Tag: historical romance

Blog Tour/Book Review: Hetty’s Secret War by Rosie Clarke

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Blog Tour Poster (1)

I’m delighted to be hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Hetty’s Secret War by Rosie Clarke which was published by Aria on 19th March 2019.  Thanks to Vicky at Aria for inviting me to take part in the tour and for my review copy.

If you’ve missed previous stops on the tour, you can catch up here:

A look at locations in the book courtesy of The Book Trail 
Review by Amanda at Ginger Book Geek
Review by Julie at Bookish Jottings
Review and extract at The Avid Reader
Extract hosted by Nicola at Short Book & Scribes

hetty's secret warAbout the Book

In 1939, with the world on the brink of war, one women faces a future more uncertain than she had ever imagined…

Georgie – when the man she has always loved is sent to France on a secret war office mission every knock of the door fills her with dread of it being the feared telegram boy…

Beth – orphaned as a child, Beth is coming of age and determined to do her bit for the war effort. Caught up in a whirlwind romance, she marries only to become a war widow… and one expecting a baby who will never know his brave father. Can she find happiness again?

Hetty – desperately trying to make her way back from Paris to her beloved family in England, a fateful and tragic encounter brings Hetty to Chateau de Faubourg where she joins the resistance and risks both her heart and her life fighting for charismatic resistance leader Stefan Lefarge…

However dark the times, courage, determination and the power of friendship can overcome the hardships of war.

Format: Paperback, ebook (336 pp.)    Publisher: Aria Fiction
Published: 19th March 2019          Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk  ǀ  Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Hetty’s Secret War on Goodreads

My Review

Hetty’s Secret War is the third book in Rosie Clarke’s ‘Women at War’ series.   I haven’t read either of the previous books in the series – Jessie’s Promise and The Runaway Wife – but I’m pleased to say Hetty’s Secret War works perfectly well as a standalone.  However, it does contain references to significant events in the two previous books so it wouldn’t be the place to start for readers planning to read the whole series.

The title and the book description give the impression that Hetty’s story is the main focus of the book but, although hers is certainly the most dramatic, the experiences of the book’s other female characters – Beth and Georgie – also play a major part.  And we shouldn’t forget Hetty’s brother, Ben, who also has a pivotal role in the lives of at least two of the women and whose wartime experiences contribute to a very dramatic and compelling element of the book.

The outbreak of war sees all three women forced to confront changes in their personal lives and the end of the war will see them confronting others.  The book takes readers on an emotional journey revealing the trauma and loss that war can bring as well as the terrible uncertainty about the fate of husbands, lovers, brothers, sons.   It also demonstrates the important contribution of women in wartime, some in roles which involved just as much risk as those on active service.  It also has a chance meeting to rival Casablanca’s ‘Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine’, albeit with a bit of role reversal.

Talking of films, as someone who loves films set in World War 2, I particularly enjoyed Beth’s meeting with a handsome stranger on a train that could be straight out of the 1942 film In Which We Serve (directed by Noel Coward) in which ‘Shorty’ Blake (played by John Mills) first meets Freda Lewis (played by Kay Walsh) on a crowded train.

I know Hetty’s Secret War will delight fans of the series and also readers who like a strong element of romance in their historical fiction – and who aren’t adverse to a bit of bedroom action along the way with descriptions that at times leave little to the imagination.  Reading the book, I was most struck by its message of the possibility of second chances and that companionship, affection and trust play just as important a part in the success of a relationship as those ‘weak at the knees’ moments at the beginning of one.  Of course, the perfect solution is to combine both.  You’ll have to read the book to see if Hetty, Beth or Georgie end up in this happy situation.

I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Aria, and NetGalley.

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In three words: Dramatic, romantic, passionate

Try something similar… Flight Before Dawn by Megan Easley-Walsh (read my review here)

Rosie ClarkeAbout the Author

Rosie is happily married and lives in a quiet village in East Anglia. Writing books is a passion for Rosie.  She also likes to read, watch good films and enjoys holidays in the sunshine. She loves shoes and adores animals, especially squirrels and dogs.

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Blog Tour/Book Review: The Cornish Lady by Nicola Pryce

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The Cornish Lady

I’m delighted to be kicking off the blog tour for Nicola Pryce’s latest book in her Cornish Saga, The Cornish Lady.  You can read my review below but do also check out the posts by my tour buddies Joules at Northern Reader and Cassandra at MADEUP Book Reviews.

Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the tour.

Giveaway PrizeI’m pleased to say there’s also a giveaway (open internationally) with a chance for one lucky person to win a signed copy of The Cornish Lady, a box of Cornish Fudge and some bookmarks.

Please enter using the Rafflecopter link here.

Giveaway Terms and Conditions:

  • Worldwide entries welcome.
  • Open to entrants aged 18 or over.
  • The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner.
  • Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.
  • I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

The Cornish LadyAbout the Book

Cornwall, 1796. Educated, beautiful and the daughter of a prosperous merchant, Angelica Lilly has been invited to spend the summer in high society. Her father’s wealth is opening doors, and attracting marriage proposals, but Angelica still feels like an imposter among the aristocrats of Cornwall.

When her brother returns home, ill and under the influence of a dangerous man, Angelica’s loyalties are tested to the limit. Her one hope lies with coachman Henry Trevelyan, a softly spoken, educated man with kind eyes. But when Henry seemingly betrays Angelica, she has no one to turn to. Who is Henry, and what does he want? And can Angelica save her brother from a terrible plot that threatens to ruin her entire family?

Format: Paperback, ebook (464 pp.)    Publisher: Corvus Books
Published: 7th March 2019 Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

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

Find The Cornish Lady on Goodreads

My Review

Angelica Lilly is an independent-minded, strong-willed young woman with the prospect of an advantageous marriage to a wealthy aristocrat but who nevertheless finds herself longing for the freedom to make use of the commercial instincts gained from exposure to her father’s business in the same way a son would.  Instead she finds herself in the position of being expected to marry for the approval of society and to fulfil the wishes and ambitions of others.  It’s not that there aren’t a range of potential suitors including the wealthy aristocrat previous mentioned, a childhood companion and a more unexpected candidate.

However, as Jane Austen taught us in Pride and Prejudice, first impressions can be deceptive and Angelica’s childhood experiences have left her mistrustful of others’ motives – especially men –  even when it transpires they don’t deserve that mistrust.  Having said that, Angelica’s not averse to using a little artifice herself when the occasions demands, utilising the skills inherited from her actress mother.

Structured like a three act play, Angelica’s mission to find someone with whom she can be ‘her true self’ runs alongside storylines involving political events of the day: riots caused by grain shortages due to naval blockades, fears of invasion and the treatment of French prisoners of war confined within the walls of Pendennis Castle.    The last act brings everything together in a satisfactory way with villainy revealed and the reputations of others vindicated.

I particularly loved the setting of the book, around Truro and Falmouth, an area I know well from holidays spent there.  So I got an extra thrill from mentions of places I’ve visited like Pendennis Castle, Custom House Quay and The Quayside Inn in Falmouth, Flushing and Malpas (the location of The Heron Inn – a great deal more respectable these days than in the book!).

The Cornish Lady, with its spirited heroine, wonderful setting and fascinating period detail, is an engaging historical romance sure to find favour with fans of the genre and readers of the previous books in the series.

To find more books set in Cornwall, in various genres, follow these links – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

I received an advance review copy courtesy of publishers, Corvus, and Rachel’s Random Resources.

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In three words: Engaging, lively, romantic

Try something similar…Ross Poldark by Winston Graham

2 Author PhotoAbout the Author

Nicola Pryce came to writing after a career in nursing. She has an Open University degree in Humanities and is a qualified adult literacy support volunteer. She lives in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset and when she isn’t writing she’s probably gardening or scrubbing the decks. She and her husband love sailing and for the last twenty years they have sailed in and out of the romantic harbours of the south coast of Cornwall in search of adventure: it is there where she sets her books.

The Cornish Lady is her fourth book. The others are Pengelly’s Daughter, The Captain’s Girl, and The Cornish Dressmaker. Nicola is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Historical Writers Association.

Connect with Nicola

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