The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart Book Review

Publication Date: August 3, 2021
Publisher: Bookouture
Format: ebook & paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Two women. One house. And a wartime secret that spans decades…

Norfolk, 1945: Only a few months ago Nancy Jones was fighting for her country as a gunner girl. Now she’s struggling to adjust to her responsibilities as a gamekeeper’s wife. After a whirlwind romance, Nancy is deeply in love with her handsome husband Joe but there is still so much they don’t know about each other. When a secret from Nancy’s war years threatens to resurface, will the terrible truth about the worst night of her life shatter their

The Rainbow by Carly Schabowski Book Review

Publication Date: July 28, 2021
Publisher: Bookouture
Format: ebook & paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

There, on the dusty floorboards, was a piece of paper, folded neatly. A newspaper article from 1941, written in German, alongside a faded picture of two men in Nazi uniforms staring at the camera. I was about to place it back in the box of forgotten things when something in the text jumped out at me. My breath caught in my chest. I know that name.

London, present day. Isla has grown up hearing her beloved grandad’s stories about his life as a child in pre-war Poland and as a young soldier bravely fighting the Germans to protect his people. So she is shocked and

Footprints and Friendships A Guest Post from Gail Ward Olmsted, author of Landscape of a Marriage

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” 

Eleanor Roosevelt’s words perfectly articulate how I feel about the importance of friendship. I value my friends and try to be worthy of them. I am fortunate to have a select group of loyal friends, ‘my people’, the family that I have chosen to be an integral part of my life. Their

Lying with Lions by Annabel Fielding Book Review

Publication Date: June 21, 2021
Publisher: Anastasia Rydaeva
Format: ebook & paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery/Gothic

Synopsis

Edwardian England. Agnes Ashford knows that her duty is threefold: she needs to work on cataloguing the archive of the titled Bryant family, she needs to keep the wounds of her past tightly under wraps, and she needs to be quietly grateful to her employers for taking her up in her hour of need. However, a dark secret she uncovers due to her work thrusts her into the Bryants’ brilliant orbit - and into the clutch of their ambitions.

They are prepared to take the new century head-on and fight for their preeminent position and political survival tooth and nail -

The Lost Girl of Berlin by Ella Carey Book Review

Publication Date: July 12, 2021
Publisher: Bookouture
Series: Daughters of New York #2
Format: ebook & paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

The truck stopped for a moment in the freezing, bombed-out street and Kate caught sight of a little girl in a ragged dress on the steps of a once-beautiful mansion. The child’s eyes were startling blue, a pair of endless pools, drawing Kate towards her…

1946, Berlin. War correspondent Kate Mancini is in Germany, reporting on the aftermath of the devastating war. For her readers back home in New York, she tells the stories of innocent families, trying to rebuild the

John Eyre by Mimi Matthews Book Review

Publication Date: July 20, 2021
Publisher: Perfectly Proper Press
Length: (364) pages
Format: Hardcover, Trade Paperback & eBook
Genre: historical fiction, Gothic romance, paranormal fiction

Synopsis

Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he's ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John's new employer—a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.

The Ice Swan by J'nell Ciesielski Book Review

Publication Date: July 6, 2021
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Format: eBook & Paperback; 400 pages
Genre: Historical Romance

Synopsis

Amid the violent last days of the glittering Russian monarchy, a princess on the run finds her heart where she least expects it.

1917, Petrograd. Fleeing the murderous flames of the Russian Revolution, Princess Svetlana Dalsky hopes to find safety in Paris with her mother and sister. But the city is buckling under the weight of the Great War, and the Bolsheviks will not rest until they have erased every Russian aristocrat from memory. Svetlana and her family are forced into hiding in Paris' underbelly, with little to their name but

America's Promise by Celeste De Blasis Book Review

Publication Date: July 8, 2021
Publisher: Bookouture
Series: America's Daughter Trilogy, Book 3
Format: ebook & paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

A gripping, heart-wrenching story of love and betrayal across the boundary of the American Revolutionary War. The next captivating story for readers who loved My Dear Hamilton, Flight of the Sparrow and Outlander.

Synopsis

1780. Addie looks around at the soldiers celebrating their latest victory. American independence is within reach, but her heart feels heavy with grief. With her husband gone, she must leave the army camp, and the people she has come to love, and choose a

The Eighth Wonder by Tania Farrelly Book Review

Publication Date: July 2, 2021
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Format: Paperback
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

New York, 1897. The richest city in the world.

Beautiful, young and privileged, Rose Kingsbury Smith is expected to play by the strict rules of social etiquette, to forfeit all career aspirations and to marry a man of good means. But she has a quietly rebellious streak and is determined to make her own mark on Manhattan’s growing skyline. When the theft of a precious heirloom plunges her family into financial ruin, Rose becomes her family’s most tradeable asset. She finds herself fighting for her independence and

Mendota and the Restive Rivers of the Indian and Civil Wars 1861-65 by Dane Pizzuti Krogman Spotlight

Publication Date: 15th March 2021
Series: The Simmons family saga
Publisher: Independently Published
Page Length: 416 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

This is the fictional story set in Mendota, Minnesota of the Simmons family who are faced with the consequences of the Dakota Sioux Uprising of 1862 that swept across the state as well as the Civil War.

The father, Dan enlists in the 1st regiment of Minnesota volunteers as a teamster. His two sons, who are both underage join the 2nd Regiment. John, aged 16 becomes a bugler and William, aged 15 becomes a drummer. Their sister, Sara is left behind with their

Six in Six is Back for 2021!

Here we are in July, which means it's time for this fun meme hosted by Jo @ The Book Jotter.

The aim of Six in Six is to share what we've read in the first six months of the year by choosing six of the categories given and listing six books under each category. More information and the list of categories can be found here.

This meme has been going since 2012, but I've only participated since 2016. I found it's a great way to look back on what you've read so far in the year and to see any emerging trends.

Six Degrees of Separation: from Eats, Shoots & Leaves to Valentines from Bath

The first Saturday of the month is time to play Six Degrees of Separation. This meme is hosted by Kate of Books Are My Favourite and Best. The aim is to link six books to each other from the starting point.

This month the starting point is Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss, a book that topped the critics ‘best of 2019’ lists. It is about punctuation told in such away as to make it a fun read. I haven't read this book, but am adding it to my TBR pile.

I haven't participated in this meme for a while as I was unable to launch from the starting book. This time that first jump came to mind instantly and the rest followed on easily from there.

Punctuation goes hand in hand with writing, which uses some sort of writing implement