It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

I'm a few days late with this post. Being away from home for over a week has upset my routine and so not much has happened on the reading front. A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore was the only book I finished last week.

This week Rachel Ray by Anthony Trollope is proving to be very entertaining. More of a straight romance, it does deal with women's lives in the 19th century, a subject Trollope's novels are famous for, while also being a comment on life in a small town. I'm also reading another of Rachel Hore's novels, The Silent Tide.  She writes very easy to read and engrossing dual time frame novels and is one of my favourite authors in that genre. My reading this week still includes Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain and more short stories from Curious, If True  by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Courtesy of the library, I've added a number of books to my reading pile: Songs of Love and War by Santa Montefiore, The Beast's Garden by Kate Forsyth, Dacre's War by Rosemary Goring, Girl on the Golden Coin by Marci Jefferson, The Last Embrace (a.k.a. The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach) by Pam Jenoff, The Highwayman's Daughter by Henriette Gyland, After Clare  by Marjorie Eccles, Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey and The Lost Child by Caryl Phillips. Most of these were holds and, as is usually the case, all became available at the same time. Not that I'm complaining, it just makes it harder to choose what to read next.

Also in my library check outs this week are some older novels: Nocturne by Diane Armstrong, Australia Street by Ann Whitehead and Scarlet Shadows by Elizabeth Darrell (a.k.a. Emma Drummond).

Out of the above, I've short listed two books I'd like to read next: The Last Embrace by Pam Jenoff and The Lost Child by Caryl Phillips. The latter piqued my interest with the mention of the childhood story of Heathcliffe, the anti-hero of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.

What I Read Last Week

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again ...Can dreams be passed down through families? As a child Jude suffered a recurrent nightmare: running through a dark forest, crying for her mother. Now her six-year-old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her. A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. When she's asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up. As Jude untangles Wickham's tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present. What have Summer's nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the forest from which Wickham and his adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky? With the help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendour of the Norfolk woods. Dare she leave behind the sadness in her own life, and learn to love again?

What I'm Reading Today

Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain

Born into a world seething with treachery and suspicion, Eleanor Goodricke grows up on the Somerset Levels just after the English Civil Wars, heiress to her late mother's estates and daughter of a Puritan soldier who fears for his brilliant daughter with her dangerous passion for natural history - and for butterflies in particular. Her reckless courage will take her to places where no woman of her day ever dared to go. Her fearless ambition will give her a place in history for all time. But it is her passionate heart which will lead her into a consuming love - and mortal peril.

Rachel Ray by Anthony Trollope

Luke Rowan has inherited a share of the Bengall and Tappitt Brewery in Baselhurst, Devon. He travels there from London and is welcomed into the home of the Tappitts. He meets Rachel Ray, a friend of the Tappitt daughters, and falls in love. Luke and Rachel become engaged, but the relationship causes controversy in the town. When Luke returns to London after a dispute with Mr. Tappitt over the brewery, rumours circulate that he has not behaved in a gentlemanly fashion and Rachel is advised to break off the engagement ...

The Silent Tide by Rachel Hore

When Emily Gordon, editor at a London publishing house, commissions an account of great English novelist Hugh Morton, she finds herself steering a tricky path between Morton's formidable widow, Jacqueline, who's determined to protect his secrets, and the biographer, charming and ambitious Joel Richards. But someone is sending Emily mysterious missives about Hugh Morton's past and she discovers a buried story that simply has to be told… One winter's day in 1948, nineteen year old Isabel Barber arrives at her Aunt Penelope's house in Earl's Court having run away from home to follow her star. A chance meeting with an East European refugee poet leads to a job with his publisher, McKinnon & Holt, and a fascinating career beckons. But when she develops a close editorial relationship with charismatic young debut novelist Hugh Morton and the professional becomes passionately personal, not only are all her plans put to flight, but she finds herself in a struggle for her very survival. Rachel Hore's intriguing and suspenseful new novel magnificently evokes the milieux of London publishing past and present and connects the very different worlds of two young women, Emily and Isabel, who through their individual quests for truth, love and happiness become inextricably linked.

Curious, If True by Elizabeth Gaskell

A collection of Victorian tales of suspense, horror, mood and mystery by Elizabeth Gaskell, published variously between 1852 and 1861. Includes "The Old Nurse's Story," "The Poor Clare," "Lois The Witch," "The Grey Woman," and "Curious, If True."

What I Hope to Read Next

The Last Embrace by Pam Jenoff

August 1940 and 16-year-old refugee Addie escapes Fascist Italy to live with her aunt and uncle in Atlantic City. As WW2 breaks, she finds acceptance and love with Charlie Connelly and his family. But war changes everything: secrets and passions abound, and when one brother's destructive choices lead to the tragic death of another, the Connelly family is decimated, and Addie along with them. Now 18, she flees, first to Washington and then to war-torn London where she is swept up with life as a correspondent. But when Charlie, now a paratrooper, re-appears, Addie discovers that the past is impossible to outrun. Now she must make one last desperate attempt to find within herself the answers that will lead the way home.

The Lost Child by Caryl Phillips

Caryl Phillips's "The Lost Child "is a sweeping story of orphans and outcasts, haunted by the past and fighting to liberate themselves from it. At its center is Monica Johnson--cut off from her parents after falling in love with a foreigner--and her bitter struggle to raise her sons in the shadow of the wild moors of the north of England. Phillips intertwines his modern narrative with the childhood of one of literature's most enigmatic lost boys, as he deftly conjures young Heathcliff, the anti-hero of "Wuthering Heights," and his ragged existence before Mr. Earnshaw brought him home to his family. "The Lost Child" is a multifaceted, deeply original response to Emily Bronte's masterpiece, "Wuthering Heights." A critically acclaimed and sublimely talented storyteller, Caryl Phillips is "in a league with Toni Morrison and V. S. Naipaul" ("Booklist") and "his novels have a way of growing on you, staying with you long after you've closed the book." ("The New York Times Book Review") A true literary feat, "The Lost Child" recovers the mysteries of the past to illuminate the predicaments of the present, getting at the heart of alienation, exile, and family by transforming a classic into a profound story that is singularly its own.

It's Monday! What Are you Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Not much happening on the reading front for me last week as I was called away from home due to a family crisis. I threw the books I am currently reading and my tablet into my suitcase and except for reading a chapter or two at bedtime, what I'm reading this week hasn't changed much from last week. However, I did finish Lisa Chaplin's The Tide Watchers and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel.

The book added to my reading pile and one I hope to read soon is Winter Journey by Diane Armstrong, an Australian author. This was Diane Armstrong's debut novel and was first released over ten years ago.

What I Read Last Week

The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin

In the winter of 1803, one woman stands between Napoleon and the fall of Great Britain. The free-spirited daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth defies convention by eloping to France. When her husband abandons her, she must find a way to survive and be reunited with her young son, who is in the care of her mother-in-law. A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to keep his mentor's pretty daughter safe—a promise complicated by the wily Napoleon Bonaparte. The British believe he is planning an attack, and Duncan is sent to search for signs of invasion on the French coast—where he draws dangerously close to adventurous and unpredictable Lisbeth. A sensational new invention may shift the tide of a French victory. A brilliant and eccentric American inventor named Robert Fulton has devised a deadly weapon that can decimate an enemy's fleet. To protect English ships, Tidewatcher must gain control of Fulton's invention and cross enemy lines . . . but he cannot do it alone. Left with no other options, he enlists Lisbeth's help in outwitting the American inventor and uncovering Bonaparte's secret plans. Going undercover for the handsome and duty-bound spy, Lisbeth risks her freedom and her life as she navigates double agents and submarine warfare to outwit the greatest military tactician in history. The only question is . . . who can she trust?

What I'm Reading Today

Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain

Born into a world seething with treachery and suspicion, Eleanor Goodricke grows up on the Somerset Levels just after the English Civil Wars, heiress to her late mother's estates and daughter of a Puritan soldier who fears for his brilliant daughter with her dangerous passion for natural history - and for butterflies in particular. Her reckless courage will take her to places where no woman of her day ever dared to go. Her fearless ambition will give her a place in history for all time. But it is her passionate heart which will lead her into a consuming love - and mortal peril.

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again ...Can dreams be passed down through families? As a child Jude suffered a recurrent nightmare: running through a dark forest, crying for her mother. Now her six-year-old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her. A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. When she's asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up. As Jude untangles Wickham's tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present. What have Summer's nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the forest from which Wickham and his adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky? With the help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendour of the Norfolk woods. Dare she leave behind the sadness in her own life, and learn to love again?

Curious, If True by Elizabeth Gaskell

A collection of Victorian tales of suspense, horror, mood and mystery by Elizabeth Gaskell, published variously between 1852 and 1861. Includes "The Old Nurse's Story," "The Poor Clare," "Lois The Witch," "The Grey Woman," and "Curious, If True."

What I Hope to Read Next

Winter Journey by Diane Armstrong

A mother's silence, a village with a terrible secret, and an Australian woman who travels to Poland to uncover the truth ...When forensic dentist Halina Shore arrives in Nowa Kalwaria to take part in a war crimes investigation, she finds herself at the centre of a bitter struggle in a community that has been divided by a grim legacy. What she does not realise is that she has also embarked on a confronting personal journey. Inspired by a true incident that took place in Poland in 1941, Diane Armstrong's powerful novel is part mystery, part forensic investigation, and a moving and confronting story of love, loss and sacrifice.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Of the four books I read last week, Kit by Marina Fiorato was my favourite, with Beau Brocade by Emmuska Orczy coming a close second. I followed these with two quick reads: a light-hearted Regency romance by Carola Dunn entitled Captain Ingram's Inheritance and The Vicar's Wife by Katharine Swartz, a dual time frame novel set in the present and in the 1930s/40s.

The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin is my main read this week, though I have started Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain and I'm still enjoying a short story now and then from Mrs. Gaskell's Curious, If True.

My visit to the library last week added some interesting novels to my reading pile. Rachel Hore is a favourite author of mine and I'm looking forward to reading The Silent Tide  and  Place of Secrets in anticipation of reading her current novel,  A Week in Paris, which was released in October last year.  This one was out on loan, so I'll have to wait a while longer.

Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase, Louise Walter's debut novel, first published in 2014, was released in the USA in August. I'd not heard of this author or her book until  I read about it being re-released. The new cover drew my attention as it is much nicer than the original, but the synopsis convinced me to add this book to my checkouts. 

Melanie Gifford is an author I've not read before.  From the fly leaf The Gallows Girl is described as "a dark, compelling story of obsession and revenge that will appeal to fans of Sarah Waters and Emma Donoghue." I've not ready any books by Sarah Waters or Emma Donoghue, but I was hooked by the rest of the description. 

Elizabeth Fremantle is another author I've not read before and I'm looking forward to reading Watch the Lady. Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, Queen Elizabeth I's favourite, appears in many novels, but little is known about his sister, Penelope, who sounds very intriguing. I'm also excited by the fact that I'm the first to borrow this new book from the library.

What I Read Last Week

Kit by Marina Fiorato

Dublin 1702...and Irish beauty Kit Kavanagh has everything she could want in life. Newly married, she runs a successful alehouse with her beloved husband Richard. The wars that rage in Europe over the Spanish throne seem a world away. But everything changes on the night that Richard simply disappears. Finding the Queen's shilling at the bottom of Richard's tankard, Kit realizes that her husband has been taken for a soldier. Kit follows Richard's trail across the battlefields of Italy in the Duke of Marlborough's regiment. Living as a man, risking her life in battle, she forms a close bond with her wry and handsome commanding officer Captain Ross. When she is forced to flee the regiment following a duel, she evades capture by dressing once more as a woman. But the war is not over for Kit. Her beauty catches the eye of the scheming Duke of Ormonde, who recruits her to spy upon the French. In her finery she meets Captain Ross once again, who seems just as drawn to the woman as he was to the soldier. Torn between Captain Ross and her loyalty to her husband, and under the orders of the English Crown, Kit finds that her life is in more danger now than on the battlefield. Of all the dangers that she faced, the greatest was discovery...

Beau Brocade by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, is falsly accused of being a rebel and siding with Bonnie Prince Charlie. He is condemned to death under a bill of attainder. However, letters in his possession will prove that he is innocent, but he needs his sister, Patricia, to take them to London and present them to the King.

Captain Ingram's Inheritance by Carola Dunn

When love takes command...hearts must obey! Lady Constantia Roworth has no fortune and doesn't give a fig about rank. But her father, the Earl of Westwood, expects his offspring to make matches that benefit their station - or enrich the family coffers. Alas, Captain Frank Ingram has neither blue blood or money - only dashing good looks. The wounded soldier has accepted a kind invitation to recover at the Westwood estate...and it takes only the meeting of eyes, the touch of hands and the mingling of sighs before the handsome war hero and Lady Connie begin to lose their hearts!

The Vicar's Wife by Katharine Swartz

Jane Hatton and her British husband Andrew relocate from New York City to a small village on the Cumbrian coast. Jane has been city-based and career-driven but when her fourteen year old daughter Natalie falls in with the wrong crowd at school in Manhattan, she and Andrew decide to try country living. However Jane has trouble getting used to the silence and solitude of a remote village. Natalie hates her new school, and eleven-year-old Ben struggles academically. Only seven-year-old Merrie enjoys country life. Has Jane made a horrible mistake? The Hattons have bought the old vicarage in the village. When Jane finds a scrap of shopping list, she grows curious about Alice, the vicar's wife who lived there years before. As we follow the twin narratives of Jane, in the present, and Alice in the 1930s we discover that both are on a journey to discover their true selves, and to address their deepest fears.

What I'm Reading Today

The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin

In the winter of 1803, one woman stands between Napoleon and the fall of Great Britain. The free-spirited daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth defies convention by eloping to France. When her husband abandons her, she must find a way to survive and be reunited with her young son, who is in the care of her mother-in-law. A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to keep his mentor's pretty daughter safe—a promise complicated by the wily Napoleon Bonaparte. The British believe he is planning an attack, and Duncan is sent to search for signs of invasion on the French coast—where he draws dangerously close to adventurous and unpredictable Lisbeth. A sensational new invention may shift the tide of a French victory. A brilliant and eccentric American inventor named Robert Fulton has devised a deadly weapon that can decimate an enemy's fleet. To protect English ships, Tidewatcher must gain control of Fulton's invention and cross enemy lines . . . but he cannot do it alone. Left with no other options, he enlists Lisbeth's help in outwitting the American inventor and uncovering Bonaparte's secret plans. Going undercover for the handsome and duty-bound spy, Lisbeth risks her freedom and her life as she navigates double agents and submarine warfare to outwit the greatest military tactician in history. The only question is . . . who can she trust?

Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain

Born into a world seething with treachery and suspicion, Eleanor Goodricke grows up on the Somerset Levels just after the English Civil Wars, heiress to her late mother's estates and daughter of a Puritan soldier who fears for his brilliant daughter with her dangerous passion for natural history - and for butterflies in particular. Her reckless courage will take her to places where no woman of her day ever dared to go. Her fearless ambition will give her a place in history for all time. But it is her passionate heart which will lead her into a consuming love - and mortal peril.

Curious, If True by Elizabeth Gaskell

A collection of Victorian tales of suspense, horror, mood and mystery by Elizabeth Gaskell, published variously between 1852 and 1861. Includes "The Old Nurse's Story," "The Poor Clare," "Lois The Witch," "The Grey Woman," and "Curious, If True."

What I Hope to Read Next

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again ...Can dreams be passed down through families? As a child Jude suffered a recurrent nightmare: running through a dark forest, crying for her mother. Now her six-year-old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her. A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. When she's asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up. As Jude untangles Wickham's tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present. What have Summer's nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the forest from which Wickham and his adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky? With the help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendour of the Norfolk woods. Dare she leave behind the sadness in her own life, and learn to love again?

The Silent Tide by Rachel Hore

When Emily Gordon, editor at a London publishing house, commissions an account of great English novelist Hugh Morton, she finds herself steering a tricky path between Morton's formidable widow, Jacqueline, who's determined to protect his secrets, and the biographer, charming and ambitious Joel Richards. But someone is sending Emily mysterious missives about Hugh Morton's past and she discovers a buried story that simply has to be told… One winter's day in 1948, nineteen year old Isabel Barber arrives at her Aunt Penelope's house in Earl's Court having run away from home to follow her star. A chance meeting with an East European refugee poet leads to a job with his publisher, McKinnon & Holt, and a fascinating career beckons. But when she develops a close editorial relationship with charismatic young debut novelist Hugh Morton and the professional becomes passionately personal, not only are all her plans put to flight, but she finds herself in a struggle for her very survival.

Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase by Louise Walters

UK/AUS Edition

US Edition

Forgive me, Dorothea, for I cannot forgive you. What you do, to this child, to this child's mother, it is wrong...Roberta likes to collect the letters and postcards she finds in second-hand books. When her father gives her some of her grandmother's belongings, she finds a baffling letter from the grandfather she never knew - dated after he supposedly died in the war. Dorothy is unhappily married to Albert, who is away at war. When an aeroplane crashes in the field behind her house she meets Squadron Leader Jan Pietrykowski, and as their bond deepens she dares to hope she might find happiness. But fate has other plans for them both, and soon she is hiding a secret so momentous that its shockwaves will touch her granddaughter many years later...

The Gallows Girl by Melanie Gifford

Isaac and Harriet Curtis are in trouble. Their Hampshire coaching inn, Green Gallows, is threatened by the rumours of a new turnpike stretching from London to Portsmouth. The new road will leech all the important trade away from the inn and ruin Isaac's plans for expansion. All will not be lost if they can still succeed in landing a titled - and wealthy - husband for their eldest daughter, Lucy. No expense is spared in grooming her for a better life; while their youngest daughter, Rachel, is little more than a servant. Rachel cannot help but envy her sister her pretty dresses and the easy admiration she wins from stable hands and gentlemen alike. But while Rachel's world seldom stretches beyond the stable yard or taproom, she little dreams that Lucy would give anything to trade places with her. For when their father's business plans crumble he does not hesitate in trading Lucy's virtue to pay his debts. But neither sister will submit to her fate without protest, even if it will be left to Rachel to pay the price for her sister's final act of defiance. And it will be Rachel too who seeks the ultimate revenge...

Watch the Lady by Elizabeth Fremantle

Penelope Devereux is a legendary beauty in the court of Elizabeth but it's not just her looks which mark her apart. With her canny instinct for being in the right place at the right time, and her skilled political manipulation, she has become a formidable adversary to anyone who stands in her path. And now, Penelope must secure the future of the Devereux dynasty at whatever cost. Even treason. For the Queen is just one more pawn in a deadly game.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Last week I finished The Castle Inn  by Stanley J. Weyman, first published in 1899. This is the second novel I've read by this classic author of historical romances. The Castle Inn is a swashbuckling 18th century adventure story, with duels, abductions, pursuits, missing heirs and lovers at cross purposes.

This week I'm still reading Kit by Marina Fiorato and The Tide Watchers  by Lisa Chaplin. Both are equally exciting. My classic pick for the week is Beau Brocade  by  Baroness Emmuska Orczy, who is famous for The Scarlet Pimpernel series of novels. I've also picked up a book of short stories by Elizabeth Gaskell entitled Curious, If True. This book is described as  a collection of  "five dark Victorian tales of suspense, horror, mood and mystery." Just right for bedtime reading.

Lady of the Butterflies  by Fiona Mountain is what I would like to read next. Whether this happens depends on what I bring home from the library tomorrow.

What I Read Last Week

The Castle Inn by Stanley J. Weyman

About a hundred and thirty years ago, when the third George, whom our grandfathers knew in his blind dotage, was a young and sturdy bridegroom; when old Q., whom 1810 found peering from his balcony in Piccadilly, deaf, toothless, and a skeleton, was that gay and lively spark, the Earl of March; when "bore" and "boreish" were words of "haut ton, " unknown to the vulgar, and the price of a borough was 5,000"l."; when gibbets still served for sign-posts, and railways were not and highwaymen were -- to be more exact, in the early spring of the year 1767, a traveling chariot-and-four drew up about five in the evening before the inn at Wheatley Bridge, a short stage from Oxford on the Oxford road. A gig and a couple of post-chaises, attended by the customary group of stablemen, topers, and gossips already stood before the house, but these were quickly deserted in favor of the more important equipage. The drawers in their aprons trooped out, but the landlord, foreseeing a rich harvest, was first at the door of the carriage, and opened it with a bow such as is rarely seen in these days. "Will your lordship please to alight?" he said. "No, rascal!" cried one of those within. "Shut the door!"

What I'm Reading Today

Kit by Marina Fiorato

Dublin 1702...and Irish beauty Kit Kavanagh has everything she could want in life. Newly married, she runs a successful alehouse with her beloved husband Richard. The wars that rage in Europe over the Spanish throne seem a world away. But everything changes on the night that Richard simply disappears. Finding the Queen's shilling at the bottom of Richard's tankard, Kit realizes that her husband has been taken for a soldier. Kit follows Richard's trail across the battlefields of Italy in the Duke of Marlborough's regiment. Living as a man, risking her life in battle, she forms a close bond with her wry and handsome commanding officer Captain Ross. When she is forced to flee the regiment following a duel, she evades capture by dressing once more as a woman. But the war is not over for Kit. Her beauty catches the eye of the scheming Duke of Ormonde, who recruits her to spy upon the French. In her finery she meets Captain Ross once again, who seems just as drawn to the woman as he was to the soldier. Torn between Captain Ross and her loyalty to her husband, and under the orders of the English Crown, Kit finds that her life is in more danger now than on the battlefield. Of all the dangers that she faced, the greatest was discovery...

The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin

In the winter of 1803, one woman stands between Napoleon and the fall of Great Britain. The free-spirited daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth defies convention by eloping to France. When her husband abandons her, she must find a way to survive and be reunited with her young son, who is in the care of her mother-in-law. A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to keep his mentor's pretty daughter safe—a promise complicated by the wily Napoleon Bonaparte. The British believe he is planning an attack, and Duncan is sent to search for signs of invasion on the French coast—where he draws dangerously close to adventurous and unpredictable Lisbeth. A sensational new invention may shift the tide of a French victory. A brilliant and eccentric American inventor named Robert Fulton has devised a deadly weapon that can decimate an enemy's fleet. To protect English ships, Tidewatcher must gain control of Fulton's invention and cross enemy lines . . . but he cannot do it alone. Left with no other options, he enlists Lisbeth's help in outwitting the American inventor and uncovering Bonaparte's secret plans. Going undercover for the handsome and duty-bound spy, Lisbeth risks her freedom and her life as she navigates double agents and submarine warfare to outwit the greatest military tactician in history. The only question is . . . who can she trust?

Beau Brocade by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Philip Gascoyne, Earl of Stretton, is falsly accused of being a rebel and siding with Bonnie Prince Charlie. He is condemned to death under a bill of attainder. However, letters in his possession will prove that he is innocent, but he needs his sister, Patricia, to take them to London and present them to the King.

Curious, If True by Elizabeth Gaskell

A collection of Victorian tales of suspense, horror, mood and mystery by Elizabeth Gaskell, published variously between 1852 and 1861. Includes "The Old Nurse's Story," "The Poor Clare," "Lois The Witch," "The Grey Woman," and "Curious, If True."

What I Hope to Read Next

Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain

Born into a world seething with treachery and suspicion, Eleanor Goodricke grows up on the Somerset Levels just after the English Civil Wars, heiress to her late mother's estates and daughter of a Puritan soldier who fears for his brilliant daughter with her dangerous passion for natural history - and for butterflies in particular. Her reckless courage will take her to places where no woman of her day ever dared to go. Her fearless ambition will give her a place in history for all time. But it is her passionate heart which will lead her into a consuming love - and mortal peril.

Book Review: On Track For Murder by Stephen Childs

On Track for Murder  is Stephen Childs' debut novel. It is set in 1889 and, as the title and elegant book cover suggest, is a mystery with a railway connection.

Eighteen year old Abigail Sergeant and her younger brother, Bertrand, disembark from a steamship in Fremantle, Western Australia, looking forward to being reunited with their father and starting a new life.

Mr. Sergeant, a railway engineer, sent out from England years before, has overseen the connection of the railway between Perth and the port city of Albany, on the south-east coast.

While joyfully welcomed by their father, Abigail and Bertrand's  reunion with their step-mother, Frances, is not so happy. A mutual dislike between Abigail and Frances causes unrest in the home, but Abigail is determined to let nothing threaten her and Bertrand's pleasure at being with their father and the security of living as a family once more.
   
Abigail's hopes of a happy family life are shattered when her father is murdered and Bertrand is found holding the murder weapon. He is arrested, but Abigail knows Bertrand is  innocent. She just needs time to contact a witness. Granted five days by the Detective Inspector in charge of the case, Abigail sets off for Albany, accompanied by Constable Dunning, a policeman she met previously at the Fremantle docks.

Abigail is an unconventional eighteen year old. She finds steam engines and all things mechanical interesting. An interest encouraged by her father and frowned upon by her step-mother, who thinks such interests unnatural in a female. A well-bred young lady should be focusing on marriage and domestic affairs.

Abigail's mechanical knowledge plays a large part in the story and adds credibility to the way she extricates herself from a number of difficult situations. She is also very protective of her brother, who finds it hard to communicate and interact with people, and faced life in an institution had they remained in England. When the investigation threatens to overwhelm her and she is niggled by self-doubt, thoughts of Bertrand unjustly accused makes her more determined to bring the real culprit to justice.

Constable Dunning is also unusual for his time. He readily accepts Abigail's fascination with trains and steam engines and sees her as a capable partner in the task they have been assigned. A little awkward around Abigail at first, he is cool-headed and methodical in his approach to the investigation, his pencil stub and notebook never faraway. 

The relationship between Abigail and Constable Dunning is sweetly developed. Abigail's preconceived view that her ideal mate would be someone sharing her mechanical interests is completely overthrown when she realises that Constable Dunning also has an enquiring mind and is not the weakling she first thought. There are some lovely moments and humourous exchanges between the two as their feelings for each other grow.

Packed with drama from the first chapter, it is easy to be swept along with Abigail and Constable Dunning in their quest to prove Bertrand is innocent. Kidnapping, arson and attempted murder bring them into contact with a thuggish seaman, petty criminals and a religious fanatic before the case is solved. Though I had my suspicions who the murderer was, there are a number of suspects with equally strong motives just to complicate matters and add an element of doubt. A plot twist at the end is a clever distraction before the murderer is finally revealed.

On Track for Murder is a fast-paced, well-written historical mystery with a touch of romance. Victorian era views and prejudices, plausible plot lines, credible outcomes, believable protagonists, all combine to make this a very entertaining read.  I enjoyed this novel and look forward to more from Stephen Childs.

Note: I received a free copy of this novel from Authoright in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

On Track for Murder  is published by Clink Street Publishing and is available September 1, 2015, from The Book Depository, Amazon US and other book sellers.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

This weekly meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

My greatest accomplishment last week was that I finally finished The Dead Secret  by Wilkie Collins. I struggled with this book, but something happened around Chapter 3 where the story became very interesting and I found I couldn't put the book down.  

In the previous week I'd enjoyed The Highwayman's Footsteps  by Nicola Morgan so much that I wanted more of Bess and Will's story and so picked up the sequel, The Highwayman's Curse. This was another great read.

I set aside what I was currently reading last week to make way for a novel offered to me by Authoright. On Track For Murder by Stephen Childs, due out in September, is a historical crime novel set in late 19th century Western Australia. It has a railway connection and a very unusual heroine. My review will be posted shortly. 

This week I am back to reading Kit by Marina Fiorato and The Castle Inn by Stanley J. Weyman, and have started The Tide Watchers  by Lisa Chaplin, a spy story set during the Napoleonic Wars.

Once again I'm not sure what will take my fancy next, but in my reading pile are the first two books of Kate Tremayne's 18th century Cornish family saga which follows the fortunes of the Loveday family. There are eleven books in the series, said to be on a par with the Poldark novels by Winston Graham. I've been meaning to read these for a while. I'm just not sure I can commit to such a long series at this time.

What I Read Last Week

The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins

... Like much of Collins's work, "The Dead Secret" explores the consequences of a single, hidden act. The Cornish mansion Porthgenna harbors the secret of such an act, one that has ruined the life of the servant girl Sarah Leeson. This same secret lies hidden for fifteen years until the heiress to Porthgenna, Rosamund Treverton, returns and exposes it. Her detective work may reveal the truth, but her revelation of a long-forgotten crime could mean disaster for her and the entire estate ...

The Highwayman's Curse by Nicola Morgan

On the run from the redcoats, the two young highwaymen, Will and Bess, find themselves in Galloway, Scotland, blamed for a murder they did not commit. Here, they are captured by smugglers and become embroiled in a story of hatred and revenge that goes back for generations, to the days of the Killing Times. Whose side will they take? Can anything they do end the cycle of religious hatred? And will their own friendship survive?

On Track For Murder by Stephen Childs

Travelling from England to Australia in the late nineteenth century, Abigail Sergeant and her brother,Bertrand, are looking forward to their new life. Leaving behind the prejudices that would likely have seen Bertrand committed to an institution before he reached adulthood, Abigail hopes their new life will offer freedom and security.But what awaits them on the shores of the Swan River dashes any prospects of a blissful life. A murder is committed and Abigail's family is thrown into turmoil. The evidence is damning. Only the guilty would be found standing over the body clutching the bloodied murder weapon. But something is not right. Police are convinced they have their killer. Abigail is certain they are wrong. As their one potential witness is missing, Abigail persuades the detective to allow time for a search. But that time is limited. Chasing across Western Australia with a reluctant Constable Dunning as her chaperone, Abigail is determined to uncover the truth. If only she had an inkling of what that may be. Through deception, kidnap, sabotage and arson, Abigail finds a resolve she didn't know she possessed. Her understanding of mechanical principles surprises everyone, as does her tenacity. She turns out to be a capable young woman. But is that enough to save an innocent from injustice?

What I'm Reading Today

Kit by Marina Fiorato

Dublin 1702...and Irish beauty Kit Kavanagh has everything she could want in life. Newly married, she runs a successful alehouse with her beloved husband Richard. The wars that rage in Europe over the Spanish throne seem a world away. But everything changes on the night that Richard simply disappears. Finding the Queen's shilling at the bottom of Richard's tankard, Kit realizes that her husband has been taken for a soldier. Kit follows Richard's trail across the battlefields of Italy in the Duke of Marlborough's regiment. Living as a man, risking her life in battle, she forms a close bond with her wry and handsome commanding officer Captain Ross. When she is forced to flee the regiment following a duel, she evades capture by dressing once more as a woman. But the war is not over for Kit. Her beauty catches the eye of the scheming Duke of Ormonde, who recruits her to spy upon the French. In her finery she meets Captain Ross once again, who seems just as drawn to the woman as he was to the soldier. Torn between Captain Ross and her loyalty to her husband, and under the orders of the English Crown, Kit finds that her life is in more danger now than on the battlefield. Of all the dangers that she faced, the greatest was discovery...

The Castle Inn by Stanley J. Weyman

About a hundred and thirty years ago, when the third George, whom our grandfathers knew in his blind dotage, was a young and sturdy bridegroom; when old Q., whom 1810 found peering from his balcony in Piccadilly, deaf, toothless, and a skeleton, was that gay and lively spark, the Earl of March; when "bore" and "boreish" were words of "haut ton, " unknown to the vulgar, and the price of a borough was 5,000"l."; when gibbets still served for sign-posts, and railways were not and highwaymen were -- to be more exact, in the early spring of the year 1767, a traveling chariot-and-four drew up about five in the evening before the inn at Wheatley Bridge, a short stage from Oxford on the Oxford road. A gig and a couple of post-chaises, attended by the customary group of stablemen, topers, and gossips already stood before the house, but these were quickly deserted in favor of the more important equipage. The drawers in their aprons trooped out, but the landlord, foreseeing a rich harvest, was first at the door of the carriage, and opened it with a bow such as is rarely seen in these days. "Will your lordship please to alight?" he said. "No, rascal!" cried one of those within. "Shut the door!"

The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin

In the winter of 1803, one woman stands between Napoleon and the fall of Great Britain. The free-spirited daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth defies convention by eloping to France. When her husband abandons her, she must find a way to survive and be reunited with her young son, who is in the care of her mother-in-law. A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to keep his mentor's pretty daughter safe—a promise complicated by the wily Napoleon Bonaparte. The British believe he is planning an attack, and Duncan is sent to search for signs of invasion on the French coast—where he draws dangerously close to adventurous and unpredictable Lisbeth. A sensational new invention may shift the tide of a French victory. A brilliant and eccentric American inventor named Robert Fulton has devised a deadly weapon that can decimate an enemy's fleet. To protect English ships, Tidewatcher must gain control of Fulton's invention and cross enemy lines . . . but he cannot do it alone. Left with no other options, he enlists Lisbeth's help in outwitting the American inventor and uncovering Bonaparte's secret plans. Going undercover for the handsome and duty-bound spy, Lisbeth risks her freedom and her life as she navigates double agents and submarine warfare to outwit the greatest military tactician in history. The only question is . . . who can she trust?

What I Hope to Read Next

Adam Loveday by Kate Tremayne

For all those who were entranced by Ross Poldark in Winston Graham's Poldark comes a dramatic series of novels that will sweep you away to 18th century Cornwall. Cornwall, 1786. Twenty years ago, fate denied Adam Loveday his birthright: the family estate, Trevowan, and the boatyard that his father is struggling to maintain. And the intense childhood rivalry between Adam and his elder twin St John continues to govern their fated passions and chequered fortunes. St John has become a dissolute wastrel but Adam, with a talent for ship design and a thirst for adventure, has fierce family pride in Trevowan and the yard. Aware of his father's increasing disapproval, St John fears that the Loveday yard will be given to Adam after all, and puts into motion a plan to ensure that Adam will never get what his heart desires: the boatyard - and Meriel Sawle, the seductive daughter of the local innkeeper, whose violent family are infamous in the smuggling trade...

The Loveday Fortunes by Kate Tremayne

Cornwall: 1791. As the civil unrest in France gathers force, ripples of conflict are also reaching across the Channel, for the Loveday family are fighting their own private battles. Charles Mercer - Edward Loveday's brother-in-law - has been found dead, the reputation of his eminent bank in tatters. Charles has left the Lovedays facing emotional trauma and financial ruin. But risk comes as second nature to the Lovedays. Adam Loveday finds refuge from the pressures of keeping the family boatyard solvent in the arms of gypsy-bred Senara - whom he is determined to marry despite his father's threats of disinheritance. And his twin, St John, angry at having to curb his spending, throws in his hand with the Sawle brothers - the notorious smugglers who rule Penruan by intimidation and violence. Each one of the Lovedays must sacrifice personal ambition in the face of adversity. But to some of them, sacrifice does not come easily...

Book Review: The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins by Antonia Hodgson

Thomas Hawkins is on his way to Tyburn to be hanged as a murderer. He is anticipating a royal pardon, so is not overly concerned - at first, though the experience is far from pleasant. As he travels from Newgate Prison through the streets of Georgian London, he narrates what has brought him to this sorry plight. 

Thomas and his love, Kitty Sparks, are happily running a book shop, selling legal and illegal publications, and dealing with weekly visits from the local magistrate. However, Thomas is growing bored with domesticity and craves excitement. He is slowly returning to his old ways. The same ones that saw him thrown into debtors' prison not so long ago.
 
He mentions to James Fleet, the notorious leader of one of London's street gangs and the father of Sam, who Thomas is teaching to be a gentleman, that he's looking for adventure. Subsequently, a summons from Queen Caroline brings him more excitement than he cares for as he becomes involved in the unhappy marriage of the King's mistress, Henrietta Howard, and her husband. To add to Thomas' woes, his next-door neighbour, Joseph Burden, is murdered and he becomes the prime suspect. Assisted by Kitty and Sam, Thomas tries to prove his innocence, but unfortunately his very public arguments with his neighbour, his way of life and a rumour circulating that he has killed before, work against him and he is eventually arrested for the crime.

I eagerly awaited the return of Thomas Hawkins after following his exploits in The Devil in the Marshalsea, Antonia Hodgson's debut novel and the first in the series. It was worth the wait. What's more reading the first book is not a prerequisite to enjoying and following this sequel as there is enough of Thomas' back story woven into the narrative to explain his present situation.

The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins commences a few months after Thomas' release from the Marshalsea and introduces a colourful mix of new characters and others we have met before. Unlike The Devil in the Marshalsea, where most of the action is confined to the one place, Thomas' investigations and his gentlemanly pursuits lead him all over London, from the violent Georgian underworld to the opulence of St. James' Palace.

Trouble dogs Thomas' every move as he tries to extricate himself from the mess he's in. Unfortunately his actions are often misconstrued. For all his worldly experiences, he is still quite naive, a trait that makes him such a lovable rogue.

There are a number of suspects for Burden's murder, but Thomas is unable to link any of them to the crime and, another of his traits, a sense of honour, stops him laying the blame on anyone without having  indisputable evidence. Like Thomas, I had no real idea who the culprit was, though I had my suspicions.

I enjoyed reading Thomas' trial transcript presented as an authentic 18th century publication. Kitty's evidence was particularly moving and amusing in equal amounts. Throughout the novel Kitty's defence of Thomas is fierce, which makes for some very entertaining moments and some poignant ones.

Thomas' narration is interspersed with scenes of his progress from Newgate to Tyburn. These are well done and the switch in perspective adds extra suspense. As the scenery changes en route, these sketches also show Thomas' range of emotions. He still hopes for a pardon, but the closer he gets to Tyburn, the less confident of receiving one he becomes.

I loved everything about this novel. It is fast paced with many plot twists, an assortment of characters, fictional and lesser known historical figures, and a  great setting for a protagonist such as Thomas Hawkins. Once again Antonia Hodgson succeeds in bringing the Georgian world he inhabits to life with her vivid descriptions and attention to detail. I can still hear the tolling of the church bell and the jeering of the crowds as Thomas makes his way to Tyburn. His speech from the gallows, though not what the crowd wants to hear, is theatrical and honest, with a touch of humour, which makes Thomas Hawkins such an endearing character. Does he get his pardon? Now that would be telling ...