Tag: historical fiction

blog tour, books, reviews

Blog Tour: The Other Gwyn Girl – Nicola Cornick

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1671 – London

The Civil War is over and Charles II, the ‘Merry Monarch’, is revelling in the throne of his murdered father and all the privileges and power that comes with it. Sharing the spoils is his favourite companion, the celebrated beauty, actress Nell Gwyn. Beloved of the English people, Nell has come a long way from selling oranges and a childhood in a brothel, but as her fortunes have turned, her sister Rose has taken a different path. Marriage to a feckless highwayman has left Rose in the grim Marshalsea prison and now she needs her sister’s mercy to help get her out. But Nell needs Rose too. A plot to steal the Crown Jewels has gone tragically wrong, and Nell’s future with her protector King is at risk. If Rose can’t solve the riddle of the jewels both Gwyn sisters will head straight to the Tower.

Present Day

Librarian and history enthusiast Jess Yates has hit rock bottom. With her ex behind bars for fraud, Jess needs to lay low – easier said than done with a celebrity sister. But Tavy has her uses. Her latest
TV project involves renovating Fortune Hall, and she needs a house sitter while she’s jetting around the world. The opportunity is too good to miss, especially when Jess discovers that Fortune Hall has
links to the infamous Nell Gwyn.

Slowly the house begins to reveal its mysteries, and secrets that have laid buried for centuries can no longer be ignored. Jess hears echoes from a tragic past and as she struggles to understand her sister, Jess feels ever closer to Rose Gwyn, the sister forgotten by history but who had the fate of her family in her hands.

Bestselling author Nicola Cornick is back with a captivating, gripping, unforgettable tale of treachery and treason, love and loyalty, perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Elena Collins and Christina Courtenay.

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Nicola Cornick is a historian and author who works as a researcher and guide for the National Trust in one of the most beautiful 17th century houses in England. She writes dual time novels that illustrate
her love of history, mystery and the supernatural, and focus on women from the footnotes of history.
Her books have appeared in over twenty five languages, sold over half a million copies worldwide and been described as “perfect for Outlander fans.” Nicola also gives writing and history talks, works as a consultant for TV and radio, and is a trustee of the Wantage Literary Festival and the Friends of Lydiard Park.

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My thoughts: This is my sort of historical fiction, fleshing out the stories of women, real ones and fictional ones, giving them a voice and a life that feels real and rich.

Rose Gwyn was a real person, sister of the famous Nell – mistress of Charles II and supposedly the reason women were finally allowed to act on stage. But Rose is overshadowed by her sister, both in records and in her life. Nell was beautiful and has gone down in history. Rose didn’t want the limelight and chose a different path.

Nicola Cornick has given Rose her own story, of theft and an unhappy marriage, then royal pardon and joy in her second marriage with Sir Guy Forster. A country life and probably trips to London for the theatre and to see Nell. It might seem like a quiet one, but I can imagine it was happy.

Rose’s story is revealed by Jess, herself the sister of a celebrity, in reality star Tavy, and with a rotter of a partner, jailed for fraud. She’s down on her luck and staying in her sister’s house, one that might have a link to the Gwyn sisters, if she can find it. A librarian by training, she’s the perfect person to rummage through the records and find out which of the Gwyn girls lived in Becote House. She also meets the charming Ethan Forster, whose family once owned the house, could he be a descendant of Rose and Guy?

With two delightful romances, intrigue, scandal and wonderful characters brought vividly to life, this is a treat to read.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: The Djinn’s Apple – Djamila Morani, translated by Sawad Hussain

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Winner of an English PEN Translates Award.

Historical fiction meets crime fiction in The Djinn’s Apple, an award-winning YA murder mystery set in the Abbasid period—the golden age of Baghdad.

A ruthless murder. A magical herb. A mysterious manuscript.

When Nardeen’s home is stormed by angry men frantically in search of something—or someone—she is the only one who manages to escape. And after the rest of her family is left behind and murdered, Nardeen sets out on an unyielding mission to bring her family’s killers to justice, regardless of the cost…

Full of mystery and mayhem, The Djinn’s Apple is perfect for fans of Arabian Nights, City of Brass, and The Wrath and the Dawn.

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Djamila Morani is an Algerian novelist and an Arabic language professor. Her first novel, released in 2015 and titled Taj el-Khatiaa, is set in the Abbasid period (like The Djinn’s Apple), but in Kazakh- stan. All of her works are fast-paced historical fiction pieces. She is yet to have a full-length work translated into English. Djamila lives in Relizane, in the west of Algeria.

You can find Djamila on Twitter @DjamilaMorani and  Insta @morani_djamila

You can find Sawad on Twitter @sawadhussain and Insta @sawad18

My thoughts: this was a really sad and moving story of love and revenge, scholarship and the dangers of too much knowledge.

Nardeen’s family are brutally murdered, she swears she will avenge them. Taken in by the doctor Muallim Ishaq, she trains to be a doctor in the Bimaristan (hospital) in Baghdad, then a shining example of hygiene and medicine.

This brings her into contact with the man she believes is behind her family’s deaths. But her mentor is hiding secrets. When she learns what the Djinn’s Apple is and how far some will go to get it, she starts to understand exactly what her father, also a doctor, was caught up in. 

A clever and intense, enjoyable mystery with a smart and rather brilliant young woman as its protagonist. A glimpse into a past much of the world is rather ignorant about.

The historical notes at the end provide context and firmly plant Nardeen in the Baghdad of its past, when it was a shining example of multi-cultural life and education, bringing it into the present and to life once more. A delight.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own

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Book Blitz: The Last True Templar – Boyd & Beth Morrison

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The thrilling new historical adventure from New York Times bestselling author Boyd Morrison and expert medievalist Beth Morrison. Fox and Willa find themselves on a dangerous quest for the treasure of the Templar Knights.

A Perilous Quest. A Deadly Legacy.

Italy, 1351. English companions, knight Gerard Fox and the resourceful Willa, have come through a death-defying journey across war-torn Europe. Now looking towards a future together, they
must first find a way to reconcile with their difficult pasts.

In a small village between Florence and Siena, Fox and Willa are caught up in a deadly ambush.
After rescuing Luciana, the target of the attack, they take refuge in her opulent villa and learn her heartbreaking story – a tale of loss, deception, and a burning desire for freedom.
Soon, Fox and Willa are involved in a perilous quest to save Luciana’s family legacy. To do so, they will have to solve a mystery that points the way to the fabled lost treasure of the Knights Templar.

‘Complete with mysteries, secrets, and adventure, rich in detail, delivering exactly what a reader craves. This writing duo knows all the right chords to touch.’ Steve Berry, #1 New York Times bestselling author

‘A mesmerizing sequel to the hugely entertaining The Lawless Land…. There is action galore. What a ride!’ Elizabeth George, #1 New York Times bestselling author

‘Any lover of historical mysteries or great tales of adventure will find much delight in this novel!’ James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestselling author

‘A triumphant follow-up to The Lawless Land, with a puzzle that will dazzle fans of The Da Vinci Code. There’s so much breathtaking excitement that the book should come with an oxygen tank.’ Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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Boyd Morrison is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve thrillers, including six with Clive Cussler. His first novel, The Ark, was an Indie Next Notable pick and was translated into over a dozen
languages. He has a PhD in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech.
Follow Boyd on: Twitter Instagram Facebook Website

Beth Morrison is Senior Curator of Manuscripts at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She has curated major exhibitions including ‘Imagining the Past in France, 1250-1500’, and ‘Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World’. She has a PhD in the History of Art from Cornell University. Follow Beth on: Twitter Instagram Facebook

My thoughts: I do enjoy a well researched historical novel and as one of the authors is a medievalist, and their author note explains all the work they did in putting the geography and history together, I am happy to say this feels very well realised.

I haven’t read the preceding book so I hadn’t met Fox and Willa before, but I thought they were tremendous fun and lively protagonists. I also really liked Luciana, she’s an incredibly brave and rather modern woman for the 14th Century. Her husband is a horrible man and she is determined to be rid of him and his influence for good, and that’s before she learns of the true extent of his treachery.

Their quest takes them all over Italy and even across the Mediterranean to Rhodes in Greece, on the hunt for the hidden treasures of the Templar knights, via the rhyming clues left by Luciana’s father, the Templars’ banker.

It’s a race against time as Luciana’s awful husband, once her father’s squire, and his hired mercenaries are also after the treasure, and more importantly a letter that reveals his crimes and could see him lose everything. Thankfully his enemies are many and happy to help his wife bring him down.

A rollicking romp of am adventure on horseback and by ship, seeking treasure in the churches and cities of Italy at the height of the city states’ powers.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: Immorality Act – Berend Mets

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Cape Town, in the 1960s.

 Love across the colour bar is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment.

 John Terreblanche, a police reporter seeking redemption, tells the story of a Xhosa nurse, Promise Madiba, a Dutch doctor, Willem Jansen, and a Malay prostitute, Marja de Koning, who engage in a passionate love triangle in the shadow of the Sharpeville massacre, as South Africa lurches towards becoming a Republic.

 Violent yet tender, Immorality Act spans from Indonesia to Cape Town and is a moving account of the impact of apartheid, racism and colonialism on lives in the twentieth century, as well as a celebration of the ungovernability of the human spirit.

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Dr Berend Mets was born in Indonesia of Dutch parents, and amongst other countries grew up in apartheid South Africa where he became a doctor, anaesthetist and scientist. He came to fiction through an MFA degree after a career of medical, historical and scientific writing. Berend is a Professor of Anesthesiology at the Pennsylvania State University and divides his time between America, the Dutch Caribbean, and Cape Town, South Africa.

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My thoughts: inspired by his experiences and those of his father, Dr Berend Mets has crafted a fascinating and moving story of the second half of the twentieth century. From Indonesia under Japanese occupation and the horrors of WW2 to the Netherlands and then apartheid South Africa, the story of Willem, Marja and Promise is both terribly sad and full of joy.

Falling in love across the colour bar is illegal in 1961, but not something Willem and Promise do intentionally. Meeting in the hospital where they both work, the damaged doctor and the impassioned nurse fall in love and work secretly to end apartheid.

Marja is Willem’s childhood friend, his first love, long thought lost to him. Near death, he saves her life in the operating theatre. As she recovers in Promise’s home, the net is closing in on them. Promise’s political activities and the fact a white doctor has been spending so much time with her has brought scrutiny on them. The Immorality Act forbids sex between the races and it is this law that sees Willem and Marja in court, Promise having escaped.

The framing narrative of a book written by Afrikaans journalist John Terreblanche is interesting and allows for the inclusion of court documents and police reports but does at times feel intrusive  – as does his presence in their lives. He’s not part of their tangled relationship and doesn’t really belong. His guilt at his involvement in the case, only confessed later on, drives him to tell their story, but is it his to tell?

Powerful and moving, evocative and provoking, this is an interesting and intelligent book about a time when love was illegal and the government of South Africa felt it had the right to involve itself in people’s personal lives.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: Prisoner of Acre – Murray Bailey

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Ash Carter returns to Israel on what should be a straightforward mission except for one small detail. Why did Alfred Duffy go AWOL from the British Army, go to Israel and then hand himself in at Acre Prison.

The mystery deepens when Carter finds that Duffy escaped just as he arrived.

The hunt begins but as the mystery unravels towards an exciting climax, it becomes unclear who is the hunter and who the hunted.

My thoughts: Ash Carter is dispatched to Israel, the newly formed country in former British Mandated Palestine, a country still riven with internal struggles.

He’s looking for a British soldier who’s gone AWOL, and been imprisoned in the old fortress prison in Acre, after handing himself in. But why did he go to Israel, only to hand himself in and where has he gone now? When Carter and Co turn up to take him into custody, he’s gone. And he’s escaped with another prisoner.

As Carter pursues him across the fledgling state, he uncovers a shocking and terrible series of deaths and an evil that goes right to the heart of the country, crossing all religious and ethnic lines.

I’m a big fan of Murray Bailey’s historical crime books, and of Ash Carter, so I was really excited to read this, and I wasn’t disappointed. Ash races back and forth across the desert, sometimes with others, often alone, despite having no real authority now the British have left, which brings him under suspicion at times. There’s a relentless pace as he’s up against it and the pressure of solving the case and finding Duffy is not exactly easy.

Ash of course wants to do the right thing, even if it means ignoring his orders, and luckily he’s the only one who knows exactly what’s happened. Which keeps the victims safe and Ash from getting locked up himself. Bring on his next high octane adventure!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own

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Blog Tour: A Sign of Her Own – Sarah Marsh

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Ellen Lark is on the verge of marriage when she and her fiancé receive an unexpected visit from Alexander Graham Bell.

Ellen knows immediately what Bell really wants from her. Ellen is deaf, and for a time was Bell’s student in a technique called Visible Speech. As he instructed her in speaking, Bell also confided in her about his dream of producing a device which would transmit the human voice along a wire: the telephone. Now, on the cusp of wealth and renown, Bell wants Ellen to speak up in support of his claim to the patent to the telephone, which is being challenged by rivals.

But Ellen has a different story to tell: that of how Bell betrayed her, and other deaf pupils, in pursuit of ambition and personal gain, and cut Ellen off from a community in which she had come to feel truly at home. It is a story no one around Ellen seems to want to hear – but there may never be a more important time for her to tell it.

Sarah Marsh was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish prize in 2019 and selected for the London Library Emerging Writers programme in 2020. A Sign of Her Own is her first novel, inspired by her experiences of growing up deaf and her family’s history of deafness. She lives in London.

My thoughts: I knew of Alexander Graham Bell as the Scottish born inventor of the telephone, as I’m sure many people do, but not that he worked with D/deaf people and taught something called Visible Speech – essentially getting his students to speak by teaching them the shapes of letters and words in the mouth  – but they still couldn’t understand another person. 

I used some of his techniques as an ESL teacher, teaching English, when it comes to voiced and invoiced letters – B and P – for example. Ellen compiles lists of homophenes, words that appear the same when lipreading, which are harder to parse, for Bell, and writes an essay he never publishes as promised, on the subject. It’s an early sign of his reluctance to really engage with the deaf community.

Sign language is a valid and completely legitimate way of communicating, but it wasn’t always so. Deaf students were banned from using their hands in schools and expected to learn to speak, and lip read the responses. Through the characters of Ellen and Frank, both of whom attended these Oral Schools, the story of how sign language was oppressed is told.

Much like any language, it has its own rules, grammar and syntax  – and varies both nationally and even regionally. BSL (British Sign Language) is not the same as ASL or AusLan (American Sign Language and Australian Sign Language), nor is it the same as spoken English, much as American or Australian English varies from British English, despite being nominally the same.

Ellen speaks both ASL and BSL. Her mother is British, and while she grows up in America, she moves to Britain and learns the signs. She is lucky to be exposed to other members of the deaf community and to have a supportive and loving mother, who understands when she quits her lessons with Bell. Visible Speech, which gives him the idea for the telephone, feels to Ellen in the end, a betrayal of the deaf community and sign language.

This is a really fascinating look at the history of the deaf community more than it is a book about Bell, and I really liked Ellen and her story. Bell is apparently quite a controversial figure in deaf history, with his insistence on speech and dislike of sign language, even after working with deaf people and being married to a deaf woman. Ellen may be the fictional character but she was much more appealing and likeable than the real life one, who doesn’t come across well at all.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: The Secrets of Crestwell Hall – Alexandra Walsh

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‘A king adorns the throne…He has no subtlety, no grace but he does not deserve to die in the waythat has been planned and this is why we shall stop them, our men, our kin and save us all.’

1605; Bess Throckmorton is well used to cunning plots and intrigues. With her husband Sir Walter Raleigh imprisoned in the Tower of London, and she and her family in a constant battle to outwit Robert Cecil, the most powerful man in the country who is determined to ruin her, Bess decides to retreat to her beloved home, Crestwell Hall. But there she is shocked to hear talk of a new plot to murder the king. So, unbeknownst to their menfolk, the wives of the plotters begin to work together to try to stop the impending disaster.

Present Day; Isabella Lacey and her daughter, Emily, are excited to be starting a new life at her aunt’s home,Crestwell Hall in Wiltshire. During renovations, Isabella discovers an ancient bible that once belonged to Bess Throckmorton, and to her astonishment finds that it doubled as a diary. As Isabella reads Bess’s story, a new version of the Gunpowder Plot begins to emerge-told by the women.When Emily’s life is suddenly in terrible danger, Isabella understands the relentless fear felt by Bess, hundreds of years ago. And as the fateful date of 5th November draws ever closer, Bess and the plotters’ wives beg their husbands to stop before a chain of events is set into action that can only end one way…

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Alexandra Walsh is the bestselling author of dual timeline historical mysteries, previously published by Sapere. Her books range from the fifteenth century to the Victorian era and are inspired by the hidden voices of women that have been lost over the centuries. Formerly a journalist, writing for national newspapers, magazines, and TV, her first book for Boldwood was published in Spring 2023.

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My thoughts: this was a really interesting time slip book blending the history of the Gunpowder Plot with the lives of Issy and Emily, who have moved into Crestwell Hall, the home of Issy’s Great-uncle Philip, who has recently died.

Bess Throckmorton was a real person, wife of Sir Walter Raleigh, lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I and linked by birth and marriage to many of the most important families of the day. Including all of the Gunpowder Plot schemers.

While Crestwell Hall isn’t real, the author drew inspiration from the belief of Robert Cecil, spy master, that the Raleighs had a secret home he couldn’t find.

I really liked how the story of the wives’ plan to save their husbands from execution for treason unfolded as Issy explored the house and unravelled its history. Bess is an impressive woman, even if this attempt to stop the plot isn’t true, and I loved her determination to guard her family from themselves. Issy was a great protagonist, too. She, her aunt, and daughter are part of a new generation of incredible women living in Crestwell Hall.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: Shadows in the Ashes – Christina Courtenay

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Brimming with romance, adventure, and vivid historical detail, Christina Courtenay’s gripping dual-time novel travels from the present day to the fires of ancient Pompeii.

The sunlight caught her gold bracelet, sending a flash that almost blinded her.
She closed her eyes but jumped when the earth started shaking, and there was an almighty boom behind her.

Present Day
Finally escaping an abusive marriage, Caterina Rossi takes her three-year-old daughter and flees to Italy. There, she’s drawn to research scientist Connor, who needs her translation help for his work on
volcanology. Together they visit the ruins of Pompeii and, standing where Mount Vesuvius
unleashed its fire on the city centuries before, Cat begins to see startling visions. Visions that appear to come from the antique bracelet handed down through her family’s generations…

AD 79
Sold by his half-brother and enslaved as a gladiator in Roman Pompeii, Raedwald dreams only of
surviving each fight, making the coin needed to return to his homeland and taking his revenge. That is, until he is hired to guard beautiful Aemilia. As their forbidden love grows, Raedwald’s dreams shift like the ever more violent tremors of the earth beneath his feet.
The present starts eerily to mirror the past as Cat must fight to protect her safety, and to forge a new path from the ashes of her old life…

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Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and time travel stories, and lives in Herefordshire (near the Welsh border) in the UK. Although born in England, she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden – hence her abiding interest in the Vikings. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association, now a Vice President, and has won several awards, including the RoNA for Best Historical Romantic Novel twice with Highland Storms (2012) and The Gilded Fan (2014) and the RNA Fantasy Romantic Novel of the year 2021 with Echoes of the Runes. SHADOWS IN THE ASHES (dual time/timeslip romance published by Headline Review 18th January 2024) is her latest novel. Christina is a keen amateur genealogist and loves history and archaeology (the armchair variety).

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My thoughts: I do enjoy Christina Courtenay’s time slip romances, and this time she’s exploring the world of the Ancient Roman empire – specifically Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

In the modern world, Cat has finally fled her abusive husband to the safety of her mother’s family in Naples, where she meets PhD student Connor and realises that not all stories end in tragedy.

Centuries before Aemilia is also married to a rotten husband and miserable, she meets enslaved gladiator Raedwald, originally from Frisia (in modern day Germany) who is planning an escape and a trip home to take revenge on those who sold him into slavery. But falling in love wasn’t part of the plan, although if Aemilia will come with him, then that would be wonderful.

As both women make their escapes from their awful marriages, and fall for kinder, loving men, the eruption of Vesuvius looms closer and Cat starts to see glimpses of the past before the eruption. Can these brave women find happiness both then and now?

Slightly different to the Runes series, no one actually travels through time, although Cat and Connor seem to be seeing parts of it, but the two women seem to be living lives that mirror one another, leaving one awful man for a much better, redheaded, one. There’s another link suggested in the closing chapter, which I really liked. I hope Christina writes more books set in different parts of the past and fascinating women.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

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Blog Tour: A Scandalous Match – Jane Dunn

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‘Angelica had always known her lack of high birth, fortune or influence debarred her from being presented as an eligible young woman worthy of marriage. To cap it all, being an actress assured she
was utterly beyond the pale of respectability.’

Nightly at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, an enchanting actress is wowing the crowds with her affecting portrayal of Ophelia. Preyed on by rakes and opportunistic young bucks, feted by dukes
and earls, even the Prince Regent himself, Angelica Leigh is a sensation.
But in Regency England, beauty and talent are not enough to be considered marriage material, so when the eminently eligible Lord Charles Latimer sets his heart on Angelica, his uncle is sent to intervene.
As a highly respected, hard-working and wealthy lawmaker, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, is himself seen as desirable husband material, but widowed with an eleven-year-old daughter Elinor, he has
forsaken all thoughts of romance. Lord Latimer’s mother, the Duchess of Arlington, despairs of her son, despite being reassured by Ivor that his infatuation with the actress will pass. But there is something about Angelica Leigh that demands attention, and even the austere and upstanding Mr Asprey isn’t immune to her charms.

Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen. Janice Hadlow, Gill Hornby, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in
their lives.

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Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which, The Marriage Season, was published in January 2023.
She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

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My thoughts: I really enjoyed this Regency romance with its spirited heroine and romantic storyline. Angelica is an actress, currently playing the doomed Ophelia on stage, and being wooed by a young lord. She’s fully aware that they can’t really have a future, being from such different classes and with her career. But when the lordling’s uncle warns her off, she finds herself furious.

However as the story progresses and she gets to know Ivor Asprey, she admires him and possibly more. He’s raising his daughter alone after the death of his wife, and as an MP is pushing some pretty important reforms through Parliament. Ones Angelica is supportive of, her own childhood having been one of poverty and hardship.

She becomes friends with a young heiress, finds herself in trouble and in need of Asprey’s aid more than once, and through their growing connection, and the machinations of his young daughter, a spark is ignited.

Angelica is a fantastic, charming protagonist, a modern woman living in an age of propriety where reputation is all, but she’s surrounded and supported by loving friends and family, and knows she can handle almost anything with their help.

Perfect for anyone who enjoys historical romance with a woman who knows her own mind and a man who believes in what’s right at the heart of it. Delightful.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

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Book Review: The French Affair – Theresa Howes

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A country at war. A dangerous secret.

After a failed honey-trap mission for British Intelligence leads to the breakdown of her marriage, French journalist Iris escapes to Dijon, seeking refuge in the cottage of her beloved aunt, Eva. But Eva is gone, the streets are full of distrust, and Iris is soon followed by the very last man she wants to see – the British civil servant and traitor she was tasked with catching, now keen to rekindle their affair.

Eva’s home used to be a comforting place, where the locals sought out Eva’s homemade tinctures and cures and gifted jars of fresh honey from the garden. Now it is a place of danger, where threats loom in every corner. And as Iris spends more time there, she discovers a secret that will change the way she sees her aunt forever – and the course of her own life too…

Don’t miss this utterly sweeping WW2 historical novel, perfect for fans of Suzanne Goldring, Mandy Robotham and Kristin Hannah.

My thoughts: thank you to HQ for gifting me a Netgalley copy of this book to review.

I don’t usually like war stories – for some reason they annoy me – I prefer autobiographical accounts of that time instead for the most part.

This I did enjoy, however, partly because I think it could have been set at other periods of history where there was conflict. And also because it felt slightly removed from the usual stories.

Set in Dijon, France, it follows Iris a French operative for British Intelligence. She heads to her aunt Eva’s house, only to find her aunt has died suddenly, after an op ends and she needs to distance herself from the fallout in order to carry out her next mission.

She must convince the German spy turned soldier, that she wasn’t involved in him being exposed as an enemy agent, and then kill him. All while reckoning with Eva’s killing and convincing the locals she’s not a collaborator, oh and winning back her husband Jack, currently hiding out with the maquis (French Resistance).

It is a lot to deal with, and as she grew up in her aunt’s house, there are memories and people from her past also drawing on her time and energy. She’s got to come up with a plan all by herself, or so she thinks. When Eva’s friend Clemence gradually reveals what happened before Eva was killed, Iris realises she’s not alone, and Eva’s house might hold some answers to her predicament.

The book is packed full of plot and interesting characters, I would have liked to stick around and learn their stories, but Iris needs to keep moving, keep suspicion falling on her as she carries out her plans.