The Missionary's Wife by Claire McGregor Book Review

This novel is based on a true story of Presbyterian missionaries from Canada, who in 1871 travelled to the South Pacific to spread Christianity.

The story is told from Annetta's perspective as she accompanies her new husband, John Stewart, a missionary, to the New Hebrides (Vanuatu). She wants to be considered a missionary in her own right, not just a help meet for John, but to be able to express her opinions and be heard. Leaving behind her close-knit family in Nova Scotia, not knowing when she will see them again, if ever, is a great wrench.

On the quayside before embarkation, she is already having doubts about her choice, mainly whether she will be strong enough to cope with what lies ahead, especially when

Fortune's Wheel by Carolyn Hughes Audiobook Excerpt

Publication Date: 22/4/24 (Audiobook)
Publisher: Carolyn Hughes
Series: The Meonbridge Chronicles #1
Listening Length: 11 hours and 54 minutes
Audiobook Narrator: Alex Lee @alexleeaudio
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

How do you recover from the havoc wrought by history's cruellest plague?

Her Own War by Debra Borchert Spotlight

Publication Date: July 14th, 2024
Publisher: Le Vin Press
Series: Château de Verzat Series, Book #3
Page Length: 438
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

As Napoleon Rises from the Ashes of The French Revolution, One Woman Dares to Spy Against Him

Sentenced to eight months in an insane asylum for the crime of impersonating a man, Geneviève LaGarde fears giving birth in a filthy cell will mean certain death for her and her unborn child. Desperate for her release, her husband, Louis, trades his freedom for hers and must join Bonaparte’s army in Egypt.

The Agincourt King by Mercedes Rochelle Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 8, 2024
Publisher: Sergeant Press
Series: The Plantagenet Legacy
Pages: 260 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

From the day he was crowned, Henry V was determined to prove the legitimacy of his house. His father's usurpation weighed heavily on his mind. Only a grand gesture would capture the respect of his own countrymen and the rest of Europe. He would follow in his great-grandfather Edward III's footsteps, and recover lost territory in France.

Better yet, why not go for the crown? Poor, deranged Charles VI couldn't manage his

Six in Six - 2024 Edition

Another July has come around which means it's time for this fun meme hosted by Jo @ The Book Jotter, now in its twelfth year.

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 is a great way to look back on what you've read so far in the year and to see any emerging trends. Looking at what I've read over the past six months,

Under a Cloud by Luv Lubker Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 30th, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Series: The Rival Courts
Pages: 318
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobook: Will be narrated by Ella McNish, Jamie Collette and a full cast.

Book Description

Vicky's father, Albert, the Prince Consort, has just died, leaving her and her family under a heavy cloud of grief, without their dearest friend and advisor, at a most critical time: The political horizon grows dark with storm clouds at the entry of Bismarck to Germany's political stage in 1862.

Will Fritz's courage stand the test as he confronts the spider in its web? Is Prussia

Death in a Scottish Castle by Lydia Travers Book Review

Publication Date: July 11, 2024
Publisher: Bookouture
Series: The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency #4
Format: Paperback, ebook and audio
Genre: Historical Mystery, Cosy

Book Description

When Maud McIntyre and her assistant Daisy travel to a remote Scottish castle, the last thing they expect to find is a locked room murder mystery. Can they prise open this case and catch a killer?

Scotland, 1912: When Maud and Daisy travel to Clachan Castle on the Isle of Mull to investigate the theft of a valuable statuette, at first the case seems straightforward. But when their prime suspect, bad-tempered fellow

The Sea Witch Voyages by Helen Hollick Spotlight

Publisher: Penmore Press & Taw River Press
Series: 6 in the series & 1 prequel novella
Genre: Nautical Adventure with a touch of Supernatural Fantasy
Note: Contains adult language and behaviour.

Book Description

Trouble follows Captain Jesamiah Acorne like a ship’s wake...

The early 1700s: from the sun of the Caribbean to the eerie mists of 

The Virgins of Venice by Gina Buonaguro Spotlight

Today, the spotlight shines on Gina Buonaguro's novel set in sixteenth-century Venice, where one young noblewoman dares to resist the choices made for her.

Publication Date: December 13, 2022
Publisher: HarperAvenue
Pages: 432
Genre: Historical Fiction
Audiobook narrator: Carlotta Brentan

Book Description

Venice in 1509 is on the brink of war. The displeasure of Pope Julius II is a continuing threat to the republic, as is the barely contained fighting in the countryside. Amid this turmoil, noblewoman Justina Soranzo, just sixteen, hopes to make a rare love marriage with her sweetheart, Luca Cicogna.

The Sweet Blue Distance by Sara DonatiBook Review

I've been meaning to read Sara Donati's Wilderness series for ages, but when confronted by those six, large books on the library shelf, I always moved on; one day, I'll tackle them. I had more success with Donati's two book series (soon to be three) known as the Waverly Place novels, The Gilded Hour and Where the Light Enters. These, I enjoyed immensely and immediately became a Sara Donati fan, which was why I jumped at the chance to read her latest release.

The Sweet Blue Distance follows midwife, Elizabeth Caroline (Carrie) Ballentyne, who in 1857, accompanied by her brother, Nathan, journeys west from New York to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to work with Doctor Samuel Markham.

She leaves her close knit family behind to escape events of her past. These are hinted at but not fully revealed until much later when

Zig Zag Woman by Roberta Tracy Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 248 pp.
Genre: Historical Mystery

Book Description

The last thing LAPD Detectives McManus and Tyson expect to find behind Pantages Theatre is a body rolled up in a blanket. The last thing Margaret Morehouse, one of the city's first policewoman with arrest powers, expects to do is join the investigation. When a deadly explosion at the L. A. Times derails their efforts, Margaret finds herself at a crossroads and strikes out on her own, a path leading to delusion and self-discovery on a vaudeville stage. Her husband's nephew Leland further complicates the situation by sharing a ransom note and confiding his

The Dream Collector: Sabrine & Vincent van Gogh by R.w. Meek Read an Excerpt

Publication Date: April 30th, 2024
Publisher: Historium Press
Series: Book II
Pages: 651
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description

Sabrine, hospitalized for five years at the infamous Salpêtrière Asylum for Women, gains her release due to intervention of her sister Julie Forette and a young Sigmund Freud. The reunited sisters are introduced to the dazzling art milieu of 1886 Paris, and soon become close friends to the leading Impressionists. Sabrine attracts a cult following as a poetess, the enigmatic "Haiku Princess." Seemingly cured by Freud of her Grand Hysteria, Sabrine soon enters into a tumultuous relationship with Vincent van