#TopTenTuesday Holiday Reads

Top Ten Tuesday new

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want. Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post. Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists. Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week’s topic is Holiday Reads so my list is made up of books on a Christmas theme. That’s allowed, isn’t it, now we’re in December? The link from the title will take you to my review.


A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – the much-loved story of redemption

Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva – a charming re-imagining of how Dickens’ famous story might have come about

Miss Marley by Vanessa Lafaye – the engaging story of Jacob Marley’s sister

Collected Ghost Stories by M. R. James – Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas in our house without a spooky tale from the master

The Visitor at Anningley Hall by Chris Thorndycroft – an expertly crafted prequel to M. R. James’s story, The Mezzotint

Christmas at Ladywell by Nicola Slade – past and present are only a whisper apart…

A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton – spend the festive season with the Brogan family in WW2 London

Christmas at War by Caroline Taggart – true stories of Christmas during the Second World War

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie – the famous Belgian detective finds the holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder

An Edwardian Christmas by John S. Goodall – a wonderful book full of beautiful paintings

#BookReview The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne by Cynthia Jefferies

The Honourable Life of Thomas ChayneAbout the Book

Thomas Chayne has never managed to impress his overbearing father, and when a small act of rebellion has lasting consequences, Thomas finds himself exiled in disgrace. But with England on the brink of civil war, a larger revolution is in the air and Thomas has an opportunity to prove his worth by rallying a troop of royalists to defend Oxford from the escalating violence.

But he soon faces an impossible choice between honouring his family and his loyalty to the crown …

Format: Hardcover, ebook (384 pages)  Publisher: Allison & Busby
Publication date: 21st November 2019 Genre: Historical Fiction

Purchase links*
Amazon.co.uk | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne on Goodreads


My Review

The book follows Thomas Chayne through childhood, adolescent love affairs and university where he forms what will be a life-long friendship with fellow student, Richard, although that friendship will be tested at times.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, as well as taking part in skirmishes between the forces of the King and Parliament, Thomas gets into all sorts of scrapes often involving narrow escapes from death. All are described in meticulous detail which, on occasions, I felt did affect the pace of the book.

Similarly, the reader witnesses Thomas’s mental turmoil as he continually questions his own motives, ponders options and wrestles with decisions to the point, it has to be said, of self-absorption. (In this regard, he is similar to Abel Morgan in the author’s previous book.) “Life’s journey is so often a matter of small decisions.”

As the war progresses and loyalties are tested, Thomas finds himself facing a moral dilemma. His solution will bring a moment of recognition for those who have read The Outrageous Fortune of Abel Morgan. For readers who haven’t, never fear, because the final chapter of The Honourable Life of Thomas Chayne very neatly connects the two books.

I received an advance review copy courtesy of Allison & Busby via NetGalley.

In three words: Detailed, dramatic, adventure

Try something similar: The Outrageous Fortune of Abel Morgan by Cynthia Jefferies (read my review here)

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Cynthia JefferiesAbout the Author

Cynthia Jefferies is a long-established writer for children, whose work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. She was born in Gloucestershire and her love of history was encouraged by regular family outings to anything of interest, from great cathedrals to small museums. Having moved to Scotland and back to Stroud, she has always made time to write and her abiding interest in Restoration England has never left her. The Outrageous Fortune of Abel Morgan was her first historical novel for adults.

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