at other Graphic novels I’ve reviewed on here!

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley and to Europe Comics (the publishers) for this book.

Recent Reads: Gloria Victis by Script by Juanra Fernandez and Art by Mateo Guerrero

Posted on by Pam

My review:  ????

Gloria Victis by Juanra Fernandez and Mateo Guerrero is set in Ancient Rome, when chariot raced by slaves would be careering around a track with hundreds of spectators all betting on who would win.  Think Ben Hur!

This graphic novel has the excitement of the race, and the risks to the drivers. We also see where the horses and charioteers are trained.

If you don’t know much about Ancient Rome, then this might be an enjoyable introduction for you.  You meet slaves, freemen, masters and mistresses.  You can see the problems that slaves and freedmen have with those who have power over their lives.

I thought this was fast paced and enjoyable.

Gloria Victis was published in 2017, and is available on Amazon. 

If you’re interested in graphic novels, have a look to see what else I’ve reviewed !

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

If you’re interested in seeing what else I’m reading, have a look at my GoodReads profile!

Recent Reads: How much of these hills is gold by C Pam Zhang

Posted on by Pam

My review: ????

How much of these hills is gold is a novel set in the wild west of America, during the gold rush.  It looks at Chinese immigrants, who you’ll probably have seen in films set during these times, building rail roads.

We follow two siblings, who are trying to survive in this harsh world, and flash back to their earlier childhoods, and their parents.

This isn’t a light read, but was a very interesting look at a time that has been so documented from the white cowboys point of view.

I enjoyed this book.  It’s a overwhelming experience of a different time and place, but one that is well written, and takes out to the wild landscapes described.  It’s a tale of siblings, their love, their rivalry, and their commitment to family, all set within a world that we’ve seen often in films and books.  It gives a lot of insights and gives a glimpse of what life was like.

How Much of These Hills is Gold was published on 9th April 2020,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on  Waterstones.  The Waterstones link takes you to a signed edition!  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

If you’re interested in historical books from a different perspective, then I think you’d enjoy The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Little, Brown Book Group and Virago (the publishers) for this book.

 
Check out my GoodReads profile for more reviews.

 

Recent Reads: Watchers of the Dead by Simon Beaufort

Posted on by Pam

My review: ???

Watchers of the Dead by Simon Beaufort is set in London, 1882, with the Natural History Museum only recently opened!  There are cannibals and dinosaur bones.  Yes, three people from Africa are going to be on show, except they’ve gone missing.  

Alec Lonsdale, a reporter for Pall Mall Gazette stumbles on the body in the basement of the Natural History Museum when hunting for the cannibals!  This leads him to discover there’s been some other murders, and the cannibals are the police’s chief suspects!

I found Watchers of the Dead to be full of people from the time, which is really interesting from a historical perspective, but I feel the story fell a bit flat, with quite a lot going on that got a little muddled, and then what felt like big character moments being dealt with in one line.

Crime books are one of my favourite genres, and I read them for different reasons.  Cosy crime (which I’m afraid I would lump Golden Age crime in to) is my midnight read, historical for a bit of a history lesson, crime thriller are ones not to read at bedtime because you’ll be sucked in to the action.

When I think of historical crime, I think of C.J Sansom (Matthew Shardlake), Lindsey Davis (Falco), and Ellis Peters (Cadfael), and I’m afraid Watchers of the Dead didn’t quite measure up to these!


Watchers of the Dead was published on 1st July 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

Simon Beaufort is two people!  Susanna Gregory and Beau Riffenburgh, who write together under the name Simon Beaufort.  

You can follow Susanna Gregory on her website, and you can follow Beau Riffenburgh on this page.

If you’re interested in historical crime book, then here’s some others I’ve reviewed:

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Severn House (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Recent Reads: Season of Darkness by Cora Harrison

Posted on by Pam

My review: ???

Season of Darkness by Cora Harrison is a murder mystery, with Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins as the investigators.

These two authors get sucked into the crime as Dickens recognises the woman who is murdered as one of the young women who went to Urania Cottage, which was a home where women could improve themselves, and then emigrate to Australia, America, or South Africa, to make better lives for themselves.

I found the characters to be quite good, but I found them to be a little obsessive over the one idea of who committed the crime, which annoyed me, but being flawed is human.

Cora Harrison has written quite a few historical crime and historical romance novels, so if you like Season of Darkness you should probably have a look at her other books.

Season of Darkness was published on 1st July 2019,  and is available to buy on Amazon  and on Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Severn House Publishers (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!