Uncovering the Governess’s Secrets

I have received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

 

As always Marguerite Kaye has knocked it out of the park with her new novel Uncovering the Governess’s Secrets. It is not just a historical romance. It has themes of betrayal, dark pasts, hidden secrets and secret identities. For many authors and readers, a historical romance is a soft Jane Austenesque novel with balls and tea, but not this one. The novel follows Rory and Marianne as they navigate through what life has thrown at them in 19th Century Scotland. Marianne has escaped and is on the run while Rory is the one hired to find her. 

 

I really enjoyed this book and it is a different type of historical romance. It hits the gritty part of living in the poorer parts of Scotland in the 19th Century. Marianne’s plight is very reminiscent of the plight of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables which is a reason why I like this book so much. I felt Marianne being a governess was a really good way of characterising her as a lonely woman who was apart from the rest. I really liked the ages of 33 and 40 which allows them to have more backstory. 

 

Every so often the chapters jump back in time so the reader can see the events leading up to the time Rory and Marianne meet and see what happened to them. I liked because it made Marianne’s backstory more impactful as the reader can understand what she has done and what she has gone through. This is further shown in the first person narration which is a change to Kaye’s other works I’ve read but a welcome change as I like how the characters feel more real.

 

I loved the description of all the little places they visit throughout Scotland including the little fishing village. Theres a bit of something for everyone and will be one that I would read again and again.

The Remarried Empress Volumes 1 – 4

I came across The Remarried Empress purely by chance and have loved it from the beginning. The artwork for each of the pages is brilliantly done and the storyline is gripping. The front covers are so beautiful.

The Remarried Empress started off as a Korean Webtoon and was later translated into English (and possibly other languages although not sure) and published into volumes. It is a graphic novel set in a fictional kingdom which follows the rules of a 19thCentury court from European kingdoms. The rule of male primogeniture is still in force and the Empress must provide an heir (preferably male). Mistresses have been a thing for the previous Emperors and is the catalyst for the beginning of the story.

 

Empress Navier has known her husband the Emperor since they were children, and she was groomed to become his wife. She was taught everything an Empress of the kingdom needed to know but the only thing she has been unable to do is to get pregnant. Her husband, Sovieshu is considered a kind and brilliant Emperor and husband. That all changes when a slave girl called Rashta enters the kingdom. Sovieshu becomes enamoured with her and takes her as his mistress (the only mistress Sovieshu has had throughout his reign and marriage). As the course of the series progresses Navier is put into increasingly more awkward interactions with the Emperor and Rashta. Once Rashta finds out she’s pregnant Sovieshu knows his only way of legitimising the heir is to divorce Navier and to marry Rashta. 

 

The first graphic novel opens to Navier agreeing to the divorce but her only stipulation is that she gets to choose who she will marry next. This shocks the court and further adds surprise when her intended has turned up to watch the proceedings. Her choice, the Emperor to a neighbouring kingdom called Heinrey. The next following volumes are told as a flashback so the reader is aware of the events preceding the divorce.

The Remarried Empress is a great series to read. It can be read quite quickly as with most graphic novels. The character development is very good, and it makes you root for some and despise others. There is magic, love and backstabbing betrayals that come with courtly life.

1984 by George Orwell Review

The age old saying of history is written by the victors comes as no surprise to the extent it is seen in George Orwell’s novel 1984. The novel follows Winston Smith as he lives and works through the age of Big Brother. Big Brother is an organisation that has total control over what the people read and absorb throughout their day to day lives. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, a place where he and others like him change the “truth” to a more favourable viewing of Big Brother to society and the people. Newspapers and records are retroactively changed to reflect the importance of Big Brother. Posters with the eyes of Big Brother are watching everyone’s every move and the thought police are ready for any mistake that is made. People disappear, not just from their homes but from all records. When Winston starts to question the party he truly realises how in danger he is and how that can harm not only himself but anyone he cares about.

Orwell’s writing can still send shivers down your spine despite 1984 being published decades ago. When I finished it I just sat in silence for a few minutes to process what I had read.

What is felt by characters really comes through the page so the reader can feel the danger and the fear. It is very well written and gripping to the last word. Winston’s struggle between giving in to the regime and fighting for some semblance of freedom really hits to the core of any and every one. The fact that he seems to remember the family he lost so many years ago really hits home as he is the only one that will remember them and when he is gone there will be no one and nothing left to remember his family and what freedom they had.

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King Review Part 1

Full Dark, No Stars is a series of short stories by author Stephen King. This review is about the first two stories.

Each short story is thrilling and tense making you want to keep reading.

1922

1922 has a very “true crime” vibe that you would get from a podcast. It is set as a confession from farmer Wilfred Leland James. The reader goes back to the moment where Wilfred’s life goes wrong. 1922 has a supernatural feel to it as we have the dead “haunting” the living. Although it is only around 150 pages in length it really keeps you gripping wondering how Wilfred will cope with murdering his wife and how the escalation of events starting from the murder will come back and affect the lives of everyone around him.

Big Driver

Big Driver is a revenge fantasy story. It follows author Tess in the space of only a few days. Tess is raped and almost murdered coming back from an event. The reader sees Tess deciding to get revenge on those she feels caused her to get attacked. It makes the reader empathise with Tess as we question what we would do in her situation and the dark side of the reader that wonders if they would do the same.

Both stories follow the narrator after an event happens which takes them down a path that makes it a very dark and thrilling read. The rape in Big Driver can be hard to read so a warning if that is something that you would really have an issue with.

The other stories in the book are: Fair Extension and A Good Marriage. My copy also has the short story Under The Weather that was added to subsequent publications after the original editions were published which I will add to the next part of my review.

Bonnets at Dawn podcast review

Bonnets at Dawn is a podcast that started in 2017 and looked at the lives and works of authors Jane Austen, Anne, Emily and Charlotte Bronte. Over the last six years the hosts, Hannah Chapman and Lauren Burke, have brought female authors who may have not been as well known as their male counterparts or who may have been forgotten by history front and centre.

Burke and Chapman discuss the writings and lives of women writers of the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They also do episodes on poetry, literary house tours, read alongs and ghost stories.

The hosts have a natural flow with their subjects and they have great chemistry. Each episode has a great combination of humour and facts. The podcast has lots of interesting guests who bring their knowledge and opinions to the subjects which adds a different take on the work that they are discussing.

Each episode is enjoyable and great to listen to. They are filled with interesting facts and the hosts leaves one thinking more about what they have listened to and feeling positive from the jokes and humour.

Snow White with the Red Hair Volumes 1-6 by Sorata Akiduki

Snow White with the Red Hair is a manga series which shows the adventures of a red headed herbalist called Shirayuki, Prince Zen the second prince of the kingdom of Clarines, Zen’s aides called Kiki and Mitsuhide and Obi who is Zen’s royal messenger.

The series starts with Shirayuki running away from her home kingdom of Tanbarun because she has received the unwanted summons to become the concubine to Tanbarun’s Crown Prince Raj. She meets Prince Zen and after a failed poisoning they start their adventure together.

In some fairytale inspired stories, the heroine is rescued by a love interest. Although Snow White with the Red Hair has a romance between Shirayuki and Zen it is not the main focal point of the series. Both Shirayuki and Zen want to grow and develop as individual people before they progress with their relationship. Zen wants to become a prince that his brother Crown Prince Izana and the people of Clarines can be proud of. Shirayuki wants to develop and expand her knowledge of herbalism and to become a court herbalist. This is quite a nice refreshing look as Akiduki takes the time to flesh out the characters and doesn’t make the relationship their only character trait.

This series has a strong female lead who decided that instead of being a concubine to a pampered prince, she would leave behind the kingdom that she has known and loved to discover who she can become using her own skills and determination.

As of writing this review there are currently 25 volumes that have been released which means there are plenty of adventures to get stuck in.

A Manhattan Heiress in Paris

I have been given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Manhattan Heiress in Paris is a romance set in 1920’s New York and Paris. It centers on the relationship between Elizabeth “Eliza” Van Hoeven and Jack Coleman. Eliza is a young white woman from one of New York’s finest families and Jack is a young black man from Harlem. They both bond over their love of music. Eliza plays the piano and Jack plays the trumpet.

The references to jazz music and how it makes the characters feel was a nice addition to a story about love, freedom and how music can unite people.

There are visits throughout the book by Ernest Hemingway, F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Gerald and Sara Murphy. This is a fun nod to how Paris after the First World War was inhabited by influential artists of the time.

As race is a running theme throughout the novel it highlights the struggles that people of colour faced at that time and still face today. The swoon worthy moments of Eliza and Jack’s relationship such as the picnics they have, which is just the two of them enjoying life and being together, doesn’t ignore the proverbial elephant in the room and how they will try and be together at all costs.

A Manhattan Heiress in Paris is a beautiful story on how mutual interests and love can not change who you are or where you are from but it can make the world a happier place.

A Courtesan’s Worth by Felicity George

I received a copy of A Courtesan’s Worth in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book in The Gentleman of London series.

In many historical romances the courtesan/mistress characters are usually pushed to the side and are secondary characters. In A Courtesan’s Worth courtesan Kitty Preece takes center stage.

Kitty is the favoured courtesan of the gentlemen of the ton. One man who has loved Kitty from afar and for years is curate Sidney Wakefield.

Sidney is not wealthy and dreams of being a writer. I really liked how Kitty and Sidney had a great friendship in the years preceding the novel.

As Kitty is on the outside of society she can say and do things that would not be considered proper for the ladies of the ton. This leads to some funny conversations with other characters.

This was a fun book to read and it is great to see the characters develop more with each book in the series. Looking forward to the next one.

His Runaway Marchioness Returns by Marguerite Kaye

I received a copy of His Runaway Marchioness Returns in exchange for an honest review.

Having read and loved a lot of Marguerite Kaye’s books I was ecstatic to receive this.

His Runaway Marchioness Returns is an enjoyable and entertaining read. It involves Oliver, the newly made Marquess of Rashfield who just wants to stay a business man, his estranged wife Lily and the inheritance that brings them back together after so many years apart.

I really loved the descriptions of the scenery and of Lily’s clothes. My favourite description was the silk gown Lily wore when Oliver sees her for the first time after being apart for so long.

I really liked the small sprinkle of French words which really added to Lily’s character.

There were many laugh out loud moments especially during the verbal sparring between Oliver and Lily.

Overall it was a really good book, the characters were fleshed out and it was very enjoyable to read.

A Lady’s Risk by Felicity George

I have been given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Margaret Fairchild (Meggy) and her two siblings are forced to leave their home and be under the guardianship of Lord Nicholas Holbrook. Despite Meggy and Nicholas butting heads a lot they need to work together in order for Meggie to find a suitable husband. As the family fortunes have dwindled Meggie must do what she needs to do and quickly. What follows is a lot of humour, sadness and understanding.

 

I have really enjoyed reading this book and I am looking forward to the next book by Felicity George coming out soon. I liked the characters especially Meggie. She has a strong will that could disarm anyone and intelligence which makes her vital when everything seems to be going wrong. The book has some really lovely vivid descriptions of the countryside and the surrounding areas.

 

The story flows very well and it is nice to get the thoughts and feelings of both Meggie and Nicholas instead of trying to guess what one is thinking and feeling. It is an easy calming read and one that makes you want to go back again and again.