Tag: romance

A bond that even time cannot break
Storm Berger has never forgiven himself for his younger sister Madison’s disappearance. Suspecting she’s travelled back to the ninth century in the footsteps of other family members, Storm can only
make sure she’s safe by going after her.

Raised unconventionally as her father’s only child, Freydis has never been content to simply accept her fate. So, when she’s promised in marriage to a tyrant, she’s determined to find a way out of the
arrangement. Help comes in the form of a mysterious and attractive stranger stranded on her island’s shores: Storm.
The only way Freydis can truly be free is for Storm to marry her himself. But that would mean entwining lives that, until now, have been separated by centuries. . .

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Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip/dual time 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 Vice President and former Chair and of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association 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. LEGACY OF THE RUNES (time travel historical romance published by Headline Review 15th August 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: This final book in the Runes series has Maddie’s brother Storm head into the 9th Century looking for her (see Tempted by the Runes for Maddie’s story)

Of course things don’t go according to his plan, on the way to Iceland, the ship he’s on is attacked and has to put in to Orkney. There he meets Freydis. She’s trying to find a way to get out of a marriage that’s been arranged for her against her will. Meeting Storm, there’s an instant connection. Might he be the way to escape her life?

I have really enjoyed this series, and it was really nice to have all the members of Mia and Haakon’s family’s (foster son and daughter’s best friend included) stories come full circle, with them happy either in the 9th or 21st centuries. Storm was an interesting protagonist – he’s trying to make up for his mistake, even though in the end Maddie wasn’t in the danger he feared. Falling in love with Freydis certainly wasn’t part of his plan. But I loved Freydis – raised more like a son by her late father, she doesn’t fit in in the 9th Century, and her mother is a miserable cow who doesn’t want her only daughter around. Meeting Storm changes her whole life in a really good way – and the 21st century suits her better.

I’m a bit sad this series has ended (although the author did say in her note at the end of the book that you never know!) but I’m excited to see what Christina writes next.

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

For fans of Diana Gabaldon and Philippa Gregory, courtly rivalry and intrigue…

He is tasked with the most dangerous of missions. She is only there from duty. But in the face of treachery and injustice, might they need each other more than they could know…?

1613: Scotland and England, unified under one crown, are reeling from the sudden death of King James’ popular eldest son, Henry, as rumours swirl that the prince was poisoned. Andrew Logan, one of the King’s Messengers, is sent north with secret orders to find and arrest the man the king suspects.

Phoebe Westaway cannot abide Andrew Logan. But when her ageing father is tasked with helping Logan, Phoebe finds herself with no choice but to join them in their quest to capture Sir David Moray, once Prince Henry’s trusted courtier, and carry him to London to stand trial for the prince’s murder. It’s a journey rife with complications.

Sir David has no intention of allowing himself to be delivered to London, and as he draws them deeper into the dark web of court alliances and rivalries, Phoebe realises she might have more need of Logan than she believes. A story of justice, honour, truth and love – and survival against impossible odds…

New York Times bestselling author Susanna Kearsley is a former museum curator who loves restoring the lost voices of real people to the page, interweaving romance and historical intrigue with modern adventure. Over 1.5 million copies of her books have been sold and have been translated into over 25 languages.

Her writing career began in 1993 when her then-unpublished novel Mariana won the Catherine Cookson Fiction Prize. Since then she has writen twelve novels and won various awards, and has twice made the final of Romantic Novel of the Year awards. She lives near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

My thoughts: This was so good, Susanna Kearsley brings the past vibrantly and vividly to life, the characters are well written and their lives are recognisable even though they lived so long ago and in a situation so unlike anything most of us would live.

Andrew Logan is a King’s Messenger at the court of King James I & VI and his Queen, Anna. He has been charged with travelling to Scotland and collecting Sir David Moray – who the King suspects had something to do with his son and heir’s death. Prince Henry has been somewhat relegated to a footnote in history – the drama of his younger brother’s reign (Charles I) overshadows his very existence in history books.

But the terrible period after his death, suspicion and mourning, the Royal couple estranged and the fact theirs may well have been a rather unhappy marriage, is brought to life here.

The story of the long journey back from Scotland, which now takes hours, took days on horseback, stopping at inns and houses along the way to spend the night, bring the travellers together. There’s not just Andrew and David, but also Phoebe and her father, a scribe, and a young boy who was definitely my favourite character, Hector. They survive being chased by David’s cousin and his men, the risk of robbery, the threat from other members of the King’s court, and tragedy.

There’s also a sweet love story, as Phoebe gets to know Andrew better, and realises he isn’t the person she thought he was. Andrew’s kindness, bravery and sense of justice shine through as he leads the small group from Scotland down through the body of England to the court in London, balancing his duty to the king with his growing admiration of Sir David Moray.

This was a truly fascinating, interesting book and I was totally drawn into the world of Andrew and Phoebe.

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

In Regency England, twenty-seven-year-old Leonora Appleby is considered by many – herself included – to be beyond her most eligible marrying years. With her childhood home, Hasterleigh Manor, soon to be taken over by the heir to the land, George Lockwood, Leonora has happily resigned herself to a quiet life as a country Miss.

But life has a way of springing surprises and the return of the brooding war hero Earl Rokeby, presumed dead on the French battlefields, to the magnificent neighbouring Rokeby Abbey has the village atwitter with speculation. Earl Rokeby has returned, scarred in mind and body, with news for Leonora’s best friend Charlotte Blythe – news that will change everything.

Now Charlotte and Leonora must travel to Town for the Season and take their futures and fate into their own hands in the whirl of balls, parties and gossip. But will either of them return to Hasterleigh with a husband and a fortune, and what other secrets does the devastatingly dashing Alistair Rokeby have up his silken sleeves…

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 lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

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My thoughts: Jane Dunn is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors, I love her independent minded, spirited and often very funny heroines, and Leonora is no different. She’s decided that at 27 in Regency England, she’s on the shelf and happily looking forward to spinsterhood. The distant cousin who has inherited her father’s estate is rather nice and she’s not too upset about moving into the smaller home on the family estate.

Then the Earl of Rokeby (her neighbour) returns from the front (fighting Napoleon) and turns everything upside down. Suddenly Nora is off to London for the Season with her friend Charlotte and the delightful Nanny P (I think she and the Countess should get their own spin-off book solving crimes or something).

In the whirl of parties and social functions, the two women find time to ride in Hyde Park, and run into both George Lockwood (Nora’s cousin) and the Earl. Unfortunately there’s also an Army captain with a grudge hanging around looking to cause trouble. But surely Leonora and her friends can sort things out and everyone can find the right person to spend their lives with?

I really enjoyed this book, it was lots of fun and had a great plot, with a wonderful HEA. If you’re missing Bridgerton or just want a bit of love in your reading, Jane Dunn’s books are a great place to start.

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

‘Incredibly atmospheric, haunting and poignant.’ Nicola Cornick

1648 – Hertfordshire

Thirteen-year-old Katherine Ferrers is in despair at being betrothed to arch-Royalist Thomas Fanshawe whose family are hellbent on plundering her family’s fortune to champion the exiled Charles. As her unhappy marriage stretches before her, her only comfort is her beloved childhood home The Cell. But as the years pass and Kate grows restless, a new passion, a new love and a dangerous calling threaten to upend everything she’s ever known.

Present Day – Hertfordshire

Charlie Wolfe jumps at the chance to help his uncle renovate a tumbledown cottage overlooking Nomansland Common. Number One Constable’s Cottages was once the home of the man charged with ridding the common of the highwaymen who terrorised travellers. But it’s the story of The Wicked Lady, the notorious female highway robber, that captures Charlie’s imagination, and some long winters’ nights he’s sure he can the hoofbeats of her horse echoing across time.
What drove this mystery woman to risk everything for a life of crime, and why is she still restless, wandering the common in grief? It seems only Charlie can finally uncover the secret Katherine Ferrers has kept for hundreds of years; a secret of a terrible betrayal and a tragic love that was never meant to end this way…

USA Today bestselling author Judy Leigh writing as Elena Collins, brings you this spellbinding and heartbreaking timeslip novel, uncovering the intriguing story of another brave woman that history forgot. Perfect for fans of Barbara Erskine, Nicola Cornick, Diana Gabaldon and Louise Douglas.

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Elena Collins is the pseudonym for Judy Leigh. Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of Five French Hens , A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

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My thoughts: my dad is from the same part of Hertfordshire as Katherine Ferrers and when I asked him about Markyate, he said he knew it well. St Albans is somewhere I know, quite well, so this story really resonated with me because it hasn’t changed a whole lot in all the hundreds of years since The Wicked Lady rode her horse.

Katherine was a real person but we only know the bare bones of her story, and here Judy Leigh (writing as Elena Collins) has put flesh on those bones and created a vividly realised and fascinating story about a woman all but forgotten by history.

I enjoyed Charlie’s story too – he’s rebuilding not just a cottage but also his life after the end of a relationship. He meets new people and starts to look into Katherine’s story, bringing her back to life through his music.

This was an interesting, intelligent and very enjoyable read, I love learning more about forgotten women and the story was compelling.

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