It's Monday! What Are you Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

I spent a lot of time last week searching out books and adding them to various lists rather than actually doing much reading.

I did finish The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh. I enjoyed this well written post World War I romance and hope to read more books by this author.

The other book I finished last week, The Crimes of Charlotte Brontë by James Tully, was a very interesting re-look at the lives of the Brontës. The author is a retired criminologist with specialist knowledge of 19th century poisons. Finding discrepancies in the accounts of the Brontës' lives and deaths, he decided to research further and was inspired to present his findings in the form of a novel. It is a believable alternative to what we know of this family and as the title suggests Charlotte Brontë does not fair too well. He depicts her as a villain, an accessory to murder motivated by greed, which upset a few people when the novel was first released.

This week I'm reading Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I've only read a few pages so have not read enough to form an opinion, but it's off to a good start.

I'm also reading a novel that I've wanted to read for a long time but never got around to it, The Flight of the Heron by D.K. Broster. It was first released in 1925 and is the first novel of her Jacobite trilogy.

I recently read an excerpt of S.J. Deas' English Civil War novel, The Royalist and I'm eager to read more. A copy is on its way to me. Hopefully, I'll receive it by the time I've finished the two books I'm reading this week otherwise I'll have to sort through my TBR pile.

What I Read Last Week

The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh

A humble soldier, known only as 'Jones', wakes in hospital with no recollection of his past. The few fleeting fragments of memory he glimpses are horrifying moments from the battlefield at Ypres. His very identity becomes a puzzle he must solve. Then Eden Valentine comes gliding into his world, a stunning tailoress who has a dream of her own business in high fashion but whose duty to her family may never permit her to fulfil. Her fiancé resents the intrusion of the disarming Jones who is in desperate need of her help to unravel his past. Surrounding the mystery is Alex Wynter, the influential heir to an industrial empire and country manor Larksfell Hall. With his aristocratic family still reeling from a recent tragedy, he brings news that will further rock the foundations of their privileged lives. When their three very different worlds collide, the pieces of the past finally fall into place and lead them into wildly unexpected futures. What they discover will bring shattering consequences that threaten to tear apart far more than just the heart of the tailor's girl.

The Crimes of Charlotte Brontë by James Tully

The story of the lives of the Bronte family is as haunting and tragic as their novels: three sisters and an alcoholic brother shut in the bleak and claustrophobic parsonage at Haworth.
Noted criminologist James Tully became fascinated by inconsistencies he found in the accounts of the lives and deaths of the Brontes, and soon became enmeshed in seeking out the mysteries of Haworth. So dark and unexpected were the results of his researches, he decided to tell the story in the form of a novel which brings to the fore many disturbing questions ... All of which leads to one final question: Was there a cold-blooded and calculating murderer at the heart of the Bronte household?

What I'm Reading Today

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I have two weeks. You'll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.
That's what you do to enemy agents. It's what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine - and I will do anything, anything to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again. He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I'm going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France - an Allied Invasion of Two. We are a sensational team.

The Flight of the Heron by D.K. Broster

1745. When Bonnie Prince Charlie lands in Scotland, the mountains and glens of the Highlands ring to the pipes and drums of the clans who flock to his banner. Charged with excitement, heroism and romance, this stirring tragic adventure that is the unforgettable story of the 'King Over the Water', has never been better told.

What I Hope to Read Next

The Royalist by S.J. Deas

William Falkland is a dead man. A Royalist dragoon who fought against Parliament, he is currently awaiting execution at Newgate prison. Yet when he is led away from Newgate with a sack over his head, it is not the gallows to which they take him, but to Oliver Cromwell himself. Cromwell has heard of Falkland's reputation as an investigator and now more than ever he needs a man of conscience. His New Model Army are wintering in Devon but mysterious deaths are sweeping the camp and, in return for his freedom, Falkland is despatched to uncover the truth. With few friends and a slew of enemies, Falkland soon learns there is a dark demon at work, one who won't go down without a fight. But how can he protect the troops from such a monster and, more importantly, will he be able to protect himself?

Book Review: The Right-Hand Man by K.M. Peyton

K.M. Peyton writes for children/young adults and is famous for her pony stories and, of course, her Flambards novels that were adapted for television back in the 1970s.

The Right-Hand Man is one of her historical novels. First published in 1977, it has been re-printed a few times, but not with such an eye catching jacket as the first edition. The illustrator is Victor Ambrus who has a very distinctive style and has illustrated many children's books including his own.

The Right-Hand Man is set in 1818. Twenty-year old Ned Rowlands is a stagecoach driver with a reputation for speed and recklessness. He is the "... youngest, and certainly the most desirable (not to say the cleverest, cheekiest and most conceited) of the coachmen on the Harwich Road ...".

Arriving at Ingatestone behind schedule, Ned is taken to task by Lord Ironminster, who was once the best dragsman in the land before an accident left him disabled. Still disgruntled by their earlier encounter, Ned is not pleased when Ironminster sits beside him on the box seat for the next leg of the journey. As the journey progresses, Ned and Ironminster soon find they share a common love of horses, coach driving and speed. During their conversation, Ironminster reveals he is looking for a coachman and offers the position to Ned, but Ned declines preferring a life of public driving to that of being a liveried servant and all it entails.

When he loses his job, Ned has no option but to reconsider Ironminster's offer. Presenting himself at Threadgolds, Ironminster's estate, he learns the real reason he has been offered the position. Ironminster has a long standing racing wager against his cousins, James and Rupert Saville, to drive a coach from the gates of Threadgolds to Whitechapel Church in under seventy-five minutes, the prize £5,000. To outwit his cousins and win the wager, all he needs is Ned's help. A partnership is formed and an unusual friendship develops between the pair.

However, there is more at stake than the prize money. Ironminster is not a well man and racing carriages is a dangerous pursuit. Should he die without marrying and producing an heir, James Saville stands to inherit his estate. The dowager Lady Ironminster has found her son a suitable wife, but Ironminster's affections lay elsewhere.

When a tragic accident occurs, Ned is arrested and imprisoned in Newgate. Many rally round to help him, but it is the sacrifice Ironminster makes that shows Ned the true depth of their friendship.

I borrowed this book from the library, but loved it so much that I immediately purchased a second-hand copy (with illustrations) to add to my keeper shelf. From the first chapter to the last I was completely immersed in Ned Rowland's world. The minutia of being a coachman is skilfully woven into the story and there is lots of other period detail.

Not being a horsey person, I was unaware of the skill required to drive a coach-and-four. Now I appreciate there is much more to it than holding onto the reins and giving them a twitch now and then. There are so many variables to consider. I have also learned the value of a good leader, what a wheeler is and how easily disaster can strike.

The carriage racing scenes are spectacular and are responsible for a few heart-stopping moments. At times Ned and Ironminster behave like a pair of Georgian hoons, but this only adds to the excitement and emphasises how dangerous a mixture of speed, horses, bad roads and a disregard for the road rules can be.

The story unfolds from Ned's perspective as he reflects on the day that changed his life forever and the ten months that followed. Even though Ned is more comfortable with horses than people, he is well aware of the effect his "beguiling brown eyes" and his other physical attributes have on the female population, young and old, but is totally unprepared for the depth of feeling Ironminster arouses in him. As he becomes emotionally involved in his new master's life, Ned begins to understand the significance of his role as Ironminster's right-hand man and the true meaning of courage.

The Right-Hand Man is a fast-paced historical adventure. Everything about this novel, the characters, the plot, the setting and K.M. Peyton's expertise in bringing it all together, makes it a very enjoyable and engrossing tale of an unusual friendship. Ned and Ironminster will live on in your mind long after their story is told.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

Last week I read three books: Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring, Lord Somerton's Heir by Alison Stuart, an Australian author I'd not read before, and The Right-Hand Man by K.M. Peyton, an historical novel for young adults. While all three were good reads, my favourite was The Right-Hand Man, a story about an unusual friendship involving horses and carriage driving. Once started, I couldn't put it down. You can read my review here.

This week I'm reading The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh and The Crimes of Charlotte Bronte by James Tully, which is an interesting take on the lives of the Bronte family.

Up next will be another book written for young adults, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I've seen good reviews of this book set during World War II and can't wait to read it.

What I Read Last Week

Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring

Dacre's War is a story of personal and political vengeance. Ten years after the battle of Flodden, Adam Crozier, head of his clan and of an increasingly powerful alliance of Borderers, learns for sure that it was Lord Thomas Dacre - now the most powerful man in the north of England - who ordered his father's murder. He determines to take his revenge. As a fighting man, Crozier would like nothing better than to bring Dacre down face to face but his wife Louise advises him that he must use more subtle methods. So he sets out to engineer Dacre's downfall by turning the machinery of the English court against him. A vivid and fast-moving tale of political intrigue and heartache, Dacre's War is set against the backdrop of the Scottish and English borders, a land where there is never any chance of peace.

The Right-hand Man by K.M. Peyton

It's 1818, and reckless Ned Rowlands is the fastest stagecoach driver for miles around. Ned attracts the attention of the young Lord Ironminster - determined to win a racing wager against his wealthy cousins, the Savilles, and desperate for Ned's help.

Ned is quickly drawn into a strange partnership with Ironminster; as his new friend's right hand man, Ned has an important role to play in helping him outwit the Savilles and preventing his title and estate from passing to them.

Lord Somerton's Heir by Alison Stuart

From the battlefield of Waterloo to the drawing rooms of Brantstone Hall, Sebastian Alder’s elevation from penniless army captain to Viscount Somerton is the stuff of dreams. But the cold reality of an inherited estate in wretched condition, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding his cousin’s death, provide Sebastian with no time for dreams — only a mystery to solve and a murderer to bring to justice.

Isabel, widow of the late Lord Somerton, is desperate to bury the memory of her unhappy marriage by founding the charity school she has always dreamed of. Except, her dreams are soon shattered from beyond the grave when she is not only left penniless, but once more bound to the whims of a Somerton.

But this Somerton is unlike any man she has met. Can the love of an honourable man heal her broken heart or will suspicion tear them apart?

What I'm Reading Today

The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh

A humble soldier, known only as 'Jones', wakes in hospital with no recollection of his past. The few fleeting fragments of memory he glimpses are horrifying moments from the battlefield at Ypres. His very identity becomes a puzzle he must solve. Then Eden Valentine comes gliding into his world, a stunning tailoress who has a dream of her own business in high fashion but whose duty to her family may never permit her to fulfil. Her fiancé resents the intrusion of the disarming Jones who is in desperate need of her help to unravel his past. Surrounding the mystery is Alex Wynter, the influential heir to an industrial empire and country manor Larksfell Hall. With his aristocratic family still reeling from a recent tragedy, he brings news that will further rock the foundations of their privileged lives. When their three very different worlds collide, the pieces of the past finally fall into place and lead them into wildly unexpected futures. What they discover will bring shattering consequences that threaten to tear apart far more than just the heart of the tailor's girl.

The Crimes of Charlotte Bronte

The story of the lives of the Bronte family is as haunting and tragic as their novels: three sisters and an alcoholic brother shut in the bleak and claustrophobic parsonage at Haworth.
Noted criminologist James Tully became fascinated by inconsistencies he found in the accounts of the lives and deaths of the Brontes, and soon became enmeshed in seeking out the mysteries of Haworth. So dark and unexpected were the results of his researches, he decided to tell the story in the form of a novel which brings to the fore many disturbing questions ... All of which leads to one final question: Was there a cold-blooded and calculating murderer at the heart of the Bronte household?

What I Hope to Read Next

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I have two weeks. You'll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.
That's what you do to enemy agents. It's what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine - and I will do anything, anything to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again. He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I'm going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France - an Allied Invasion of Two. We are a sensational team.

Book Review: The Governor's House by J.H. Fletcher

J.H. Fletcher is an author I've not read before and I looked forward to reading The Governor's House a dual time frame narrative set in the present day and mid-19th century Australia.

Joanne Fletcher is Dean of Historical Studies at a Tasmanian university where she has been assigned the task of locating a precious artefact that went missing over 100 years ago and is somehow linked to her convict ancestor, Cat Haggard. Armed with a journal and a code book written by Cat, Joanne seeks clues within their pages to the artefact's whereabouts and once the Prime Minister takes an interest, pressure from her boss to find it doesn't make her task any easier. However, others are also searching for the same artefact and will resort to violence to get their hands on it.

Cat Haggard, falsely accused of theft, is transported to Tasmania for the term of fourteen years. She endures the four-month voyage and a stay in the Cascades Female Factory before finally being assigned to Doctor Morgan and his wife. Under the tutelage of the doctor, Cat is transformed from "fisherman's brat to lady".

A new house for the Governor, being built on land adjacent to the Morgan's property, becomes a symbol of Cat's new life in the colony. As she watches the walls go up, Cat dreams of one day being invited to the Governor's House.

Cat's adventurous spirit, determination and business acumen bring her romance, wealth and social standing, but when a person from her past arrives in Hobart all that she's worked towards is threatened. Presented with an opportunity to help the colony and a chance for revenge, she becomes part of a daring plan, the consequences of which bring mystery and danger into Joanne's life.

J.H. Fletcher has a style of writing that makes The Governor's House a quick and easy read. The two story lines complement one another beautifully. Cat's is a "rags to riches" story filled with historical detail and moves at a gentler pace than Joanne's present day narrative. Although Cat's story flags a little when the focus is on her later years, the drama and excitement of what is happening to Joanne makes up for it.

I enjoyed this novel and its characters. The setting of colonial Tasmania made a pleasant change from the more popular colony of New South Wales and highlighted how little I knew about the colonization of Tasmania. I found the Author's Notes interesting reading too, helping to separate fact from fiction, and explaining how significant moments in history inspired certain aspects of Cat's life.

For fans of dual time narratives or for those looking for an entertaining read that combines Australian history, romance, mystery and suspense, I can recommend The Governor's House.

Note: I received a copy of this book from Harlequin Australia as a winner of a Goodreads' First Reads Giveaway.

It's Monday! What Are You reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

My greatest achievement last week was that I finished Through A Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen. The condition of the 30 year old book, some loose pages and a clump of pages re-stuck out of sequence, gave me a heart-stopping moment when I thought a crucial part of the story was missing, but it wasn't. I'm off to purchase a copy for my "keeper" shelf and can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Face to Face.

I also finished Waratah House  by Ann Whitehead. If you like stories about servants in big houses, with an Australian setting, this is the book for you. Three strong female protagonists push the story along and there is lots of period detail to transport you back to the late 1800s.

This week I'm hoping to finish the final chapters of Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring. The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh is up next, followed by a book just added to my reading pile, The Right-Hand Man, by K.M. Peyton. Peyton writes for children/young adults and is the author of Flambards, a trilogy adapted for television which was screened in 1979.

What I Read Last Week

Waratah House by Ann Whitehead

Waratah House, a beautiful mansion in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, is the only home Marina has ever known. Orphaned at a young age, Marina finds a new family in the colourful characters that occupy the bustling servants' quarters of this stately house.
But not every resident of Waratah House has Marina's best interests at heart and she finds herself forced into exile. Years later, Marina's daughter Emily discovers the past has a way of repeating itself. She must fight for her chance at happiness – a chance that some will do anything to prevent . . .

Through A Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

Karleen Koen's sweeping saga contains unforgettable characters consumed with passion: the extraordinarily beautiful fifteen-year-old noblewoman, Barbara Alderley; the man she adores, the wickedly handsome Roger MontGeoffry; her grandmother, the duchess, who rules the family with cunning and wit; and her mother, the ineffably cruel, self-centered and licentious Diana. Like no other work, Through a Glass Darkly is infused with intrigue, sweetened by romance and awash in the black ink of betrayal.

What I'm Reading Today

Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring

Dacre's War is a story of personal and political vengeance. Ten years after the battle of Flodden, Adam Crozier, head of his clan and of an increasingly powerful alliance of Borderers, learns for sure that it was Lord Thomas Dacre - now the most powerful man in the north of England - who ordered his father's murder. He determines to take his revenge. As a fighting man, Crozier would like nothing better than to bring Dacre down face to face but his wife Louise advises him that he must use more subtle methods. So he sets out to engineer Dacre's downfall by turning the machinery of the English court against him. A vivid and fast-moving tale of political intrigue and heartache, Dacre's War is set against the backdrop of the Scottish and English borders, a land where there is never any chance of peace.

What I Hope to Read Next

The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh

A humble soldier, known only as 'Jones', wakes in hospital with no recollection of his past. The few fleeting fragments of memory he glimpses are horrifying moments from the battlefield at Ypres. His very identity becomes a puzzle he must solve. Then Eden Valentine comes gliding into his world, a stunning tailoress who has a dream of her own business in high fashion but whose duty to her family may never permit her to fulfil. Her fiancé resents the intrusion of the disarming Jones who is in desperate need of her help to unravel his past. Surrounding the mystery is Alex Wynter, the influential heir to an industrial empire and country manor Larksfell Hall. With his aristocratic family still reeling from a recent tragedy, he brings news that will further rock the foundations of their privileged lives. When their three very different worlds collide, the pieces of the past finally fall into place and lead them into wildly unexpected futures. What they discover will bring shattering consequences that threaten to tear apart far more than just the heart of the tailor's girl.

The Right-hand Man by K.M. Peyton

It's 1818, and reckless Ned Rowlands is the fastest stagecoach driver for miles around. Ned attracts the attention of the young Lord Ironminster - determined to win a racing wager against his wealthy cousins, the Savilles, and desperate for Ned's help.

Ned is quickly drawn into a strange partnership with Ironminster; as his new friend's right hand man, Ned has an important role to play in helping him outwit the Savilles and preventing his title and estate from passing to them.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

Not much happened on the reading front over the past week and I can't even blame being outside getting our property bush fire ready. Although this is still ongoing, it didn't take up all of my time.  I did spend quite a few hours on a task that is yet to be completed i.e. sorting my bookshelves on Goodreads, and on Pinterest. Pinning can be very addictive.

The only book finished last week was Time's Echo by Pamela Hartshorne. While an enjoyable, quick read, I didn't think it was as good as her other time slip novels, Edge of Dark and The Memory of Midnight.

I'm halfway through Dacre's War  by Rosemary Goring and have read a few more chapters of Through a Glass Darkly  by Karleen Koen. The latter is borrowed from the library (inter-library loan) and is due back in a couple of weeks. With no renewals allowed, this book will be my main focus after I finish Dacre's War. I could still be reading it next week. For those not familiar with this novel, it is a big read of 775 pages. I'm also hoping to finish Waratah House by Ann Whitehead.

I'm still looking at Fiona McIntosh's The Tailor's Girl  for my next read or it could be The White Cross  by Richard Masefield which is currently being offered as a free download from Amazon. An offer I took advantage of as I'd not heard of this author before. It is set during the late 12th century around Richard I's crusade to Jerusalem.

What I Read Last Week

Time's Echo by Pamela Hartshorne

York , 1577: Hawise Aske smiles at a stranger in the market, and sets in train a story of obsession and sibling jealousy, of love and hate and warped desire. Drowned as a witch, Hawise pays a high price for that smile, but for a girl like her in Elizabethan York, there is nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Four and a half centuries later, Grace Trewe, who has travelled the world, is trying to outrun the memories of being caught up in the Boxing Day tsunami. Her stay in York is meant to be a brief one. But in York Grace discovers that time can twist and turn in ways she never imagined. Drawn inexorably into Hawise's life, Grace finds that this time she cannot move on. Will she too be engulfed in the power of the past?

What I'm Reading Today

Waratah House by Ann Whitehead

Waratah House, a beautiful mansion in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, is the only home Marina has ever known. Orphaned at a young age, Marina finds a new family in the colourful characters that occupy the bustling servants' quarters of this stately house.
But not every resident of Waratah House has Marina's best interests at heart and she finds herself forced into exile. Years later, Marina's daughter Emily discovers the past has a way of repeating itself. She must fight for her chance at happiness – a chance that some will do anything to prevent . . .

Through A Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

Karleen Koen's sweeping saga contains unforgettable characters consumed with passion: the extraordinarily beautiful fifteen-year-old noblewoman, Barbara Alderley; the man she adores, the wickedly handsome Roger MontGeoffry; her grandmother, the duchess, who rules the family with cunning and wit; and her mother, the ineffably cruel, self-centered and licentious Diana. Like no other work, Through a Glass Darkly is infused with intrigue, sweetened by romance and awash in the black ink of betrayal.

Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring

Dacre's War is a story of personal and political vengeance. Ten years after the battle of Flodden, Adam Crozier, head of his clan and of an increasingly powerful alliance of Borderers, learns for sure that it was Lord Thomas Dacre - now the most powerful man in the north of England - who ordered his father's murder. He determines to take his revenge. As a fighting man, Crozier would like nothing better than to bring Dacre down face to face but his wife Louise advises him that he must use more subtle methods. So he sets out to engineer Dacre's downfall by turning the machinery of the English court against him. A vivid and fast-moving tale of political intrigue and heartache, Dacre's War is set against the backdrop of the Scottish and English borders, a land where there is never any chance of peace.

What I Hope to Read Next

The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh

A humble soldier, known only as 'Jones', wakes in hospital with no recollection of his past. The few fleeting fragments of memory he glimpses are horrifying moments from the battlefield at Ypres. His very identity becomes a puzzle he must solve. Then Eden Valentine comes gliding into his world, a stunning tailoress who has a dream of her own business in high fashion but whose duty to her family may never permit her to fulfil. Her fiancé resents the intrusion of the disarming Jones who is in desperate need of her help to unravel his past. Surrounding the mystery is Alex Wynter, the influential heir to an industrial empire and country manor Larksfell Hall. With his aristocratic family still reeling from a recent tragedy, he brings news that will further rock the foundations of their privileged lives. When their three very different worlds collide, the pieces of the past finally fall into place and lead them into wildly unexpected futures. What they discover will bring shattering consequences that threaten to tear apart far more than just the heart of the tailor's girl.

The White Cross by Richard Masefield

The White Cross is a whole new reading experience; a book that brings something entirely original to historical fiction. Set in the late twelfth century at the time of King Richard I's crusade to win back Jerusalem from the Saracens, the story deals with timeless issues - with the moralities of warfare and fundamental religion, the abuse of power, the heights of martial fervour and the depths of disillusionment The writing blazes with colour (literally in the case of the printed edition, which makes groundbreaking use of colour throughout). It pulses with life, capturing the sights and sounds, the very smells of medieval life. At the novel's heart is the relationship between Garon and Elise - the story of an arranged marriage which rapidly develops into something deeper, to challenge a young husband's strongly held beliefs and set him on a long and painful journey to self-realisation, to break and finally restore a woman's spirit as she battles for recognition and for justice in a brutal man's world. And then there is the Berge dal becce; a character who is surely more than he appears? The only way to uncover all the secrets of The White Cross is to read it!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

I had more indoor time last week, which meant more reading time, and though I didn't finish all the books I'd started the previous week, I did manage to complete two, Noonday by Pat Barker and Nelly Dean by Alison Case. Noonday was good, but not as good as its prequel, Toby's Room, and Nelly Dean was not the page turner I expected it to be given its association with one of my favourite classics, Wuthering Heights.

In addition to reading,  I posted two book reviews. Not a great result when I look at all the reviews I have in draft form awaiting a final edit, but it's a start.

Of the four books I'm reading this week, Waratah House has fallen to the bottom of the pile, along with Through a Glass Darkly. The latter has been sitting on my bedside table crying out to be read, but apart from enjoying the first chapter, I've not been tempted to read the remaining 755 pages. Yes, it is chunky and heavy. The edition I have is a 1986 hardback with thick pages. If I fall asleep reading it, I fear I will be crushed under its weight and so it remains beside my bed - for now. 

Pamela Hartshorne's Time's Echo is my preferred book at the moment. I find her books gripping and quick to read. I'm also reading Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring, which has also grabbed my interest and looks like being a quick read too.

As to what I am looking to read next, I have my eye on Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd, the first in her Regency mystery series and The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh, which I've been meaning to read for a while.

What I Read Last Week

Nelly Dean by Alison Case

A gripping and heartbreaking novel that reimagines life at Wuthering Heights through the eyes of the Earnshaws' loyal servant, Nelly Dean. Young Nelly Dean has been Hindley's closest companion for as long as she can remember, living freely at the great house, Wuthering Heights. But when the benevolence of the master brings a wild child into the house, Nelly must follow in her mother's footsteps, be called servant and give herself to the family completely. But Nelly is not the only one who must serve. When a new heir is born, a reign of violence begins that will test Nelly's spirit as she finds out what it is to know true sacrifice. Nelly Dean is a wonderment of storytelling, a heartbreaking accompaniment to Emily Bronte's adored work. It is the story of a woman who is fated to bear the pain of a family she is unable to leave, and unable to save.

Noonday by Pat Barker

London, the Blitz, autumn 1940. As the bombs fall on the blacked-out city, ambulance driver Elinor Brooke races from bomb sites to hospitals trying to save the lives of injured survivors, working alongside former friend Kit Neville, while her husband Paul works as an air-raid warden. Once fellow students at the Slade School of Fine Art, before the First World War destroyed the hopes of their generation, they now find themselves caught in another war, this time at home. As the bombing intensifies, the constant risk of death makes all three of them reach out for quick consolation. Old loves and obsessions re-surface until Elinor is brought face to face with an almost impossible choice.

What I'm Reading Today

Waratah House by Ann Whitehead

Waratah House, a beautiful mansion in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, is the only home Marina has ever known. Orphaned at a young age, Marina finds a new family in the colourful characters that occupy the bustling servants' quarters of this stately house.
But not every resident of Waratah House has Marina's best interests at heart and she finds herself forced into exile. Years later, Marina's daughter Emily discovers the past has a way of repeating itself. She must fight for her chance at happiness – a chance that some will do anything to prevent . . .

Through A Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

Karleen Koen's sweeping saga contains unforgettable characters consumed with passion: the extraordinarily beautiful fifteen-year-old noblewoman, Barbara Alderley; the man she adores, the wickedly handsome Roger MontGeoffry; her grandmother, the duchess, who rules the family with cunning and wit; and her mother, the ineffably cruel, self-centered and licentious Diana. Like no other work, Through a Glass Darkly is infused with intrigue, sweetened by romance and awash in the black ink of betrayal.

Time's Echo by Pamela Hartshorne

York , 1577: Hawise Aske smiles at a stranger in the market, and sets in train a story of obsession and sibling jealousy, of love and hate and warped desire. Drowned as a witch, Hawise pays a high price for that smile, but for a girl like her in Elizabethan York, there is nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Four and a half centuries later, Grace Trewe, who has travelled the world, is trying to outrun the memories of being caught up in the Boxing Day tsunami. Her stay in York is meant to be a brief one. But in York Grace discovers that time can twist and turn in ways she never imagined. Drawn inexorably into Hawise's life, Grace finds that this time she cannot move on. Will she too be engulfed in the power of the past?

Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring

Dacre's War is a story of personal and political vengeance. Ten years after the battle of Flodden, Adam Crozier, head of his clan and of an increasingly powerful alliance of Borderers, learns for sure that it was Lord Thomas Dacre - now the most powerful man in the north of England - who ordered his father's murder. He determines to take his revenge. As a fighting man, Crozier would like nothing better than to bring Dacre down face to face but his wife Louise advises him that he must use more subtle methods. So he sets out to engineer Dacre's downfall by turning the machinery of the English court against him. A vivid and fast-moving tale of political intrigue and heartache, Dacre's War is set against the backdrop of the Scottish and English borders, a land where there is never any chance of peace.

What I Hope to Read Next

Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd

Major Robert Kurland has returned to the quiet vistas of his village home to recuperate from the horrors of Waterloo. However injured his body may be, his mind is as active as ever. Too active, perhaps. When he glimpses a shadowy figure from his bedroom window struggling with a heavy load, the tranquil facade of the village begins to loom sinister. Unable to forget the incident, Robert confides in his childhood friend, Miss Lucy Harrington. As the dutiful daughter of the widowed rector, following up on the major's suspicions offers a welcome diversion - but soon presents real danger. Someone is intent on stopping their investigation. And in a place where no one locks their doors, a series of thefts and the disappearance of two young serving girls demands explanation. As Robert grapples with his difficult recovery, he and Lucy try to unearth the dark truth lurking within the village shadows, and stop a killer waiting to strike again.

The Tailor's Girl by Fiona McIntosh

A humble soldier, known only as 'Jones', wakes in hospital with no recollection of his past. The few fleeting fragments of memory he glimpses are horrifying moments from the battlefield at Ypres. His very identity becomes a puzzle he must solve. Then Eden Valentine comes gliding into his world, a stunning tailoress who has a dream of her own business in high fashion but whose duty to her family may never permit her to fulfil. Her fiancé resents the intrusion of the disarming Jones who is in desperate need of her help to unravel his past. Surrounding the mystery is Alex Wynter, the influential heir to an industrial empire and country manor Larksfell Hall. With his aristocratic family still reeling from a recent tragedy, he brings news that will further rock the foundations of their privileged lives. When their three very different worlds collide, the pieces of the past finally fall into place and lead them into wildly unexpected futures. What they discover will bring shattering consequences that threaten to tear apart far more than just the heart of the tailor's girl.

Novels I'm Looking Forward to Reading #1

Here are a few novels I'm looking forward to reading over the course of the coming months. Some have already been released, others are yet to hit the library shelves and book stores.

Sweet Wattle Creek by Kaye Dobbie

Kaye Dobbie is one of my favourite Australian authors. I've followed her since she wrote as Lilly Sommers. Under this pseudonym she has written some straight historical novels and some dual time frame narratives with a touch of the supernatural, all with Australian settings. As Kaye Dobbie she continued this pattern with Colours of Gold, set in the present day and on the Australian goldfields of the mid 19th century. Sweet Wattle Creek was released by Harlequin Australia in September and is receiving excellent reviews.

The chance discovery of an antique wedding dress weaves together the fascinating stories of three women from different eras: Sophie, in hiding from a troubled past; Belle, who must lose everything to learn what really matters; and Martha, forced to give up those she loves in order to avoid exposure. It’s 1931 and Belle Bartholomew has arrived in rural Sweet Wattle Creek to claim her inheritance – a run-down grand hotel formerly owned by Martha Ambrose. Determined to solve the mystery of her birth and the reason why she was bequeathed the hotel Belle runs into difficulties with the townsfolk and their desire to keep their secrets safe. Sixty years later Sophie Matheson is on a quest to find Belle and her family after discovering the wedding dress. The Sweet Wattle Creek Centenary brings more challenges when her past catches up and she must fight for all that matters to her. Who were Belle and Martha and what links their lives together?

The Lake House by Kate Morton

Kate Morton is another favourite Australian author, with many fans world-wide. Her fifth novel, The Lake House, was released this month and, like Kaye Dobbie's Sweet Wattle Creek, the reviews are excellent. I love the three very different book covers.

A missing child...June 1933, and the Edevane family's country house, Loeanneth, is polished and gleaming, ready for the much-anticipated Midsummer Eve party. Alice Edevane, sixteen years old and a budding writer, is especially excited. Not only has she worked out the perfect twist for her novel, she's also fallen helplessly in love with someone she shouldn't. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.


An abandoned house...Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Sadie Sparrow is sent on an enforced break from her job with the Metropolitan Police. She retreats to her beloved grandfather's cottage in Cornwall but soon finds herself at a loose end. Until one day, Sadie stumbles upon an abandoned house surrounded by overgrown gardens and dense woods, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace. 

An unsolved mystery...Meanwhile, in the attic writing room of her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family's past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape...

A Tattooed Heart by Deborah Challinor

From New Zealand author, Deborah Challinor, comes the fourth and final book in her Convict Girls series. I read the first three books (Behind the Sun, Girl of Shadows, The Silk Thief) last year and have eagerly awaited the conculsion to the girls' story. A Tattooed Heart is due for release in November from Harper Collins.

1832: Convict girls Friday Woolfe, Sarah Morgan and Harriet Clarke have been serving their sentences in Sydney Town for three years. For much of that time they have lived in fear of sinister and formidable Bella Jackson, who continues to blackmail them for a terrible crime. Each of them has begun to make a life for herself, but when Harrie's adopted child Charlotte is abducted and taken to Newcastle, the girls must risk their very freedom to save her. But is Friday up to the task? Will the desperate battle with her own vices drive her to fail not only herself, but those she loves and all who love her? In this final volume of a saga about four convict girls transported halfway around the world, friends and family reunite but cherished loved ones are lost, and an utterly shocking secret is revealed.

House of Shadows by Pamela Hartshorne

I discovered Pamela Hartshorne earlier this year when I picked up two of her three novels, The Edge of Dark and The Memory of Midnight. I am currently reading her third, Time's Echo. These dual time frame novels are set in the present and 16th century York, England. House of Shadows is due for release in December from Pan MacMillan UK.

When Kate Vavasour wakes in hospital, she can remember nothing about the family gathered around her bed, or of her life before the accident. The doctors diagnose post-traumatic amnesia and say the memories should start returning. Which they do ...but these memories are not her own. They belong to Isabel Vavasour, who lived and died at Askerby Hall over four hundred years earlier ...Returning to Askerby Hall to recuperate, Kate finds herself in a house full of shadows and suspicions. Unable to recognise her family, her friends or even her small son, she struggles to piece together the events that led to her terrible fall. Life at Askerby, it seems, is not as illustrious as the Vavasours would have the public believe. But before she can uncover the mysteries of the present, she must first discover the truth about the past ...Was Isabel's madness real, or was her mistake trusting the one person she thought would never betray her?

The High Flyer: An Aviation Mystery by Elizabeth Darrell

Also due for release in December, from Severn House UK, is a new mystery from Elizabeth Darrell and perhaps the start of a new series. She also writes historical novels, some previously under the name of Emma Drummond, set in the 19th century, World War I and World War II.

Twelve years after World War I, former Flight Sergeant Ben Norton must discover the truth behind his wartime colleague's death. 1930. The Lance family, major shareholders in Marshfield Aviation, watch in horror as their prototype fighter fails to pull out of a dive during a display before government and military VIPs. At the pilot's funeral, a man introduces himself to the widow as Ben Norton, a close friend of her husband during war service with the Royal Flying Corps. Ben becomes Marshfield's new Test Pilot, determined to refute worldwide press claims of a faulty aircraft design. Convinced that deliberate sabotage was behind the crash, the young flyer vows to uncover whoever was responsible. But who is Ben Norton? And why is it that the man he claims to have been his close wartime colleague had not once mentioned Ben to his wife during eight years of marriage?

Book Review: Homeland by Clare Francis

1946. Billy Greer, recently demobbed, reluctantly returns to Crick Farm on the Somerset Levels after an absence of seven years. He finds the farm neglected, his uncle aged and his aunt bed-ridden from a stroke. Despite his eagerness to take up a job offer in London, he decides to restore the farm to order. However, he soon realises that his uncle will be unable to cope when he leaves and on the recommendation of the village doctor, he hires a Pole from the Middlezoy refugee camp to help work the withy farm.

Wladyslaw Malinowski, a veteran of the Battle of Monte Cassino, was a student of history and literature before abandoning his studies to join the Polish army. Now a member of the Polish Resettlement Corps, he is one of many Poles faced with the decision of whether to return to his homeland or remain in England once he has served the mandatory two years. His sister writes from Poland that there is nothing to fear in returning, but Wladyslaw is not so sure that a Poland under Russian rule is the place for him and there are rumours of imprisonment or death for those who do return.

Befriended by the village doctor and Stella, the local school teacher, Wladyslaw is determined to improve his English as the first step to being assimilated into the country he is planning to make his new home. When offered the job at Crick Farm he eagerly accepts. At first, due to the language barrier and Billy's taciturn nature, he finds living on the farm and the work challenging, but eventually he adjusts to both.

My overall impression of Homeland is one of bleakness. Not because it is set during one of the harshest winters that England ever experienced, but images evoked of the landscape and the people are, like the cover of the book, grey and sombre. The flooded Somerset Levels are cold and wet. The unharvested withies are rotting. The people are dispirited and growing resentful as they continue to deal with housing, job, fuel and food shortages, exacerbated by returning servicemen.

The Poles in the refugee camp also have problems. They are mistrusted by the locals, who do not understand their ways or their reluctance to return to Poland now that the war is over. When a local war hero, a veteran of the Burma campaign, is found dead, suspicion falls on a Pole from the camp with tragic consequences.

The historical content and the unusual setting drew me to this novel. The formation of the Polish Resettlement Corps and the plight of Polish refugees in post war Britain is not often the subject of novels. Nor is the growing of withies on the Somerset Levels, but the two combine to make this a very memorable read.

Book Review: The Belton Estate by Anthony Trollope

Twenty-five year old Clara Amedroz, following the death of her brother, Charles, the heir to the Belton Estate in Somerset, learns that her dowry has been squandered on her brother's debts and when her father dies she will be destitute and homeless, as the entail of the Belton estate will pass to a distant cousin, William (Will) Belton.

It is assumed that Clara will inherit from Mrs. Winterfield, a lady she calls aunt, but is in fact not a blood relation. However, when Mrs. Winterfield dies she leaves her entire estate to her nephew, Captain Frederic Aylmer, the man Clara believes herself in love with though she has received no encouragement from him in all the years of their acquaintance.

Will, a prosperous Norfolk farmer, has not been welcomed at Belton since a childhood disagreement with Charles saw him banished, but when advised of his cousin's death, he immediately comes to Belton Castle to offer his assistance to Clara and her father. He finds the estate mismanaged, but before he can instigate any changes he must overcome Mr. Amedroz' dislike of him.

Despite Clara's age and her impoverished circumstances, she is presented with two very eligible suitors in Will and Captain Aylmer. Both are successful in their chosen professions, but here the similarities end. Captain Aylmer, from a wealthy family, is a Member of Parliament and a gentleman. He is cool and unemotional, and only offers marriage to Clara due to a death-bed promise made to his aunt. Will, on the other hand, is impetuous, full of good humour and declares his feelings for Clara within a matter of days of his arrival at Belton Castle.

Another option other than marriage is available to Clara, but her pride will not allow her to accept charity from either of her suitors. She refuses £1,500 from Captain Aylmer, the amount he believed his aunt intended to settle on her, and Will's generosity in allowing her to remain at Belton indefinitely when her father dies.

As Captain Aylmer's nature and that of his family is revealed, the outcome of the story wasn't hard to deduce. When first introduced Captain Aylmer is likeable though a little reserved, but as the story progressed I gradually came to dislike him. His treatment of Clara was not of a man in love and deferring to his mother in dealing with Clara did not bode well for their future relationship. I found it strange that he didn't rush to Clara's side when her father died. The only member of the Aylmer family to offer Clara support was Lord Aylmer, the Captain's father, but even he wasn't brave enough to contradict his wife, who wasn't in favour of the marriage. One of the more entertaining scenes in the novel is the confrontation between Clara and the formidable Lady Aylmer over Clara's friendship with Mrs. Askerton, to whom some scandal is attached.

The only fault I could find with Will was I felt his offer of marriage was a little hasty. His feelings for Clara never wavered. He remained committed to the estate and the Amedroz family despite Clara's rejection of him.

With Clara my emotions see-sawed between admiration and exasperation. At times she is obtuse. Perhaps this was to instill some comedy into the novel as The Belton Estate is considered to be one of Anthony Trollope's comedic novels? I found this irritating. It made the conversations between Clara and Mrs. Askerton appear confrontational and not what one would expect between two friends who seemingly have affection for one another.

I did enjoy this novel until its ending. The story went beyond what I thought was the natural place for it to end and the manner of the ending was strange. I was puzzled as to why Anthony Trollope chose to end this novel in such a way. My pleasure in Clara having realised her mistake in choosing Captain Aylmer was spoiled by the childish dialogue with Will in the final scene. This was completely out of character and destroyed my overall satisfaction with the novel.

However, I am still interested in reading more of Anthony Trollope's novels. While not yet ready to commit to the Barchester or the Palliser series, his shorter, stand alone novels, which include Castle Richmond, Cousin Henry and Rachel Ray are on my reading wish list.