Tag Archive | Net Galley

The House Of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer

Apr27

Ripples

The House Of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer is a compelling historical novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is a very unique novel. It opens as the Titanic sinks, but in another dimension – The Titanic survives! Parallel lives with subtle differences. Only two characters share this unique perspective, and for years, each believes the other to be a ghostly voice!

We see the devastation that World War I brings. A generation of young men, lost forever.

Those who returned home were scarred – physically or mentally or both. In August 1914 young men believed that war was glorious, an adventure. They were soon disillusioned. “There’s no glory in the waterlogged pits of death I walk through.”

The role of women was changing as they demanded the right to vote. Lives were opened up due to war, as the women stepped into the men’s roles. In fact, my own paternal Nanny said that the First World War gave her, her freedom as she worked in a munitions factory examining the shell cases.

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The Lost Story Of Sofia Castello by Siobhan Curham

Apr25

Capturing Your Heart

The Lost Story Of Sofia Castello by Siobhan Curham is a totally gripping dual timeline novel that I adored. It is set in 2000 and during the war years, mainly in Portugal.

We see that secrets that have been kept for over fifty years now need to come to light. Fact is stranger than fiction, and I confess to reading with dropped jaw as the book sped towards its conclusion.

The war years were a time of fear and suspicion. There were agents and double agents, and the Gestapo, all lunching in plain sight. As Siobhan Curham sets the scene, my heart rate and pulse rate rose.

We see that friends are born in adversity as a young singer puts aside all thoughts of personal safety in order to rescue a young Jewish girl from the clutches of the Gestapo.

There are all the wasted years as we ponder on what might have been.

Portugal is a vibrant place, even in times of war. The golden sands and the heat contrast sharply with the grey London skies.

Characters maintain their joi d’vivre even into their eighties, persuading others to abandon their straight way of thinking, throw caution to the wind, and dive into life.

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The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins

Apr20

Marvellous Dual Timeline

The Cornish Witch by Elena Collins is a marvellous dual timeline novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in 1625 and present day in a Cornish fishing village. A modern-day inn is at the centre of the action.

Tragic events in 1625 means that there are lost souls unable to rest. These spirits cause havoc in present day as they want everyone to suffer as they did. Present day owners of the inn are losing trade due to the restless spirits.

In 1625 there are women accused of being witches. They are in fact midwives with knowledge of herbs and plants. Locals believe they are causing mischief.

In present day there are a mother and daughter who run a new age shop in Minehead who also believe in the healing power of plants.

A shipwreck on the sea bed has lain there undiscovered for four centuries until a pair of divers come along. The Cornish coast is littered with wrecks as smugglers used to lure ships to their doom.

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Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner & Sharmini Kumar

Apr10

Reminiscent Of Jane Austen

Miss Caroline Bingley, Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner & Sharmini Kumar is a light-hearted historical novel that entertained me from the start.

Fans of Jane Austen will immediately recognize Miss Caroline Bingley from Pride & Prejudice. She is Mr Bingley’s sister. On page one of Pride & Prejudice we read a very famous word sentence, which opens this book, though slightly altered. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single lady in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a husband.” Straight away the reader realizes that we are in for a real treat. As with the original novel, this book is also witty and also pokes fun at the conventions of the day.

The novel is set at the beginning of the nineteenth century, just two years after Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy married Jane and Elizabeth Bennett.

Miss Caroline Bingley is very reminiscent of Elizabeth Bennett. She is intelligent & knows her own mind. She is also brave and with a social conscience. As a female she has to work within the constraints of the day as she sets about her amateur super sleuthing.

The reader travels from snowy Derbyshire to snowy London. It is here that Miss Caroline Bingley begins her search for Georgiana Darcy’s maid who has gone missing. Her maid is Asian and the reader sees the evils and prejudices of the day as the characters are a part of the evils of slavery. This is highlighted as the reader is introduced to the East India Company.

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