Review: The Gilded Fan by Christina Courtenay

• Publisher: Choc Lit (7 Feb 2013)
• ISBN-13: 978-1781890080
• Also available for Kindle

The blurb

How do you start a new life, leaving behind all you love?

It's 1641, and when Midori Kumashiro, the orphaned daughter of a warlord, is told she has to leave Japan or die, she has no choice but to flee to England. Midori is trained in the arts of war, but is that enough to help her survive a journey, with a lecherous crew and an attractive captain she doesn't trust?

Having come to Nagasaki to trade, the last thing Captain Nico Noordholt wants is a female passenger, especially a beautiful one. How can he protect her from his crew when he can't keep his own eyes off her?

During their journey, Nico and Midori form a tentative bond, but they both have secrets that can change everything. When they arrive in England, a civil war is brewing, and only by standing together can they hope to survive

Midori, daughter of a warlord in 17C Japan has always been different from her peers.  She lost her English mother and now fears for her life if she decides to stay with her family in Japan.  The Shogan wants to dispose  of all Christians in the land.  Although Midori follows her father's religious beliefs she would not be spared because of her mixed parentage.

Her half-brother finds her passage on a trade ship bound for Amsterdam,  another perilous situation for a lone woman at that time, but Midori and her brother feel it is her only hope of survival.  She sets sail under the protection of Captain Nico, in her quest to return to her mother's family in Plymouth, Devon.

She survives the dangerous journey with Captain Nico and his crew and the two form a strong bond.  Once docked in Amsterdam, Nico decides it is his duty to see this young woman to her final destination in England even when he discovers who she is and where she is headed.

The adventure for Midori does not end there.  Once safely united with her mother's family, it becomes apparent that there is unrest in England and Civil War is about to break out.  Nico and Midori have a misunderstanding and Nico joins the war effort. 

Another fabulous historical adventure with  lots of passion and romance from one of my favourite historical romance authors, Christina Courtenay.  This author always weaves such a rich adventure that is full of passion. The author's love of Japan comes across in the vivid description of the country and it's history.  I always want to sit down with one of these novels and devour in one sitting, but by the same token want it to last for days. 

I felt that having read The Scarlet Kimono this enriched the continuing story for me, but this can be read alone as there is full explanation of who Midori is and her relationship to the Marston's family.

10 out of 10 for me! A Top read for 2013!

Thank you to ChocLit for a review copy.  This did not influence my review in any way.

Review: Before I Met You - Lisa Jewell

• Publisher: Century (19 July 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-1846059230

The blurb

Having grown up on the quiet island of Guernsey, Betty Dean can't wait to start her new life in London. On a mission to find Clara Pickle - the mysterious beneficiary in her grandmother's will - she arrives in grungy, 1990s Soho, ready for whatever life has to throw at her. Or so she thinks...

In 1920s bohemian London, Arlette - Betty's grandmother - is starting her new life in a time of post-war change. Beautiful and charismatic, Arlette is soon drawn into the hedonistic world of the Bright Young People. But less than two years later, tragedy strikes and she flees back to Guernsey for the rest of her life.

As Betty searches for Clara, she is taken on a journey through Arlette's extraordinary time in London, uncovering a tale of love, loss and heartbreak. Will the secrets of Arlette's past help Betty on her path to happiness?

Betty Dean doesn't know what to expect when she moves to Guernsey with her mother and step-father to care for her step-grandmother.  When she meets the old lady she is unsure of her, but over the years the two become very close and eventually Betty becomes full time carer for her Grandmother.

When the grandmother passes away, Betty is named in the will, but has the task of finding another beneficiary to the will, one Clara Pickle.  The search for Clara brings Betty back to Soho, England.  Who is this mysterious Clara and what is her connection with Betty's grandmother Arlette, who has never visited London?

Betty arrives in Soho ready to begin a new life after spending years caring for Arlette and with very few clues, sets about finding a job, accommodation and Clara Pickles.

I got so caught up in both Betty and Arlette's stories that ran parallel through the novel.  The 1920's is one of my favourite eras to read about and the author captured the period wonderfully. I enjoyed the mystery that Betty had to solve.  I cried at the end of Betty's story and at the end of Arlette's story for different reasons. 

With a beautiful cast and two very emotional and moving storylines, Lisa Jewell has written a gem here.

I have read other novels by Lisa Jewell that are usually more modern and lighter reads but still very enjoyable.  This one has to be my favourite Lisa Jewell to date.

A perfect 10 for me!  I loved it!  

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy.  This did not influence my review in any way.

Review: Marry In Haste by Christina Courtenay

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 117 pages
• Publisher: Choc Lit (31 Aug 2012)
• ASIN: B0094OPT0Y

The blurb

‘I need to marry, and I need to marry at once’ 
When James, Viscount Demarr confides in an acquaintance at a ball one evening, he has no idea that the potential solution to his problems stands so close at hand …
Amelia Ravenscroft is the granddaughter of a earl and is desperate to escape her aunt’s home where she has endured a life of drudgery, whilst fighting off the increasingly bold advances of her lecherous cousin. She boldly proposes a marriage of convenience. 

And Amelia soon proves herself a perfect fit for the role of Lady Demarr. But James has doubts and his blossoming feelings are blighted by suspicions regarding Amelia’s past. 
Will they find, all too painfully, that if you marry in haste you repent at leisure?

I do enjoy Christina Courntenay's writing and so I just had to get a copy of this novella for a weekend read.

The opening scene sees Amelia eavesdropping on a conversation between two gentlemen at a ball.  Her curiosity and current predicament get the better of her and she agrees to marry one of the men without knowing why he is in such a hurry to marry.

So begins a full on adventure that takes the 2 main characters charging across the country to Marry in Haste and worry about the consequences later.  Which they do.

Will there be a happy ending to this irresponsible act?

For a novella this story is fast paced and just the right length. I suspect this is not an easy task when the author is used to writing full length novels, but Christina has accomplished this.

Perfect romance adventure.

9 out of 10 for me!

Review: The Road Back by Liz Harris

• Publisher: Choc Lit (7 Sep 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-1906931674
• Also available for Kindle
• ASIN: B008RMKX0U

The blurb

When Patricia accompanies her father, Major George Carstairs, on a trip to Ladakh, north of the Himalayas, in the early 1960s, she sees it as a chance to finally win his love. What she could never have foreseen is meeting Kalden - a local man destined by circumstances beyond his control to be a monk, but fated to be the love of her life.

Despite her father's fury, the lovers are determined to be together, but can their forbidden love survive?

A wonderful story about a passion that crosses cultures, a love that endures for a lifetime, and the hope that can only come from revisiting the past.

1995 - Amy wants to find out about her birth parents and why her mother gave her up for adoption.

The author takes us back to 1951 when Amy's mother, Patricia is just 7 years old and living with her family in London.  We find a young girl eager to please her father Major George Carstairs. Not an easy task when her father has difficulty coming to terms with her brother's illness. 

In a remote village in Ladakh 8 year old Kalden lives a completely different lifestyle.  The fourth son in the family, he knows what his future holds and he is destined to become a Monk.

1962 - Fate brings Amy and Kalden, now aged 18,  together in the beautifully serene landscape of Ladakh.  Amy and her father travel there to update his notes from an early stay there in his army days.  So begins a love story that surely cannot survive the cultural and class divide.  Amy is only in Ladakh for a matter of months and Kalden is due to go into the monastery.

Due to circumstances Amy does have leave Ladakh and return to England, but this love story does not end there.

The passion with which Liz Harris writes about Ladakh, it's seasons, cultures and it's people led me to believe that she must have stayed there for her research, just like her character Patricia, but her acknowledgements tell me that research was not undertaken directly in Ladakh. Amazing storytelling.

A beautiful debut novel from Liz Harris.  I cannot wait to see what is next from this author. One for me to watch.

I was not sure whether to put this in the historical fiction or historical romance genre.  It is much more than just a romance with wonderful descriptions of the landscape and people of Ladakh.

This novel will be in my Top reads for 2012.

10 out of 10 for me!

Review copy from ChocLit.  This did not influence my review in any way.

The Duke is Mine - Eloisa James

The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James

• Publisher: Piatkus (29 Dec 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074995602X
• ISBN-13: 978-0749956028
• Also available in Kindle format

The blurb

Tarquin, the powerful Duke of Sconce, knows perfectly well that the decorous and fashionably slender Georgiana Lytton will make him a proper duchess. So why can't he stop thinking about her twin sister, the curvy, headstrong, and altogether unconventional Olivia? Not only is Olivia betrothed to another man, but their improper - albeit intoxicating - flirtation makes her unsuitability all the more clear.

Determined to make a perfect match, he methodically cuts Olivia from his thoughts, allowing logic and duty to triumph over passion . . . until, in his darkest hour, Tarquin begins to question whetherperfection has anything to do with love. To win Olivia's hand he would have to give up all the beliefs he holds most dear, and surrender heart, body and soul - but it may already be too late.

This regency romance seeks to retell the fairytale The Princess and the Pea with fun, frolics and flamboyancy.  

The heroine is the voluptuous Olivia, not a skinny supermodel,  who is betrothed to a young man and has been since she was a child.  She has no need to be like her twin Georgiana, who is slender and mindful of her manners. Georgiana has been taught how to be a Duchess and now is the time to find her a Duke.

Tarquin, Duke of Sconce is the target, and it all looks quite promising, except for one thing. Tarquin only has eyes for Olivia.  So begins a chase that sees lots of flirting and some unusual meeting places, which I loved. 

Add into the mix an array of colourful supporting characters, look out for Lord Justin Fiebvre, and 

you have a ball.

I do enjoy Eloisa James novels and this one has to be my favourite so far.

Why?  

Could it be the fact that the characters just leap off the page?  The author's unique retelling of fairytales for adults?  The humour? The swashbuckling adventure?  

It is all of these things!

Pure fairytale fun! 

9/10 for me!

I received a review copy for my honest opinion.

Review - To Turn Full Circle - Linda Mitchelmore

Another winner from ChocLit publishers

• Publisher: Choc Lit (7 Jun 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-1906931728
• • Kindle edition from Publisher: Choc Lit (3 May 2012)
  • ASIN: B0080HDVO2

The blurb

Life in Devon in 1909 is hard and unforgiving, especially for young Emma Le Goff, whose mother and brother die in curious circumstances, leaving her totally alone in the world. While she grieves, her callous landlord Reuben Jago claims her home and belongings.
His son Seth is deeply attracted to Emma and sympathises with her desperate need to find out what really happened, but all his attempts to help only incur his father’s wrath. 
When mysterious fisherman Matthew Caunter comes to Emma’s rescue, Seth is jealous at what he sees and seeks solace in another woman. However, he finds that forgetting Emma is not as easy as he hoped.
Matthew is kind and charismatic, but handsome Seth is never far from Emma’s mind. Whatever twists and turns her life takes, it seems there is always something – or someone – missing.

Emma has fallen on tragic times, losing both her family and her childhood home.  Taken in by a neighbour who is not as trustworthy as the local doctor would expect, Emma flees as soon as she is strong enough to venture out on her own.


Emma makes her way back to the tied cottage she shared with her family to find that it is now being rented to a fisherman by the name of Matthew who is working for her father's former employer, Reuben Jago. 


So begins the moving story of Emma's struggle to come to terms with the loss of her family and be seen as a girl on verge of womanhood who can and will pick herself up and make a life for herself.


Emma is a strong willed character but her naivety as a young girl not quite 16 can and  gets her into situations she would prefer not to be.
   
Seth is sweet on Emma but he is from the wrong family, The Jago family. 
Matthew is the new fisherman who helps Emma, much to the jealousy of Seth.  Matthew is a mysterious character with some secrets. I do not want to say more on the characters for fear of spoiling it for others to get to know them, suffice to say I loved all three of these characters.


Oh, I loved this tale set in a fishing village in Devon in the early 1900's. I felt empathy for Emma as a young girl and admiration at her determination to survive and make a new life for herself. 


I was so engrossed in the novel  that I was worried the storyline would take the characters in directions I did not want to see them go. 


The storyline flowed easily and the writing was superb, one of those novels that makes me wish I could write.


This story would appeal to historical romance and saga fans.


5 out of 5 for me!


Review copy from ChocLit

Review - The Lady Most Likely - Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway

Now this novel is a little different.  Three historical romance authors have come together to write

The Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway

Photo by Heidi Ehalt.

photos courtesy of the publisher

• Publisher: Piatkus (3 May 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-0749957766
• Also available on Kindle

The blurb

Hugh Dunne, the Earl of Briarly, needs a wife - so his sister hands him a list of the very best young ladies on the market. And then, because he refuses to tear himself away from the stables where he trains Arabian racehorses, she invites all those ladies to a house party, along with some other bachelors, of course.

So who will Hugh choose? The Botticelli-esque, enchanting Gwendolyn? The outspoken, delightful Katherine? If he doesn't work fast, he'll lose those ladies to his closest friends, and then where will he look for a wife? Perhaps, just perhaps, toward a lady who's not on a market at all, and would require a great deal of persuading . . .

Fabulous!  A story in written in three parts by three well known Historical Romance authors.

Hugh has a brush with death that makes him revalue his life and decide it is time he settled down. Not an easy task when he spends most of his time in the stables with his prized racehorses.  

He asks his sister to write a list of eligible ladies, only to find that the season has ended and he has missed the boat or dance as the case may be.

His sister has the answer, a weekend house party inviting all the eligible ladies she has chosen a few men to even out the numbers.

Hugh is brilliant with horses but does not find it so easy to understand the ladies. As the ladies on the list as peeled off one by one but other bachelors at the party, Hugh decides he must find a match.  

He finds love with a lady not on the list and falls completely.  Will it work out?

This novel is brilliant. I was expecting a gentle regency romantic tale, which I do enjoy,  but this one can only be described as a regency rom-com.  It had me giggling away and could rival Bridget Jones any day.  

The weekend fun and frolics kept me entertained right to the very last page.  Such a shame the weekend came to an end.

I particularly enjoyed the surprise that Georgina found  with Hugh.  Naughty but very funny.

I understand there may be a sequel. I do hope so. :)

5 out of 5 for me!

Thank you Piatkus for a review copy.  This did not influence my review in any way

Review - The Beauty Chorus - Kate Lord Brown

• Publisher: Corvus (1 April 2011)
• ISBN-13: 978-1848878709
• Also available on Kindle

• 
  

The blurb (from Amazon)

New Year's Eve, 1940: Evie Chase, the beautiful debutante daughter of a rich and adoring RAF commander, listens wistfully to the swing music drifting out from the ballroom, unable to join in the fun. With bombs falling nightly in London, she is determined that the coming year will bring a lot more than dances, picnics and tennis matches. She is determined to make a difference to the war effort. 


5th January, 1941: Evie curses her fashionable heels as they skid on the frozen ground of her local airfield. She is here to join the ATA, the civilian pilots who ferry Tiger Moths and Spitfires to bases across war-torn Britain. 


Two other women wait nervously to join up: Stella Grainger, a forlorn young mother who has returned from Singapore without her baby boy and Megan Jones, an idealistic teenager who has never left her Welsh village. 


Billeted together in a tiny cottage in a sleepy country village, Evie, Stella and Megan must learn to live and work together. Brave, beautiful and fiercely independent, these women soon move beyond their different backgrounds as they find romance, confront loss, and forge friendships that will last a lifetime.

I was really looking forward to reading this novel as it is an era I do enjoy and I had discovered the ATA girls in another historical romance and wanted to read more.


Kate Lord Brown has written an absorbing story of 3 girls, from different backgrounds, brought together through their desire to help the war effort flying aeroplanes.


Evie has led a charmed life supported by Daddy and her step-mother.  Life in the ATA and sharing a cottage with 2 other girls, should be a shock to her, but she takes it all in her stride as the confident member of the group.


Stella, quieter and with a past that is not clear to begin with, has left her young son in the care of her in-laws to join up.  She is not forward in letting others know about how she came to be a single mother. 


Megan Jones has only ever known the family farm in Wales until now.


The story line is very engaging, the characters are larger than life and very easy to get on with.  There are some cameo roles from famous figures of that time.


I enjoyed the balance of not only the social and romance side of life for the girls but also the actual flying.  It was very interesting to read about the less glamorous side of being in the ATA, the often very dangerous flying missions.  These girls, some very young and never away from home before, were risking their lives ferrying aeroplanes around the country.


Fascinating insight into the ATA, a great read, and I am looking forward to reading The Perfume Garden next.


4.5 out of 5 for me!


review copy

Review - The Music in her Mind - Robert Gilkes

• 
  
• Publisher: Winged Lion Books (Mar 2012)
• ISBN-13: 978-0957095205

Kindle ASIN: B007NMEKFO

Photo Courtesy of publisher/agent

The Blurb

A historical novel set between 1939 and 1950, the Second World War and Stalins forced marches to Siberian labour camps. It is the story of a French Cellist and the love affair which kept her alive through the terrors of this time. 

  

Lara, a cellist and Alex's story begins before the war, when they meet in Paris and fall in love.  

During the last days of the  war Alex has to accept the surrender of Lara and her father and many more Cossacks.  They are reunited in these horrific circumstances at a POW camp.

Can Alex protect his love and her father from the same fate that the other prisoners face or will they be handed over to the Russians?

Alex is caught up in the double agent, double dealings and he has to make decisions to try to secure the release of Lara and her father.  The dramatic and sometimes unthinkable tension surrounding Lara's fate takes the reader right up until the last chapter.

I have read many WW2 historical romances, but none as passionate and at the same time so traumatic.  This beautiful love story is set in the most horrific of settings during WW2 - the labour camps. 

Robert Gilkes certainly knows how to write a passionate love story.

4 out of 5 for me!  I really enjoyed it!

Review copy

Review - Highland Storms - Christina Courtenay

Choclit and Christina Courtenay have done it again!  Another romantic adventure to satisfy historical romance readers.

• Publisher: Choc Lit (1 Nov 2011)
• ISBN-10: 1906931712
• ISBN-13: 978-1906931711
• Kindle ASIN: B00629ZK0I

The blurb

Who can you trust?

Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start. So he welcomes the opportunity to leave Sweden for the Scottish Highlands to take over the family estate. 

But there’s trouble afoot at Rosyth in 1754 and Brice finds himself unwelcome. The estate’s in ruin and money is disappearing. He discovers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?

Marsaili is determined to build a good life. She works hard at being a housekeeper and harder still at avoiding men who want to take advantage of her. But she’s irresistibly drawn to the new clan chief, even though he’s made it plain he doesn’t want to be shackled to anyone. 

And the young laird has more than romance on his mind. His investigations are stirring up an enemy. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants – including Marsaili – even if that means destroying Brice’s life forever …








Brice Kinross - even the name just oozes hero status - travels back to The Scottish Highlands from Sweden to claim his estate, Rosyth,  with his father  blessing.  The Jacobite family fled to Sweden during turbulent times, but now Killian is concerned that all is not well on the estate and it is time for his son, Brice, to take the reins.


Brice is such a strong man, kind and caring towards all of his townsfolk.  He is not happy to find his family estate in such conditions and sets about improving standards for all who live on the estate and make Roysth thrive again.


Mr Seton - Estate Manager at Rosyth. Mr Seton is not going to give Brice a warm welcome. In fact, he is going to be trouble for him and is not going to let anyone get in the way of his plans.  His sole control of the estate has seen the estate go into dis-repair and money troubles. 




Marsaili - the young housekeeper at Rosyth.  There is more to this young woman than her beauty and position in the household. She is not interested in the many suitors who try to win her over, but there is something about Brice.


I cannot forget to mention, Liath, another hero in this story.  Loyal and faithful. I don't want to give anymore away about him.




This is the second novel by Christina Courntenay that I have read so I had high expectations from Highland Storms. Christina did not disappoint.  She takes us back to 1754 in the remote Scottish Highlands, just as life is beginning to settle after the Jacobite uprising of 1745.  


I enjoyed seeing how Brice went about winning the trust and support of his townsfolk, and Marsaili, after years of neglect at the hands of Mr Seton.  


Plenty of romance and adventure in a remote location had me willing Brice to overcome the problems he faced.  


This is a sequel to Trade Winds but can be read as a stand alone adventure. 


Loved it!


5 out of 5!


Thank you to Choc-Lit for a review copy