L.A.P. it Marketing Spotlight on MARY –Tudor Princess by Tony Riches

Pub. Date: February 1st, 2018
Publisher: Preseli Press
Pages: 322

Genre: Historical Fiction


From the author of the international best-selling Tudor Trilogy, the true story of the Tudor dynasty continues with the daughter of King Henry VII, sister to King Henry VIII. Mary Tudor watches her elder brother become King of England and wonders what the future holds for her.

Born into great privilege, Mary has beauty and intelligence beyond her years and is the most marriageable princess in Europe. Henry plans to use her marriage to build a powerful alliance against his enemies. Will she dare risk his anger by marrying for love?

Meticulously researched and based on actual events, this ‘sequel’ follows Mary’s story from book three of the Tudor Trilogy and is set during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Excerpt from Chapter One – Midsummer’s Day 1509

After the long ceremony Mary sat with her grandmother under a golden canopy of state at the coronation banquet in Westminster Hall. Lady Margaret had offered to act as regent for the first months of Henry’s reign. Not one voice challenged her suggestion, a mark of her power and influence.

Henry and Catherine sat on high-backed gilded thrones before the highest nobles and clerics in the land. The men wore scarlet cloaks and the ladies displayed their finest jewels, saved for such special occasions. Mary wore a gold necklace of bright diamonds and pearls, another of her father’s treasures, now a gift to her from Henry.

The sense of history being made hung heavy in the warm summer air. Mary swatted at one of the buzzing black flies and frowned as it evaded her. She looked up as it flew high over the guests to join others, circling like carrion crows waiting for the sweet-tasting delicacies to be served.

She regretted the tight lacing of her new damask gown of deepest blue, another gift from Henry. The edges were trimmed with gold lace, despite her grandmother’s sharp retort that it was too soon to end her mourning, even to celebrate a coronation. Her long golden hair, plaited and looped under her ornate French cowl, prickled in the heat and she fanned her face with her hand.

Lady Margaret scanned the crowded tables with a critical eye. ‘Your brother asked me to select his advisors. I pray he will take heed of their experience and wisdom.’

Mary glanced across at Henry, who was enjoying being the centre of attention. ‘It’s good to see so many of father’s loyal supporters, Grandmother. They will know how to best serve his son.’

Although sure her grandmother had chosen well she guessed many would soon be replaced. Henry couldn’t be more different from her father and would appoint his own men, who shared his youthful tastes.

Startled by the sudden blast of a fanfare announcing the first course of the banquet, she turned to see the Duke of Buckingham riding a black charger with richly embroidered trappings. Behind him rode the Lord Steward on a horse caparisoned with cloth of gold, hooves clattering on the flagstoned floor.

They led a procession of servants in Tudor green-and-white livery carrying heavy gilded platters bearing delicacies for the feast. The servants were all young nobles, proud to represent their families in the service of the new king. The leading server, face impassive as his duty demanded, seemed to struggle with the weight of a whole swan. Others carried silver trays of game birds, spiced larks and cockatrices, made from the front half of cockerels grafted on to the back halves of piglets.

A handsome young servant filled Mary’s golden cup with rich red wine. She smiled as she raised her cup in the air and caught her brother’s eye.

‘To our new king. May God grant you a long and happy reign!’ Her clear young voice carried well, turning heads despite the chattering guests.

Henry beamed at her. ‘Thank you, my dearest sister.’ His voice echoed across the hall and he raised his own goblet. ‘To the future!’ He drank deep and gestured for the waiting musicians to strike up a lively tune. The music lifted Mary’s spirits and she even saw their grandmother manage a smile. The new era had begun.

Buy the Book

 

 

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (AU)

 

 

About the Author

 



Tony Riches is a full-time author of best-selling historical fiction. He lives in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the fifteenth century, with a particular interest in the Wars of the Roses and the lives of the early Tudors.

 

For more information about Tony’s other books please visit his website, his Goodreads page, and his popular blog, The Writing Desk, and find him on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 



 



Review: Pleasing Mr. Pepys by Deborah Swift + Tour-Wide Giveaway!!

Publisher: Accent Press
Pub. Date: September 28th, 2017
Pages: 407

Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

London 1667.

Set in a London rising from the ruins of the Great Fire, Pleasing Mr Pepys is a vivid re-imagining of the events in Samuel Pepys’s Diary.



Desperate to escape her domineering aunt, Deb Willet thinks the post of companion to well-respected Elisabeth Pepys is the answer to her prayers. But Samuel Pepys’s house is not as safe as it seems. An intelligent girl in Deb’s position has access to his government papers, and soon she becomes a target of flamboyant actress Abigail Williams, a spy for England’s enemies, the Dutch.

Abigail is getting old and needs a younger accomplice. She blackmails Deb into stealing Pepys’s documents. Soon, the respectable life Deb longs for slides out of her grasp. Mr Pepys’s obsessive lust for his new maid increases precisely as Abigail and her sinister Dutch spymaster become more demanding. When Deb falls for handsome Jem Wells, a curate-in-training, she thinks things cannot possibly get worse.

Until – not content with a few stolen papers – the Dutch want Mr Pepys’s Diary.

What Did I Think About the Story?

Something I love most about historical fiction is the fact that there are just so many stories to be told, from such a variety of perspectives. As many stories as I've read centered around some point of English history, I can't think of another novel I've read that's set against the rebuilding of London after the great fire. How I've missed this I don't know, but Deborah Swift does an excellent job of setting our characters within this topsy turvy world of upheaval and growth and showing just how dangerous this world can be if you take a wrong step.

Right off the bat the novel pulls the reader in with a whip-quick murder, one that had me wondering just what other thrills the novel would have in store for me. The story soon moves to Deb Willet as we see her leaving her domineering and cruel aunt's home for a post with the Pepys's and I began to wonder...how will this sweet and intelligent girl end up embroiled in the violent action that the story opened with? I've read a number of novels that deal with historical spy rings and the dangers and benefits that can come from being pulled into this exciting yet vicious world, however I was particularly drawn to this aspect within Pleasing Mr. Pepys mainly due to the fact that Deb Willet seemed so unlike the typical person ensnared into this sort of environment. She comes from a well-to-do family, is well-educated, and seems so innocent at first, wanting simply to do well in her new circumstances and to make a better world for her and her sister. If she's able to find her mother, who abandoned her and her siblings and who, she believes, ran off to London, more's the better. Watching Abigail, so adept at intrigue and deception, pull Deb into this sinful hidden domain, against everything Deb wanted for her life, was gripping and entertaining.

Something else I very much enjoyed was seeing London from two distinct perspectives. We get to see the opulent theatres and homes of people like the Pepys, but we also get to see the dank, dirty, and dangerous back alleys of the city, where people turn to sin to feed their families and plot intrigue against a King that refuses to pay them for work done to protect his throne. It's this aspect that really excited me as the double dealing and intrigue was absolutely fascinating. Seeing people brought as low as nearly possible and then watching some of them try to right the wrongs they've committed made this a redemption story as well, and I always enjoy stories where characters scrabble back onto the right path.

Pleasing Mr. Pepys is scintillating and exciting historical fiction, all the more so since many of the character were actual people living and breathing this story. Like with all my favorite historical fiction, Swift includes historical notes at the end to flesh out fact from fiction. Having turned the last page on Deb, Abigail, the Pepys', and all the rest I now want to read more about their lives and the world they lived within. This is always a sign for me that the author did a great job of bringing their history back to life and I think historical fiction lovers will find much to enjoy in this story.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I think it's GORGEOUS!! It's the perfect cover for historical fiction! I know a lot of people don't like when a woman's head is cut off on a cover, however having the eye's above the edge of this cover makes the woman seem mysterious, which fits in well with this story of spies. The buildings at the bottom capture the location, and the gilt edging makes it feel old yet important. I really love it!


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

 

Thank you to the lovely Amy at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for sending me a free copy of Pleasing Mr. Pepys in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine alone. Continue on below for more information about the book, it's authors, and the rest of the blog tour!

 

 

Praise for Pleasing Mr. Pepys

“Swift brought Deborah Willet, the Pepyses, and the London of the 1660s to life in an exciting and sometimes touching way…I didn’t want to put it down, and found myself thinking about the story when I went about my day.” – Andrea Zuvich, Author of His Last Mistress

“Deb Willet, Elizabeth Pepys’s maid and the object of Samuel Pepys’s attentions, is finally given centre-stage after 350 years, and her tale was worth waiting for. This is exceptional story-telling.” – L. C. Tyler

“Laced with emotional intensity and drama, Pleasing Mr Pepys… (has) an intricate plot that features red herrings, unexpected twists, and surprises that will take readers on a very delightful ride.” – Arya Fomonyuy, Readers’ Favorite

 

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Chapters

 

  

About the Author

 

 

Deborah Swift is the author of three previous historical novels for adults, The Lady’s Slipper, The Gilded Lily, and A Divided Inheritance, all published by Macmillan/St Martin’s Press, as well as the Highway Trilogy for teens (and anyone young at heart!). Her first novel was shortlisted for the Impress prize for new novelists.

She lives on the edge of the beautiful and literary English Lake District – a place made famous by the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge.

For more information, please visit Deborah Swift’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

It's Giveaway Time!!!

 

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a signed copy of Pleasing Mr. Pepys to one lucky winner! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form HERE.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

 

Good Luck!!

 

 

Pleasing Mr. Pepys HFVBT Schedule

 

Thursday, September 28

Review at The Maiden’s Court
Guest Post at Books of All Kinds

Friday, September 29

 

Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Monday, October 2

 

Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Tuesday, October 3
 

Review at The Lit Bitch
Feature at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

 

Wednesday, October 4

 

Feature at A Holland Reads

Thursday, October 5

 

Review at CelticLady’s Reviews

Friday, October 6

 

Feature at Passages to the Past

Monday, October 9

 

Review at 100 Pages a Day

Tuesday, October 10

 

Review at Locks, Hooks and Books

Wednesday, October 11

 

Review at Book Nerd

Friday, October 13

 

Review at Poppy Coburn

Monday, October 16

 

Review at Just One More Chapter
Review at Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen

Tuesday, October 17

 

Review at Laura’s Interests
Interview at Suzy Approved Books

Wednesday, October 18

 

Review at Jo’s Book Blog

Thursday, October 19

 

Feature at T’s Stuff

Friday, October 20

 

Review at A Literary Vacation
Guest Post at The Writing Desk

 

 

 

 

 

 



Spotlight on The Snow Globe by Judith Kinghorn

Publisher: Canelo

Pub. Date: September 25th, 2017

Pages: 411

 

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

A beautiful story of enduring love and heartbreaking choices

 

 

As Christmas 1926 approaches, the Forbes family are preparing to host a celebration at Eden Hall. Eighteen-year-old Daisy is preoccupied by a sense of change in the air. Overnight, her relationship with Stephen Jessop, the housekeeper’s son, has shifted and every encounter seems fraught with tension. Before the festivities are over, Daisy has received a declaration of love, a proposal and a kiss – from three different men. Unable to bear the confusion she flees to London and stays with her elder sister.

 

By the following summer, Daisy has bowed to the persistence of the man who proposed to her the previous year. When the family reunite for a party at Eden Hall and Stephen is once more in her life, it is clear to Daisy she is committing to the wrong person. Yet she also believes that family secrets mean she has no choice but to follow her head instead of her heart. Will love conquer all, or is Daisy’s fate already written?

 

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Canelo

 

About the Author

 

 

Judith Kinghorn is the author of four novels: The Echo of Twilight, The Snow Globe, The Memory

of Lost Senses and The Last Summer. She was born in Northumberland, educated in the Lake District, and is a graduate in English and History of Art. She lives in Hampshire, England, with her husband and two children.

 

Learn more about Judith on her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spotlight on Fortune’s Wheel: The First Meonbridge Chronicle by Carolyn Hughes

Publisher: SilverWood Books
Pub. Date: November 7th, 2016
Pages: 270

Book Series: The Meonbridge Chronicles
Genre: Historical Fiction


Plague-widow Alice atte Wode is desperate to find her missing daughter, but her neighbours are rebelling against their masters and their mutiny is hindering the search.


June 1349. In a Hampshire village, the worst plague in England’s history has wiped out half its population, including Alice atte Wode’s husband and eldest son. The plague (which we call the Black Death but they called the Great Mortality, or the Pestilence, or simply, the Death) arrived only days after Alice’s daughter Agnes mysteriously disappeared and it prevented the search for her.

Now the plague is over, the village is trying to return to normal life, but it’s hard, with so much to do and so few left to do it. Conflict is growing between the manor and its tenants, as the workers realise their very scarceness means they’re more valuable than before: they can demand higher wages, take on spare land, have a better life. This is the chance they’ve all been waiting for!

Although she understands their demands, Alice is disheartened that the search for Agnes is once more put on hold. But when one of the rebels is killed, and then the lord’s son is found murdered, it seems the two deaths may be connected, both to each other and to Agnes’s disappearance.

Extract of Fortune's Wheel

 

Alice atte Wode, the Millers’ closest neighbour, was feeding her hens when she heard Joan’s first terrible anguished cries. Dropping her basket of seed, she ran to the Millers’ cottage. She wanted to cry out too at what she found there: Thomas and Joan both on their knees, clasped together, with Peter’s twisted body between them, sobbing as if the dam of their long pent-up emotions had burst. Alice breathed deeply to steady her nerves, for she didn’t know how to offer any solace for the Millers’ loss.

Not this time.

It was common enough for parents to lose children. It didn’t mean you ever got used to their loss, or that you loved them any less than if they’d lived. Few lost five children in as many months. But the Millers had. The prosperous family Alice knew only six months ago, with its noisy brood of six happy, healthy children, had been swiftly and brutally slaughtered by the great mortality.

Every family in Meonbridge had lost someone to the plague’s vile grip – a father, a mother, a child – but no other family had lost five.

The great mortality, sent by God, it was said, to punish the world for its sins, had torn the village apart. It had struck at random, at the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the innocent and the guilty. Some of its victims died coughing up blood, some with suppurating boils under their arms or next to their privy parts, some covered in dark, blackish pustules. A few recovered, but most did not and, after two or three days of fear and suffering, died in agony and despair, often alone and unshriven for the lack of a priest, when their loved ones abandoned them. After five months of terror, half of Meonbridge’s people were dead.

When the foul sickness at last moved on, leaving the villagers to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives, Thomas and Joan Miller went to church daily, to pray for their five dead children’s souls, and give thanks to God for sparing Peter. Then the arrival of baby Maud just a few days ago had brought the Millers a bright ray of hope in the long-drawn-out darkness of their despair.

But Peter hadn’t been spared after all.

 

 

Praise for Fortune's Wheel

“...exceptionally well written...astoundingly well researched.”

“...visually descriptive, atmospheric and felt authentic….”

“...completely intriguing, fascinating and surprisingly emotional...more please!” 

“...saturated with expertly researched descriptions which capture the essence of medieval life.”

“…captivating…opened my eyes to a personally unexplored genre.”

“…grab yourself a copy and get lost in an altogether different time.”

Buy the Book

 

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | SilverWood Books 

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Carolyn Hughes was born in London, but has lived most of her life in Hampshire, in southern England. After a first degree in Classics and English, she started her working life as a computer programmer, in those days a very new profession. It was fun for a few years, but she left to become a school careers officer in Dorset. But it was when she discovered technical authoring that she knew she had found her vocation. She spent the next few decades writing and editing all sorts of material, some fascinating, some dull, for a wide variety of clients, including an international hotel group, medical instrument manufacturers and the Government. She has written creatively for most of her adult life, but it was not until her children grew up and flew the nest, several years ago, that creative writing and, especially, writing historical fiction, took centre stage in her life. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University and a PhD from the University of Southampton.

Fortune’s Wheel is her first published novel, and a sequel is under way.

You can learn more about Carolyn on her website and blog, and connect with her on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.



TLC Book Review: The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

Publisher: William Morrow
Pub. Date: August 1, 2017
Pages: 416

Genre: Historical Fiction / Brit Lit / Magical Realism

Synopsis

One of BookBub's Most-Anticipated Books of Summer 2017!


The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home turns the clock back one hundred years to a time when two young girls from Cottingley, Yorkshire, convinced the world that they had done the impossible and photographed fairies in their garden. Now, in her newest novel, international bestseller Hazel Gaynor reimagines their story.


1917… It was inexplicable, impossible, but it had to be true—didn’t it? When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, claim to have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden, their parents are astonished. But when one of the great novelists of the time, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, becomes convinced of the photographs’ authenticity, the girls become a national sensation, their discovery offering hope to those longing for something to believe in amid a world ravaged by war. Frances and Elsie will hide their secret for many decades. But Frances longs for the truth to be told.

One hundred years later… When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript in her late grandfather’s bookshop she becomes fascinated by the story it tells of two young girls who mystified the world. But it is the discovery of an old photograph that leads her to realize how the fairy girls’ lives intertwine with hers, connecting past to present, and blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, can Olivia find a way to believe in herself?

What Did I Think About the Story?

Even though I've always been a pretty logic-based person, I will admit that I've got a soft spot for stories about fairies or, at the very least, for the idea of these magical and mischievous creatures.  A year or so after graduating from high school I went to visit family in Scotland and, while the whole country is simply enchanting, nothing was more so than the Isle of Skye. On Skye is a place called the Fairy Glen and, let me just tell you, it exudes such as otherworldly feeling that it's not hard to imagine that fairies, gnomes, and the like might possibly be peaking at you, just out of sight. It's been years since I've been there but I've never forgotten about it and can't wait to someday go back!

With this being said, imagine my excitement when I first caught sight of the cover for The Cottingley Secret and, after being totally drawn in by that cover, read on to discover it was about the possible discovery of fairies! I will admit that, as much as I love history, especially British History, I had never heard of the Cottingley fairies or the controversy that surrounded them. Were they real? Were the two girls who claimed to photograph them actually passing off a huge hoax? Once I read the synopsis I was hooked and new I needed to dig into this story to discover as much as I could about these Cottingley fairies and to see how that story would relate to the one told in the present time period.

While I own a number of novels by Hazel Gaynor this was, in fact, my first reading of her work. Now that I'm done with the story I want to kick myself for waiting so long. Gaynor's writing was absolutely beautiful and her descriptions of both the gardens and woodlands in Cottingley and the seaside town in Ireland where Olivia's story mostly takes place are absolutely breathtaking. I was fully transported to these bewitching locales and I admit I didn't really want to leave. Especially when it came to Olivia's setting: what booklover wouldn't give an arm and a leg to own a seaside cottage bookstore in Ireland, one that sells rare and old books no less?! Can't you just smell the delicious scents of old leather and vanilla? When I was immersed within The Cottingley Secret I sure could!

I'm not going to ruin anything by saying here whether Frances and Elise really saw fairies or whether their photographs were authentic or not, but what I will say is that I absolutely love how Gaynor presented this bewitching dilemma. The fact that the photos came into being at a time when so many hoped and wished that they could be true - if for no other reason than that meant that there was the possibility of other dimensions where their loved ones, lost in the war or by some other event, might exist - made the truth something of a moot point. Still, how exciting would it be if they were real? What would you do, if you were the person who discovered them, to prove you were telling the truth? All of this and more is contemplated within these pages and I, for one, absolutely loved going along for the journey.

Something else I really enjoyed was discovering how these two storylines were connected. I will admit that I had an idea of how some of the characters were connected, however there were still quite a few I didn't see and that made my overall appreciation of the story that much stronger. I found it all quite touching, especially Olivia's situation and her journey towards finding herself again and becoming happy, and I can't really think of any better way everything could have come together.

The Cottingley Secret has it all: excellent, well developed characters, stunning locations, memorable and touching stories. There's even a wonderful P.S. section at the back that includes author's notes, a note written by Frances's daughter, and the photos that started so much controversy. I absolutely love this story and plan on making time to read lots more by Hazel Gaynor. Highly recommended!

What Did I Think About the Cover?

This might be my favorite cover of the year! When I began posting Cover Crushes every Thursday earlier this year this was actually my very first choice...how could it not be?! With that storybook cottage, dense and twisty plants, and overall haziness I can see why someone would look at this view and think fairies do exist. Absolutely breathtaking cover!


My Rating: 5.0/5.0

 Thank you to HarperCollins Publishing and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a free copy of The Cottingley Secret in exchange for an honest review. Continue on below for more information about the book, the author, and the tour!

 

 

Advance Praise for The Cottingley Secret

 

 

“Beautifully written and expertly researched, Gaynor’s latest is a look at one of history’s most intriguing mysteries and an important reminder of the power of belief.”—Booklist *Starred* Review

“[Gaynor] creates a lovely meditation on the power of belief and hope.”—Kirkus

“The characters are charming and enigmatic…Gaynor does a terrific job intermixing fact with fiction in The Cottingley Secret.”—RT Book Reviews

“The Cottingley Secret tells the tale of two girls who somehow convince the world that magic exists. An artful weaving of old legends with new realities, this tale invites the reader to wonder: could it be true?”—Kate Alcott, New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker

“There is real magic in these pages. And beauty. And heart.”—Nicole Mary Kelby, author of The Pink Suit

“I adored The Cottingley Secret, which shifts between a bookstore in present-day Ireland and an actual account from the World War I era of two girls who claimed to have seen fairies—and Captured them on film. Gaynor has penned in majestic prose an enchanting and enthralling tale of childhood magic, forgotten dreams, and finding the parts of ourselves we thought were lost forever.”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale

“Richly imagined and terrifically enchanting, Hazel Gaynor’s The Cottingley Secret is an enthralling tale where memories serve as lifelines for the living, and the unseen is made real. Reading this novel is akin to finding hidden treasure—each character, a friend; each chapter, a revelation.”—Ami McKay, author of The Witches of New York

 

 

Buy the Book

 

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Photo by Deasy Photographic

HAZEL GAYNOR is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Memory of Violets and The Girl Who Came Home, for which she received the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. Her third novel The Girl from the Savoy was an Irish Times and Globe & Mail Canada bestseller, and was shortlisted for the BGE Irish Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year. The Cottingley Secret and Last Christmas in Paris will be published in 2017.

Hazel was selected by US Library Journal as one of ‘Ten Big Breakout Authors’ for 2015 and her work has been translated into several languages.

Originally from Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland.

Find out more about Hazel at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

The Cottingley Secret Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, August 1st: View from the Birdhouse
Wednesday, August 2nd: 100 Pages a Day…Stephanie’s Book Reviews
Wednesday, August 2nd: A Bookish Affair
Thursday, August 3rd: Reading is My Super Power
Thursday, August 3rd: Book by Book
Friday, August 4th: A Splendidly Messy Life
Monday, August 7th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Monday, August 7th: A Literary Vacation
Tuesday, August 8th: Tina Says…
Wednesday, August 9th: Just Commonly
Thursday, August 10th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Friday, August 11th: Dwell in Possibility
Monday, August 14th: Let Them Read Books
Tuesday, August 15th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, August 16th: I Wish I Lived in a Library

 

Interview with B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Pam Lecky

Please join me in welcoming B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Pam Lecky to A Literary Vacation today! Pam is an award-winning Irish historical fiction author. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and has a particular love of the late Victorian era/early 20th Century. Her debut novel, The Bowes Inheritance, was published in 2015 and was awarded the B.R.A.G Medallion; shortlisted for the Carousel Aware Prize 2016; made 'Editor's Choice' by the Historical Novel Society; long-listed for the Historical Novel Society 2016 Indie Award; and chosen as a Discovered Diamond Novel in February 2017.

Currently she is working on two new novels; Kashmir Velvet, a Victorian crime novel set in London and Yorkshire and The Carver Affair, a Victorian crime novel set in her native Dublin. Earlier this year she published In Three-Quarter Time, a short love story set in the WW1 era in Dublin which will also form part of a US/Irish Anthology due to be published later this year. April 2017 saw the publication of The Lighthouse Keeper, which is a contemporary short ghost story.

 

 

 

 

First off, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and answer some questions for me, Pam! Historical fiction is my all-time favorite genre and I’m always amazed at the myriad perspectives authors find to highlight for us readers. How did you decide where to set your award-winning novel, The Bowes Inheritance?

 

Hi, and thanks for hosting me, Colleen.

There are several settings in the book, both in Ireland and the North-West of England. As an Irish writer I wanted to use settings I was familiar with so it made sense to start off in my home town of Dublin. I have been lucky for most of my working life to be located in the beautiful Georgian quarter of Dublin, around Fitzwilliam Square. In the late Victorian era, many of the fabulous houses had become lodging houses and some were even tenements. So I start the story with the two Campbell sisters, Louisa and Eleanor, in a lodging house on Herbert Street. They are the last remaining members of a once affluent and proud County Galway family and are living in genteel poverty.

To up the tension I had to transplant them to unfamiliar ground, as the original premise for the story was a young woman inheriting a property and having to fight to keep it. I have always been fascinated by the complex relationship between the Irish Ascendency and the British gentry. Although often related, the Irish were always looked down upon as second-class. So, I decided to take Louisa and transplant her into a slightly hostile environment in England. As I have a great love of the sea, I searched for a suitable coastal location. I am also a keen family historian and had discovered that my great-great grandparents had spent time in Carlisle in the 1840s, so I centred my location search in Cumbria. You can’t set a novel in Cumbria and not use the Lake District! Lake Buttermere is the setting for a wedding which takes place in the book and is also the place where my two main characters finally admit their feelings for each other. Most of the action takes place in a fictional coastal town called Newton (which is a mix of several coastal towns on the Cumbrian coast).

 

 

Is there anything in particular that draws you to write historical fiction? Are there any specific times in history you gravitate towards or do you just enjoy history in general? Do you also enjoy writing contemporary stories?

 

 

There were a lot of influences in my childhood and the earliest one I can remember was actually television. Historical dramas in particular caught my attention, even though at that young age I didn’t really understand the stories. Ah but the costumes, the architecture and the way people behaved – something clicked. My father was a great reader and encouraged me to be as well; as a child and a teen I devoured books and I mean devoured. Then Dad bought me the complete works of Jane Austen and a foundation was laid. For those familiar with the 19th century world, I think I actually became a bluestocking! I munched my way through classics, dined on crime (modern and historical - Dorothy L. Sayers and P.D. James my absolute favourites – what fantastically twisty minds those women had), and supped at the feet of Georgette Heyer’s heroes and heroines.

So I suppose it was only natural that my fascination with the 19th century would influence my writing even though my love of history encompasses many eras. The late Victorian decades have a particular draw as they were a time of rapid change. Having said that, it was a chance remark by an uncle which prompted me to write a short story, In Three-Quarter Time, which is a fictional version of my grandparents’ love affair and is set in Dublin in the WW1 period.

One of the joys of being indie is that I have the freedom to explore many eras. My latest published short story is totally different to anything I’ve written before and is a contemporary short ghost story - The Lighthouse Keeper. It is likely I will keep trying new things as it is important to try to keep your work fresh and interesting.

 

 

What sort of research do you conduct when writing? Have you ever traveled to the locations before or during the writing process?

Research is the glue that holds your plot and characters together, and in my case, it suggested sub-plots and minor characters. I’m lucky in that I love research and often have to pull myself away from it to actually write. Those who buy historical fiction tend to know their history but as an author you find yourself in the tricky position of just how much period detail to include. You don’t want to bog the story down with it and yet you need to convey a sense of time and place. Authentic detail is my obsession but I try not to overwhelm the story. Many authors in this genre fall into the trap of bombarding the reader with historical reference to the detriment of the story. Your reader wants to be entertained not lectured. If you love the period you are writing in, it will show in the subtle detail of your work – how your characters speak and act in the situations you create.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible for me to travel to Cumbria while I was writing the book so I relied heavily on maps, google, blogs and old newspapers and even photo diaries of a climber for Lake Buttermere. Last year I was lucky enough to eventually get to visit Buttermere for a few brief hours. It was a wonderful and emotional day for me and someday I will go back and spend more time there. It is such a beautiful place.

My next novel is set in Yorkshire and London, both of which I am slightly familiar with but I do believe a research trip (or trips!) will be required.

 

 

I’ve noticed that a lot of authors are also big readers. When you have time for leisure reading what sorts of books do you gravitate towards? Have you read anything good lately?

I’m afraid I’m very predictable - I read mostly historical fiction set in the 19th century predominantly and have a particular love of Victorian crime. My reading time is very limited these days as I work part-time, need to squeeze in writing and researching and the dreaded promotion and marketing. So, if a book doesn’t grab me in in the first chapter, I generally don’t go any further with it. I recently came across the Victorian crime novels of M.R.C. Kasasian and they are my new obsession. They are wonderfully written with quirky characters. I can only aspire to write like he does. By the way, he is also a really nice guy as I discovered when we connected on Twitter. His latest book goes live on 1st June. I’ll be standing by my Kindle ready to pounce!

 

 

 

Because I’m always fascinated to learn an author’s journey to publication, can you tell us a little bit about your journey? What made you want to become a writer?

I wrote a little as a teenager - bad poetry which was truly awful angst-ridden stuff that will never see the light of day. Then life took over - marriage, kids, and work. It was while on career break from work after my third child was born, that the idea of writing a novel popped into my head - not to publish but just to see if I could do it. I did and it felt amazing. Several more followed; again I never intended them to be seen by anyone else. But then one story seemed a bit stronger and the rest is history!

 

 

 

What led you to independently publish The Bowes Inheritance? What would you say are the biggest pros and cons of independently publishing versus mainstream publishing?

I sent out the manuscript to lots of agents. Unfortunately, it was unedited and had every rookie error you could imagine. As you can probably guess, no one wanted to know about it. In desperation, I turned to an author friend. She advised me to get an editor and learn about the business. A self-publishing day in the Irish Writers’ Centre in Dublin clinched it. I felt I had burnt my bridges with all of the agents by sending the manuscript out to soon and I liked the idea of being in control - so I decided to go for it. I found a superb editor in the UK, Hilary Johnson, who whipped it all into shape and in July 2015 I hit the publish button.

Other than experiences recounted to me by traditionally published author friends, I have no first-hand experience of the big publishing houses. Thankfully, self-publishing is a very real option for someone in my situation. I have come to it in a roundabout way, and relatively late in life, but I’m very glad I did. This is where I have to confess to like being in control and self-publishing is incredibly powerful. My experience has been positive. Ok, I will confess to one weekend of pulling my hair out trying to get to grips with a print on demand template, but I conquered it. The biggest thrill of all is getting positive feedback from readers - you cannot beat that.

The downside, of course, is the reality - you are now a business and your book is a product. You must nurture your brand. Marketing and promotion are time thieves and like most other indies, I’d much rather be writing. But I suppose there is one positive to social media and that is the incredible people you meet online. I now have many author friends and I am involved in various writing groups worldwide.

Are you working on any other books that we can look forward to reading in the future?

I am currently working on my first Victorian crime novel, Kashmir Velvet, which I am hoping to publish later this year.

 

 

 

Thank you so much, Pam, for sharing your answers with me today!

 

You can learn more about Pam's writing on her website and can read more about The Bowes Inheritance on the IndieBRAG site. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

 

You can purchase a copy of The Bowes Inheritance on Amazon. You can also purchase copies of Pam's other books, Three-Quarter Time and The Lighthouse Keeper, on Amazon as well.

 

 

 

A Message from indieBRAG:


We are delighted that Colleen has chosen to interview Pam Lecky, who is the author of The Bowes Inheritance, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ® , a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as The Bowes Inheritance merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.

 



Audiobook Review: The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Pub. Date: August 25th, 2015
Length: 18 hours, 3 minutes


Book Series: (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels #11)

Genre: Historical Fiction/English History/Tudor History

Synopsis

By the number-one New York Times best-selling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen, a riveting new Tudor tale featuring King Henry VIII's sixth wife, Kateryn Parr, the first English queen to publish under her own name.

Why would a woman marry a serial killer?

Because she cannot refuse.

Kateryn Parr, a 30-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives - King Henry VIII - commands her to marry him.

Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted 16 months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride, and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as regent.

But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her. The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy - the punishment is death by fire, and the king's name is on the warrant.

From an author who has described all of Henry's queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power, and education at the court of a medieval killer.

What Did I Think About the Story?

I don't think I will ever get tired of reading about the Tudors or reading Philippa Gregory's books! It was actually Philippa's novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, that really cemented my love of historical fiction. While I've found myself getting behind with reading her newest books the last few years, my introduction to my library's audiobook rentals has presented the perfect way to get caught up. First up on the available books to listen to: The Taming of the Queen.

The Taming of the Queen is Henry's last wife - Kateryn Parr's - story and stretches from right before they are married until shortly after Henry's death. While there isn't anything new or revolutionary in this telling (at this point how could there be?!) I did find it to be a very interesting and entertaining presentation of what it would have been like to be married to such a mercurial and vicious man. Being from Kateryn's point of view we are able to see her husband go from a caring and giving man to one who gets pleasure from manipulating and abusing those closest to him at the drop of a hat. We also get to see  her grow into an intelligent and thoughtful woman ready to fight, however she can, for the reformist cause.

While I enjoyed seeing the political side of Kateryn's time at court, my favorite aspect of the story by far was the more emotional and tender personal side she had to keep as hidden as possible from those that would use that information to their advantage. Her love for Henry's mistreated and often ignored children was tangible and it was interesting seeing her effect on them, especially Elizabeth, knowing how their lives would eventually unfold. Her great love for Thomas Seymour was also very clear to see and I liked that he was presented as truly loving her as well and not just the cad he's often depicted to be. Her sister, Anne, also played a large part in the story, protecting her and guiding her as best she could, and their relationship was quite interesting as Anne, having served each of Henry's wives, was able to guide her like no other. I would love to read a book with Anne as the main protagonist as she comes off as very strong, capable, and intelligent in this story.

The narrator, Bianca Amato, was wonderful and did an amazing job of moderating her voice to keep the tone of the story appropriate: when Kateryn's marriage is new, happy, and the bond between husband and wife respectful, if not overly loving, the tone is appropriately light and hopeful; when Henry's leg begins to fester and his mood darkens the tone becomes tense and stifling. She really shone during these darker times and I give her credit for making the fear and anguish surrounding the court palpable for the listener.

Having loved Philippa Gregory novels in the past but having always read them instead of listened to them, I am very pleased with the audiobook version of The Taming of the Queen. Those who are already fans can find a new way to appreciate her work, and those new to her might find a story style to appreciate further. I definitely recommend this to those who love Tudor history as much as I do, or someone looking for something to keep them occupied during a long commute.
      

What Did I Think About the Cover?

If I'm reading a novel about the Tudors, then dangit I want a cover that shows them (or at least has the people on the cover appropriately dressed to represent them)! This cover is exactly what I like to see and represents the story within so well, especially since we get to hear about the painting of this particular portrait in the story. Perfectly fits the story!


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

 

I borrowed this audiobook from my library's Overdrive account. All opinions are my own. You can find more reviews and links to where you can purchase a copy of your own on Goodreads HERE.

Guest Post by Elizabeth J. Sparrow, Author of The Irish Tempest

My appreciation to Colleen for her very kind invitation to write this guest post. The Irish Tempest is my second novel. The first one, like some marriages and houses, was a starter novel. While it had some lively dialog and interesting characters, it was self-indulgent in style with predictable prose. My literary guardian angel – yes, I have one of those and his name is Jack Kerouac – suggested in his crabby way that I wait for a sign to unleash an epiphany of “true thoughts’.

Several years later (signs do take their time), I was dusting and reached for a framed photograph of myself around four years of age, dressed in a bright tartan plaid dress with a crisp peter pan collar and drooping knee socks. It is Christmas at my aunt’s home and in the foreground, you can see hints of the holiday madness with shredded wrapping paper and dismembered boxes. Above my head and slightly to the left, on a well-polished credenza, are the three wise men. Balthasar is staring down on me with what I believe, to this very day, is a frown of disapproval.

I am flashing an over the shoulder sneer of defiance because once again, I am made to stand in the corner for being NOSEY. This is not a word befitting a budding writer. Curious…inquisitive…even snoopish would be a more flattering choice. Being “nosey” was regarded by nearly every adult family member as a sin on par with lying, stealing and possibly, felony murder. Once I reached the age of reason (that would be seven), it formally became a crime to be confessed weekly. How could an inquisitive four year old resist all those lovely presents in their sparkly disguises? This is what I know to be true about writers: we snoop…we eavesdrop…we plunder. We do this to create characters, loveable and loathsome, who wallow in a world of our imagination and manipulation.

Holding that photograph inspired a brief visual of an adolescent boy, with dark curly hair and an Irish accent, caressing the child’s face and whispering, “Greedy little lamb.” That fleeting “true thought” gave birth to Court and Lacey in The Irish Tempest. Writing a historical novel does not follow the established dictum to “write what you know”. Basic research took a year during which I mentally mapped out the significant threads of the plot. Writing was painfully laborious and what sustained me were those moments when my characters seemed to write their own dialog and behave in shocking ways. By the time I was more than halfway through, I hit a wall and put it aside…for three years.

In the spring of 2013, another sign appeared. On an unusually mild March evening, I was walking by a park three blocks from my home. There are always neighborhood guys hanging out, playing music and checkers. Sitting on a small crate, away from the others, was a middle-age man not so discretely sipping a beverage from a paper bag. We made eye contact and he smiled as if he knew me. “Hey! How’s that story you’re writing about that family?”

Had he smacked me across the face with a dead carp, I would have been no less astonished. “You’re confusing me with someone else.” As soon as I got home, I called my sister because when you’re dreaming, you cannot dial a number for some wacky reason. I needed her to bear witness to this sign. Three years later, The Irish Tempest was published.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Publisher: Waxing Gibbous Press

Pub. Date: October 17th, 2016

Genre: Historical Fiction

Ireland, 1911: After seven centuries of unyielding oppression, there is a tempest rising, a national yearning for Irish independence. It threatens to sweep away all that is precious to the very privileged O'Rourke and de la Roche families. Seismic changes are but a whisper away.

What begins as a squabbling friendship between the wastrel Courtland O'Rourke and the defiant, mischief-making Lacey de la Roche matures into a deeply passionate, tempestuous love, fraught with secrets of lethal consequences and sins of omission.

In this debut historical novel, The Irish Tempest beckons the reader into a world, where landowner and tenant farmer, the well-off and the working-class are chafing under the chokehold of British domination. 

Pulled apart by personal and social conflicts, Court and Lacey experience the world from perspectives both transformative and destructive. Court, compelled to accept a commission in the British army, initiates a disastrous affair with rippling aftershocks. Lacey, fueled by the arrogance of adolescence, is beguiled by a charismatic but sociopathic horse trainer.

The Irish Tempest thrusts the reader into the anguish of the 1916 Easter Rising and beyond as Ireland seethes on the cusp of revolution. Deftly paced with vividly drawn characters, The Irish Tempest embraces historical elements while preserving the essence of evocative storytelling.

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Elizabeth J. Sparrow is a native New Yorker and a graduate of Hunter College and New York University. She is working diligently on the sequel to The Irish Tempest. Visit Elizabeth on her website and connect with her on Facebook.

Spotlight on The Popish Midwife by Annelisa Christensen

Publication Date: July 14, 2016
The Conrad Press
Paperback & eBook; 454 Pages

Genre: Historical Fiction


In seventeenth-century London, thirteen years after the plague and twelve years after the Great Fire, the restoration of King Charles II has dulled the memory of Cromwell’s puritan rule, yet fear and suspicion are rife. Religious turmoil is rarely far from tipping the scales into hysteria.

Elizabeth Cellier, a bold and outspoken midwife, regularly visits Newgate Prison to distribute alms to victims of religious persecution. There she falls in with the charming Captain Willoughby, a debtor, whom she enlists to gather information about crimes against prisoners, so she might involve herself in petitioning the king in their name.

‘Tis a plot, Madam, of the direst sort.’ With these whispered words Willoughby draws Elizabeth unwittingly into the infamous Popish Plot and soon not even the fearful warnings of her husband, Pierre, can loosen her bond with it.

This is the incredible true story of one woman ahead of her time and her fight against prejudice and injustice.

Buy the Book

 

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Annelisa Christensen was born in Sussex, took a psychology degree at the University of Stirling in Scotland, then returned to the south to partner in a fashion design company with her childhood friend, Julia. They had fun selling to shops and in street markets all over London, but dissolved the business
when children came along, both believing in putting their families first. Delighted to be offered the job of laboratory technician in the local secondary school, in which she had herself been Head Girl twenty years earlier, Annelisa simultaneously wrote a magical realism series (as yet unpublished). She wrote The Popish Midwife after falling in love with Elizabeth Cellier in some 300-year-old loose pages of a trial she bought on the internet. The more she discovered about Elizabeth Cellier, the more Annelisa wanted to share this amazing woman’s story. The Popish Midwife is the result of years of research and writing.

For more information, please visit Annelisa Christensen’s website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. Sign up for her Newsletter.

The Popish Midwife Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, October 19

Spotlight at The Book Connection

Thursday, October 20

Spotlight at Passages to the Past (postponed)

Friday, October 22

Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Monday, October 24

Review at History From a Woman’s Perspective

Tuesday, October 25

Spotlight at Broken Teepee

Thursday, October 27

Guest Post at Books, Dreams, Life
Spotlight at A Literary Vacation

Tuesday, November 1

Review at Book Nerd

Wednesday, November 2

Spotlight at Celtic Lady’s Reviews

Thursday, November 4

Guest Post at Let Them Read Books

Monday, November 7

Review at SJ2B House of Books

Wednesday, November 9

Interview at The Book Connection

Wednesday, November 9

Guest Post and Review at Historical Fiction Obsession

Friday, November 11

Review at Just One More Chapter

 

 

 



TLC Book Tours: Review of The Girl in the Castle by Santa Montefiore

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pub. Date: September 27th, 2016
Pages: 576

Synopsis

International sensation Santa Montefiore presents the first book in a trilogy that follows three Irish women through the decades of the twentieth century—perfect for fans of Kate Morton and Hazel Gaynor.


Born on the ninth day of the ninth month in the year 1900, Kitty Deverill is special as her grandmother has always told her. Built on the stunning green hills of West Cork, Ireland, Castle Deverill is Kitty’s beloved home, where many generations of Deverills have also resided. Although she’s Anglo-Irish, Kitty’s heart completely belongs to the wild countryside of the Emerald Isle, and her devotion to her Irish-Catholic friends Bridie Doyle, the daughter of the castle’s cook, and Jack O’Leary, the vet’s son, is unmatched—even if Jack is always reminding her that she isn’t fully Irish. Still, Jack and Kitty can’t help falling in love although they both know their union faces the greatest obstacles since they are from different worlds.

Bridie cherishes her friendship with Kitty, who makes her feel more like her equal than a servant. Yet she can’t help dreaming of someday having all the wealth and glamour Kitty’s station in life affords her. But when she discovers a secret that Kitty has been keeping from her, Bridie finds herself growing resentful toward the girl in the castle who seems to have it all.

When the Irish revolt to throw over British rule in Southern Ireland, Jack enlists to fight. Worried for her safety, Jack warns Kitty to keep her distance, but she refuses and throws herself into the cause for Irish liberty, running messages and ammunition between the rebels. But as Kitty soon discovers, her allegiance to her family and her friends will be tested—and when Castle Deverill comes under attack, the only home and life she’s ever known are threatened.


A powerful story of love, loyalty, and friendship, The Girl in the Castle is an exquisitely written novel set against the magical, captivating landscape of Ireland.

What Did I Think About the Story

The Girl in the Castle is everything I love about historical fiction! While only tackling about 15 years, it has the epic feel often found in family sagas spanning much longer periods of time and fills in an interesting time and place in history with characters who are fighting, loving, and living during it all. I've enjoyed Santa Montefiore's books in the past but this newest novel surpasses them all, in my opinion. in both character and plot development.

One of the key ways this book surpasses the author's previous books for me is the wonderful detail and depth given to so many fascinating characters. All of Santa Montefiore's books are incredible in descriptive details and completely whisk the reader away to windswept shores or green fields, but I've gone back and forth (depending on the story) with a lack of appreciation for her characters and the drama and experiences surrounding them...they just sometimes fell flat. In this novel, however, each of the characters, whether prominent or not (and there are a lot of characters throughout), are all well developed and formed and perfectly served their purpose whether that was to be a hated, loved, or somewhere in between. They are complicated and diverse and even when they made poor choices or hurt other people I appreciated each one for their role in progressing the story. Bridie, Kitty, and Kitty's grandmother, Adeline, are particular favorites and I delighted in going along on all the ups and downs (and there are some extreme downs!) they experienced.

As I mentioned above, I've enjoyed the descriptions and plot development in all of the novels I've read by this author, but I particularly enjoyed this story as it took place against a background I had not read much about before. Taking place before, during, and after the Irish War of Independence I was fascinated to learn about the circumstances of the war and the biting strategies employed by both the Irish and the English during this fight. I loved the fact that the characters actually participated in this drama as well as discussing it and that it was all brought completely to life with the beautiful descriptions of the verdant land the Irish were fighting for.

The structure of the story is wonderful as well, starting in 1925 with two boys playing in the rubble of Castle Deverill as they spy a woman coming to lay claim to the property, then going back to 1910 and progressing until we arrive back to the boys and discover who has returned. The meat in the middle is delicious as it moves from the coming-of-age story of friendship between Kitty, Bridie, and Jack through love and loss and second chances. The epilogue, which leaves this story to continue in the next installment on a shocking realization, ended it perfectly for me and really makes me anxious for the next book to come out (which looks to be coming out in the US in April 2017). I love twist or cliffhanger endings to keep me excited while I wait!

Finally, I can't end my review without mentioning my absolute favorite aspect of the novel: the ghosts! A key characteristic of both Kitty and her grandmother are their abilities to see and interact with the family ghosts inhabiting Castle Deverill as well as the curse that hangs over the family that each male in line to inherit will be forced to spend his afterlife trapped at the castle. Their interactions with these ghosts were funny, touching, and even a bit unnerving at times and I'm really hoping the next installments deal with this topic as well.

The Girl in the Castle has become my favorite of Santa Montefiore's novels. I can't really find fault in it, other than possibly that it could have been a little shorter, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes historical fiction that incorporates drama, passion, and a host of characters searching for their place in a world not fully of their making.

What Did I Think About the Cover?

I absolutely love it! The woman on the cover is exactly how I picture Kitty, even having her red hair which I LOVE as so often the covers seems to miss out on the little details (like hair coloring) discussed in the book. Having her sort of loom over the castle and verdant green lawns perfectly captures the story for me. Kitty is intrinsically tied to her Irish land so it would only be fitting to show it as almost a piece of her. One of my favorite covers of the year!


My Rating: 5.0/5.0

Thank you to HarperCollins Pushlishers and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a free copy of The Girl in the Castle in exchange for an honest review! Continue below for more information about the book, the author, and the rest of the blog tour! 

About the Author

Santa Montefiore was born in England. She went to Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset and studied Spanish and Italian at Exeter University. She has written sixteen bestselling novels, which have been translated into thirty different languages and have sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Find out more about Santa at her website, and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Buy the Book

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

The Girl in the Castle Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, September 28th: BookNAround
Thursday, September 29th: A Literary Vacation
Friday, September 30th: Art @ Home
Monday, October 3rd: I Wish I Lived in a Library
Tuesday, October 4th: #redhead.with.book
Wednesday, October 5th: Lesa’s Book Critiques
Thursday, October 6th: 100 Pages a Day…Stephanie’s Book Reviews
Monday, October 10th: Broken Teepee
Tuesday, October 11th: Reading is My Super Power
Wednesday, October 12th: Dreams, Etc.
Monday, October 17th: Literary Quicksand
TBD: Melissa Lee’s Many Reads