The Miller's Bride by Liz Harris - #bookextract #bookexcerpt #blogtour

I am thrilled to be bringing you an excerpt from this book today. The Miller's Bride by Liz Harris is set in Scotland during the 1880's and looks like a great read for historical fiction fans.

The Blurb

When independence comes at a price...

Scotland, 1885

Gracie McLeod’s life changes overnight when her father sells the family grocer’s shop and moves the family from their Highland village to a distant fishing town. But Gracie refuses to follow.

Desperate to maintain her independence, she reluctantly agrees to an arranged marriage to Angus MacKenzie – a stranger who makes it clear he doesn’t want her, and who is in love with another woman. When Gracie arrives at the mill she now must call home, she finds herself entangled in a web of deceit and ambition. Unknown to her, Angus’s cousin is plotting to take over the mill and destroy her marriage from within, and he’s enlisted Angus’s former lover to help him.

As secrets and sabotage threaten to ruin everything Gracie has tried to build, she must decide whether to fight for a life she never wanted – or walk away with nothing.

A sweeping, emotionally rich saga about betrayal, resilience, and a woman brave enough to demand more.

The Extract

Chapter One

Callentoon, Scotland, April 1885

‘Absolutely not!’ Grace McLeod stood in the parlour facing her parents, her grey eyes blazing. ‘You can’t make me.’

Hamish McLeod, upright in his favourite high-backed chair at the side of the small black grate, took the pipe from his mouth and shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, hen, but that’s the way it has to be. Fergus McCulloch has offered what’s a fair price for the grocery shop in the circumstances, and I’ve accepted it.’

Grace gave an audible gasp.

‘Ever since your mother wrote to your uncle that times were getting harder,’ her father continued, ‘your uncle’s been pestering us to move to Portweem. And when he told your mother in his last letter that their local grocery store was up for sale, I knew the time had come.’

‘Your father’s no choice, hen,’ her mother said. She took a letter from the table next to her and put it on her lap. Then she settled back in the chair on the opposite side of the grate from her husband. ‘You know the shop’s been struggling for years.’

‘That doesn’t mean we have to go and live next door to Uncle Malcolm! You know how much he hates me. That time we stayed with him, he was always complaining about me, criticising everything I did. Criticising everything everyone in his family did. I know he’s your brother, Da, but he’s a bully. We’d have to answer to him for everything, and you know it.’

‘That won’t happen,’ her mother said firmly. ‘But I admit he didn’t seem to take to you, hen. You must agree, though, you can be outspoken at times. Even as a little girl that was true. Da and I have encouraged you to think for yourself, and to say what you think, but I’m not sure your uncle takes the same approach.’

‘You know he doesn’t, Mam. Cousin Sarah is scared of him. You can tell that from her letters. So in addition to living next door to a tyrant, we’d be stuck in a small fishing village miles from anywhere,’ Grace snapped. ‘Everyone there will smell of fish. It’s a smell I loathe, and it lingers. There’d be gutted fish everywhere and piles of nets wherever you turned. I can’t think of a place I want to be less than that. I’m not going, and you can’t make me.’

Her sister looked up from her seat in front of the sewing table under the window. ‘Uncle will have probably changed since then. He could have mellowed over the years.’

‘There’s no sign of that in Sarah’s letters. But anyway, what you say doesn’t count, Eliza,’ Grace said sharply. ‘All you care about is sewing. You’ve no intention of staying in Portweem for long, and you know it. As soon as you can, you’ll move to a large town and start your own business. So where we go isn’t as important to you as it is to me.’

Eliza shrugged. ‘You can never be sure of what the future holds.’

‘Well, like most people, I hope it holds a wedding for me, but not with a fisherman! All a fisherman would be able to talk about is the latest herring catch.’ She shuddered. ‘I can’t think of anything worse. It’s just not for me.’

‘Well, it is for your mother and me,’ her father said with a note of finality. ‘You’ve helped in the shop for long enough to know that we’re not getting the number of customers we used to, not since the price of cattle started falling some years ago, and large sheep farms needing fewer workers began to replace them. People are leaving the area every day.’

‘I know that,’ she said sullenly.

‘And you also know that the potato blight hit the crofting communities so hard that a lot of crofters have been leaving, too,’ her father went on. ‘People just aren’t as attached to their land in the way their forefathers were and they’re going further south to the new towns and villages nearer the borders, where there’re lots of new industries. They know they’ll find work there. We’re doing the same. The herring industry is booming, so we’re going to Portweem.’

Grace folded her arms and glared mutinously at her parents. ‘I’m not. I’m staying in Callentoon.’

‘You can’t stay here without us,’ her mother said firmly. She picked up the letter in her lap and cleared her throat. ‘But luckily you’ve an alternative.’

Grace frowned at her. ‘What alternative? What’re you talking about?’

Martha McLeod shifted her position to face her daughter. ‘You know I’ve always kept in touch with my school friend Ellen ever since she moved away to marry the miller in Alltburn. It’s too far for us to visit each other, so we’ve had to make do with writing. Well, in the last letter I wrote to Ellen, I told her that when we’d sold the shop, we’d be moving to the fishing village where your uncle lived, and I said that whenever the subject had come up, you’d been very against going there.’

‘Aye, and I still am.’

Martha held up the letter. ‘This is from Douglas MacKenzie, Ellen’s husband. It contains the very upsetting news that Ellen has died. My letter arrived after her death, and he read it. When he learnt that you were reluctant to live in a fishing village, it gave him an idea.’

Grace’s brow creased. ‘An idea about what?’

‘About what you could do, hen. From everything he’d heard about you over the years, he’s certain he’d like you, and he suggested you marry his son, Angus. Ellen and Douglas were married for several years before I wed your father, and Angus is a few years older than you.’

‘What!’ Grace exclaimed. Laughing dismissively, she looked from her mother to her father and back again to her mother. At the sight of her mother’s expression, her laughter died away.

‘Think about Douglas’s proposal,’ Martha said quietly. ‘Moving to Alltburn Mill would solve the problem of you not wanting to come with us to Portweem.’

‘It’s a rather extreme way of doing that, don’t you think?’ Grace retorted.

‘That may be,’ her mother said. ‘But think carefully about what you really want. You say you want to stay here, but do you? Callentoon is getting smaller all the time. A lot of the men you might have married have moved away, and the ones pursuing you don’t interest you. But you do want to marry. You’re not like Eliza who’s always wanted to have her own dress shop. While you’ve helped your father enough to know how to run a shop, you’ve never indicated any desire to do so. Isn’t it going to Portweem that’s the problem, not leaving Callentoon?’

For a long moment, Grace stared at her mother without speaking. ‘What’s wrong with this Angus that he can’t find someone for himself?’ she asked at last.

Her mother gave a slight cough. ‘Actually, he thinks he has done. He’s been seeing a totally unsuitable girl, a Jessie Wilson, and he’s told Douglas that he wants to marry her. 

Douglas dislikes the girl intensely, and won’t have her near the mill. So if you marry Angus, it would help Douglas as well as you.’

‘That’s hardly the most important consideration for me,’ she said, close to tears of despair.

‘I know, hen,’ her mother said quietly. ‘But isn’t having a house of your own an important consideration? Douglas and Angus live in one of the cottages by the mill. He’s got a housekeeper who’s been with him and Ellen for years. He wrote that Angus will move into the cottage next to his when he marries.’

‘Angus should be allowed to marry whoever he wants, not who Douglas wants,’ Grace said sulkily.

‘With Angus and his wife living so close to Douglas, what Douglas wants does matter, hence him making the suggestion he did. And it’s not such an unusual thing to suggest – parents often find the husband or wife for their child. If you marry Angus, you’ll not only have your own home, but also the security of the mill. Angus is the only son. It’s the ideal solution.’

‘For Douglas, maybe, but not for me. I’d be a housekeeper to someone who’s in love with someone else. I want more for myself than that.’

‘Angus might be very good-looking,’ Eliza said with a sly smile.

‘And he might resemble a short fat bulldog,’ Grace sharply countered. ‘I’m not going to take that chance.’

‘Then you must go into domestic service,’ her father said firmly. ‘If you’re determined to stay in Callentoon, it’s the only way you can do so.’

‘Never!’ Grace exclaimed. ‘If I was someone’s servant, I’d lose all my freedom. I could be living anywhere as I’d seldom be allowed outside the house. Even a housekeeper has more freedom than that.’

Hamish McLeod stood up. ‘You’ve a choice, lassie. Go into domestic service with one of the local families, move with us to Portweem, or marry Angus. Think about it overnight and tell your mother and me your decision tomorrow.’

‘There’s no point in waiting,’ Grace said sullenly. ‘I haven’t really got a choice, have I? I’ll have to marry the man, no matter how ghastly he is.’

Turning, she burst into tears and ran out of the room.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1807031183

Publisher:  Boldwood Books  

Formats: e-book, audio, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  312 (paperback)

Series:  Book 1 in the House of McLeod series

Purchase Links

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Liz Harris is an award-winning author of 28 novels, including emotional and heartwarming sagas that are perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Rosie Goodwin, Rachel Brimble and AnneMarie Brear. 

Her latest series of sagas, The House of McLeod, is set in Scotland in the 1880s, and was a joy to research for someone who loves to travel, as Liz does, as it involved Liz going up to beautiful Scotland for several weeks and staying in Central Scotland, Fife and Edinburgh, where the three books are set. 

After graduating in Law in the UK, Liz moved to California where she led a varied life - from cocktail waitressing on Sunset Strip to secretary to the CEO of a large Japanese trading company. Upon returning to England, she completed a degree in English and then taught in a secondary school for a number of years before developing her writing career. 

Liz now lives in Windsor, Berkshire. Her two sons have fled the nest, and now have families of their own. In what free time she has, which isn't much, she loves to travel, go to the theatre and cinema, do cryptic crosswords, and above all, to lose herself in a novel!

You can also find Liz at:

Author Website

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Instagram

Bluesky

Other Blog Posts Featuring Sagas

Dark Secrets on Dressmakers' Alley by Rosie Clarke

Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

Troubled Times for Tilly by Kay Seeley

The Market Girls of Petticoat Lane by Patricia McBride

Heartache on West India Dock Road by Renita D'Silva

(media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Tailored Truths by Nancy Jardine - #bookreview #blogtour

The Blurb

Is self-supporting success enough for Margaret Law or will her future also include an adoring husband and children? She might secretly yearn for that though how can she avoid a repeat of relationship deceptions that disenchanted her so much during her teenage years?

Employment as a lady’s maid, and then as a private tutor in Liverpool in the 1860s bring thrilling opportunities Margaret could never have envisaged. Though when those posts end, her educational aspirations must be shelved again. Reliance on her sewing skills is paramount for survival when she returns to Dundee.

Meeting Sandy Watson means love, marriage and starting a family - though not necessarily in that order – are a striking development though it entails a move north to Peterhead. Yet, how can Margaret shed her fear of commitment and her independence and take the plunge?

Jessie, her sister-at-heart, is settled in Glasgow. Frequent letters are a life-line between them but when it all goes horribly wrong, the contents of Margaret’s correspondence don’t necessarily mirror her awful day-to-day realities.

My Review

Although this is the second book in the series, there is sufficient reference to the first book to make this one work perfectly as a standalone.

This book features Margaret as the main character.  We read of how she fights to keep her head above water - working in various jobs from tutoring, to being a lady's maid/companion and even sack sewing. However, her skills enable her to move up in the world to a leadership role in a factory.

Her search for employment highlights how women were viewed during the period in which the book is set. It was very hard for a woman to make much of herself, as all the opportunities to grow were only available to men. Through this, the author demonstrated the role of women at the time and how they were considered by Victorian society.

Margaret was an excellent character. She is a hard-working young woman with a strong character, which enabled her to survive in difficult situations.

The author immerses the reader in the time and place. She has exhaustively researched the time period and, therefore, immerses the reader in the book. I almost felt like I was there.

It is a dialogue-led book, which served to move the story along at an appropriate pace for the genre. It made for easy and engaging reading.

I enjoyed this book very much, and am looking forward to the next book in the series already.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1739696443

Publisher:  Nancy Jardine with Ocelot Press

Formats:  e-book and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  468 (paperback)

Series:  Book 2 in the Silver Sampler Series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Nancy Jardine writes historical adventure fiction, historical saga, time travel historical adventure and contemporary mysteries. Research, grandchildren, gardening fill up her day in the castle country of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, when not writing or promoting her writing. Interacting with readers is a joy at Book and Craft Fairs where she signs/sells paperback versions of her novels. She enjoys giving author presentations on her books and on Ancient Roman Scotland.

Memberships include: Historical Novel Society; Scottish Association of Writers, Federation of Writers Scotland, Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Alliance of Independent Authors. She’s self-published with Ocelot Press.

You can also find Nancy at:

Author Website

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Instagram

Bluesky

Pinterest

(ARC and media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

The Standing Stone on the Moor by Allie Cresswell - #bookreview #blogtour

Yorkshire 1845 - The moor was vast and largely impassable - an expanse of black bogs, impenetrable undergrowth and dense woody swathes of small tufted shrubs...

***

The Blurb

Yorkshire, 1845.

Folklore whispers that they used to burn witches at the standing stone on the moor. When the wind is easterly, it wails a strange lament. History declares it was placed as a marker, visible for miles—a signpost for the lost, directing them towards home.

Forced from their homeland by the potato famine, a group of itinerant Irish refugees sets up camp by the stone. They are met with suspicion by the locals, branded as ‘thieves and ne’er-do-wells.’ Only Beth Harlish takes pity on them, and finds herself instantly attracted to Ruairi, their charismatic leader.

Beth is the steward of nearby manor Tall Chimneys—a thankless task as the owners never visit. An educated young woman, Beth feels restless, like she doesn’t belong. But somehow ‘home’—the old house, the moor and the standing stone—exerts an uncanny magnetism. Thus Ruairi’s great sacrifice—deserting his beloved Irish homestead to save his family—resonates strongly with her.

Could she leave her home to be with him? Will he even ask her to?

As she struggles with her feelings, things take a sinister turn. The peaceable village is threatened by shrouded men crossing the moor at night, smuggling contraband from the coast. Worse, the exotic dancing of a sultry-eyed Irishwoman has local men in a feverish grip. Their womenfolk begin to mutter about spells and witchcraft. And burning.

The Irish refugees must move on, and quickly. Will Beth choose an itinerant life with Ruairi? Or will the power of ‘home’ be too strong? 

My Review

This was an excellent read, and I enjoyed every minute that I invested in reading it.

Although this is the third book in the Talbot series, it is something of a prequel to the rest of the books. It also worked perfectly well as a standalone novel, and it has definitely inspired me to read the others in the series.

Set in Yorkshire in 1845, the author has done an excellent job in conjuring up the atmosphere of the Yorkshire Moors. I could almost feel the wind howl against my face and the snow beneath my feet.

The main character, Beth, has been wonderfully well portrayed. She is a multi-faceted character who knows her own mind and lives life on her own terms, in as much as she could within the restrictions of a Victorian society. She has many decisions that she has to make throughout the story, and she does so with kindness and compassion for others on every occasion.

There is a large cast of characters in this book, but at no point in my reading did I find it difficult to keep track of who was who. In fact, there is a list of characters at the beginning of the book, but I did not need to refer to this. Each of the characters are portrayed in a genuine way, and they were utterly believable.

The book reminded me of reading the classics, partly perhaps because of the location where Emily Bronte based her book, Wuthering Heights. However, this is far from a retelling of another book. What it provides is a story that has plenty of interest, a variety of characters, and a strong plot. I'm not sure that as readers we ever want more than that from our fiction.

I was absolutely engrossed in this book. When I was away from my reading of it, it definitely had the ability to pull me back. I kept wondering what was happening in Beth's life. For me, that is the sign of an outstanding book - one that nags away at me to get back to it as quickly as possible.

The author is a great storyteller and conveyed her story in a way that was engaging throughout. This was a wonderful book, and now I cannot wait to read some of the others in the series.

Book Details

ISBN: 978 1739469979

Publisher: Allie Cresswell Ltd

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages: 531 (paperback)

Series: Book 3 of the Talbot Saga (can be read as a standalone)

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Allie has been writing fiction since she could hold a pencil. She has a BA and an MA in English Literature, specialising in the classics of the nineteenth century.

She has been a print-buyer, a pub landlady, a bookkeeper and the owner of a group of boutique holiday cottage but nowadays she writes full time.

She has two grownup children, five grandchildren and two cockapoos but just one husband, Tim. They live in the remote northwest of the UK.

The Standing Stone on the Moor is her sixteenth novel. 

You can also find Allie at:

Author Website

Instagram

(ARC and media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Troubled Times for Tilly by Kay Seeley - #bookreview #blogtour

 

Fierce fury burned inside Tilly, stealing her breath. She couldn't believe what she was hearing...

***

The Blurb

A gripping saga of courage, resilience and fractured dreams, set in Victorian London.

Life on the river has never been easy for Tilly and Sam, but through hard work and determination, they’ve built a home filled with love. Joey, Tilly’s eldest son, has lived between two worlds—cherished as her child but granted privileges, denied to her other children, through his wealthy birth father’s family. It’s a fine balance that has always held… until an incident at a glittering Celebration Ball shatters the fragile harmony.

Tilly fears the consequences, especially when her spirited, headstrong daughter Martha is involved. Martha has ideas of her own. How will she fare when she faces Joey’s entitled friends and their easy lives?

Disaster strikes Sam’s business, shaking the family’s foundation. Tilly’s worst fears come to life when Joey’s affluent relatives start making plans to reclaim him. Tilly is torn between fighting for her son and respecting his dreams.

As old wounds reopen and new temptations arise, Tilly must summon all her strength to keep her family together. But will love and loyalty be enough, or will the promise of wealth and comfort lure her children away forever?

My Review

Before I even begin my review, there is a giveaway of this book which you can enter by scrolling to the bottom of this post.

Troubled Times for Tilly is set in Victorian London, and the author does a great job of conveying the atmosphere of the time and place alive on the page. I had a tangible feel for life working on the river for these characters.

The main character, Tilly is married to Sam. They have several children together, but the focus is on their daughter Martha. She is a strong minded and determined young woman whom Tilly is trying to gently guide. Sam is not Joey's biological father who is wealthy, and Tilly fears his family might cause trouble for them.

What I most loved about Tilly is how she resonated with me. Readers who are parents will recognise her feelings as her children are growing up and developing lives of their own.  She is a character as recognisable in the twenty first century as she was in the nineteenth when this book is set, and she is a relevant character to modern readers.

In fact, all of the characters came alive on the page, and Ms. Seeley has done an excellent job with them. She tells her story well and it made for easy and enjoyable reading.

The book is being published tomorrow. This is the second book in the The Water Gypsy series. The first book is The Water Gypsy which introduces Tilly. However, I had not read this and found that Troubled Times for Tilly works perfectly well as a standalone.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win a copy of this book. Good Luck!

Preorder Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author:

Kay Seeley is a talented storyteller and bestselling author. Her short stories have been published in women’s magazines and short-listed in competitions. Her novels had been finalists in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. She lives in London and loves its history. Her stories are well researched and beautifully written with compelling characters where love triumphs over adversity.  Kay writes stories that will capture your heart and leave you wanting more. Often heart-wrenching but always satisfyingly uplifting, her books are perfect for fans of Anna Jacobs, Lesley Pearse and Josephine Cox. 

Kay is a Member of The Alliance of Indie Authors and The Society of Women Writers and Journalists. 

All her novels are available for Kindle, in paperback, audio and in Large Print.

You can also find Kay at:

Author Website

Twitter / X

Instagram

Giveaway*

Giveaway to Win 3 x paperback copies of Troubled Times for Tilly by Kay Seeley (Open to UK only)

To enter please click on the Giveaway button below. Good Luck!

GIVEAWAY

*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  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. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  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.

(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources's)

(all opinions are my own)

Nocturne With Gaslamps by Matthew Francis - #blogtour #spotlight

 

Hello. I am back from my summer break today and am delighted to be starting my return with a spotlight of Nocturne With Gaslamps by author Matthew Francis.  It is a historical crime fiction novel set in Victorian London’s gaslit theatre scene, where ghosts lurk in the shadows and murder takes centre stage. It is due for release on 5th September.

The Blurb

Gaslight. Ghosts. Murder.

Hastings Wimbury has always dreamt of playing Hamlet, but for now he works as a theatre gas-boy. Here, he tends to a gas chandelier so powerful it creates its own weather, and limelight machines that can throw a shadow onto a wall ten miles away.

When Hastings suddenly disappears, his fiancée Flora sets out to find him with the help of Cassie, her rival in love who is more preoccupied with the ghosts terrorising the streets of London. Soon total darkness is imposed upon the city, and they realise that something far more sinister is at hand…

Ladies aren’t supposed to solve mysteries, but this is a matter of life and death.

ISBN: 978 1915584236

Publisher:  Neem Tree Press

Formats: e-book and paperback

No. of Pages:  224

About the Author:

Matthew Francis is Professor Emeritus in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University. He read English at Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He writes novels, short stories, and poetry collections. He has won the TLS / Blackwell's Prize for Poetry and the Southern Arts Literature Prize, and been shortlisted twice for the Forward Prize, twice for the Welsh Book of the Year Award and once for the Ted Hughes Award. In 2004, he was chosen as one of the Next Generation Poets. He is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy. Matthew lives with this wife in Aberystwyth, Wales where he enjoys playing chess, cooking and playing the ukulele.

(all media courtesy of The Write Reads)

(all opinions are my own)

Under a Cloud by Luv Lubker - #excerpt #extract #blogtour

 

Today I am bringing you an exerpt from Under a Cloud by Luv Lubker, as part of the blog tour. It is the second part in the Rival Courts series. 

But first... a little about the book. Happy reading!

The Blurb

Vicky's father, Albert, the Prince Consort, has just died, leaving her and her family under a heavy cloud of grief, without their dearest friend and advisor, at a most critical time: The political horizon grows dark with storm clouds at the entry of Bismarck to Germany's political stage in 1862.

Will Fritz's courage stand the test as he confronts the spider in its web? Is Prussia really fighting for the rights of the Schleswig people, or is so much blood being shed for the sake of Prussia's aggrandizement?

Join Vicky and Fritz on their journeys under the blue cloudless skies of the Mediterranean to the peaceful heather-clad hills of the Highlands of Scotland; to the burning heat of the North African desert to the raging blizzards of a winter war in Denmark.

When Vicky's closest friend disappears, will she be able to keep the secret? Will old enemies prove to be friends, and old friends prove to be enemies?

ISBN: 978 1962465434

Publisher:  Historium Press

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  318 (paperback)

The Excerpt

“Meine Herren,” Fritz began, his voice shaking slightly, “Winter, I thank you for welcoming me and my wife here.” He paused, taking another deep breath, his voice growing steadier as he went on. “I, too, was deeply astonished and grieved at the news of the Press rescript. It occurred after my departure from Berlin, as did the appointment of my Royal uncle, Prince Karl, as Statthalter. I certainly have had nothing to do with the Press rescript, and would never have left Berlin if I knew a Regency was in question. I have not refused the position; I did not know that these particular actions were in contemplation.”

He paused, gazing out at the crowd. There had been moments of applause, but he hadn’t paused for them. Vicky sensed that he felt he needed to speak his mind fully, before pausing and possibly losing his nerve.

“This is all the doing of Prince Karl, and of Bismarck!” he called. The crowd hissed, and cheered as he went on, “I will do what I can to uphold the people’s rights, and to bring Germany together through moral conquests.”

Vicky saw that he went on; his mouth moved in speech, but the cheers were deafening this time.

“I deplore this conflict within my country, but I must urge everyone to trust the generous intentions of our King, my Royal father, for he, too, truly intends to foster the right and the good for the country, though he often accepts false advice.”

Fritz nodded, shaking Winter’s hand again, and returned to his seat at Vicky’s side.

Winter returned to the dais, smiling and bowing to them again. “I must thank your Royal Highnesses for gracing our hall with your presence. Three cheers for the Crown Prince!”

The crowd rose, cheering loudly.

“And three for the Crown Princess!”

The cheers were repeated.

“And three for our King!”

The cheers were repeated again, but half-heartedly, with several hisses as well.

“And three for the well-being of our country!”

The crowd rose again, cheering wildly.  

Vicky heard cries of “Hoch lebe der Kronprinz!”, “King Friedrich!” and “Down with Bismarck!”

About the Author:

Luv Lubker has lived in the Victorian era half her life, making friends with the Brontë sisters and the extended family of Queen Victoria. Now she knows them quite as well as her own family.

Born in a cattle trough in the Appalachian mountains, Luv lives in Texas – when she comes to the modern world.

When she isn't living in the Victorian era, she enjoys being with her family; making and eating delicious raw food, riding her bike (which she only learned to ride at 25, though she has ridden a unicycle since she was 7), and watching animals – the passion of her childhood.

(all media courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Novice Threads by Nancy Jardine - #guestpost #blogtour

 

Today I am delighted to welcome author, Nancy Jardine, onto the blog. Nancy is the author of the Celtic Fervour series. Novice Threads is the first in the brand new Silver Sampler series, and I cannot wait to hear what Nancy is going to tell us about this book.

However, first is the blurb, to give you a flavour of what this book is about.

The Blurb

1840s Scotland

Being sent to school is the most exhilarating thing that’s ever happened to young Margaret Law. She sharpens her newly-acquired education on her best friend, Jessie Morison, till Jessie is spirited away to become a scullery maid. But how can Margaret fulfil her visions of becoming a schoolteacher when her parents’ tailoring and drapery business suddenly collapses and she must find a job?

Salvation from domestic drudgery – or never-ending seamstress work – comes via Jessie whose employer seeks a tutor for his daughter. Free time exploring Edinburgh with Jessie is great fun, but increasing tension in the household claws at Margaret’s nerves. 

Margaret also worries about her parents' estrangement, and the mystery of Jessie's unknown father.

When tragedy befalls the household in Edinburgh, Margaret must forge a new pathway for the future – though where will that be?

***

Welcome to the blog Nancy. Your new book looks so interesting.

The Big City.

Novice Threads doesn’t begin in a big city but it does end in one.

In the beginning chapters, we find my main character Margaret Law growing up in a small rural town called Milnathort, in Kinross Shire in central Scotland. At the grand age of five years old in 1844, Margaret has no real concept of what the difference is between a wee town of five main streets and a big city. Few rural people travelled outside the environment where they were born. Some exceptions might be farmworker families who moved to where the harvests were, or to a new farm location after a ‘feeing’market where they picked up employment for a fixed duration like six months, or more likely one year. Millworkers stayed locally, as did people who ran the local businesses, the leases for premises often passed down through the generations. Those who did move away might have gained work in the city factories or be women who moved away when they married. A sense of distance, and what lies beyond, just wasn’t the same as it is today.

Margaret, being an inquisitive child, and her best buddy Jessie venture forth deep into the countryside

beyond Milnathort, or they go along a different route to the shores of Loch Leven. For them it’s ahuge adventure but the little saunter to the ancient well and standing stones is actually less than two miles, and reaching the pebbly shores of Loch Leven is achievable in less than one mile, if they skirt the borders of the reclaimed fields at the edge of the lochside. Of course if they want to venture far enough to see the small island castle on Loch Leven where Mary Queen of Scots was incarcerated for years, they would have to head south for around two miles. But on a sunny summer day what’s four miles when you only realise your short legs are tired on the trek home!

Not all children in Milnathort would bother about leaving the five main streets of the town but Margaret and Jessie are different. Neither have any siblings to cling to their coat-tails, and they find plenty of time to wander about. Margaret’s mother doesn’t like her around her feet when working in the family draper’s shop and just expects her to return home when hunger says it’s close to tea-time. Jessie, a little older at nearly six, does chores for her grandmother and her mother but she still has freedom to explore.

It’s only after she’s sent to school at the age of five that Margaret begins to learn about life beyond the handful of miles around Milnathort. The capital city of Edinburgh seems very far away. It’s actually only about forty miles, but that’s where Jessie is sent to when she’s orphaned just after her eleventh birthday.

Thankfully, there’s a good ‘Penny’ postal service operating so Margaret and Jessie keep in touch by letters. Jessie, as a scullery maid, h as little free time but when she does have her every fourth-Sunday half-day off, she wanders around the city centre of Edinburgh. Jessie’s place of employment in Albany Street is only a few streets away from the main thoroughfare of Princes Street which sits below Edinburgh Castle. Reading about Jessie’s little meanders makes Margaret envious of working in the big city!

When disaster strikes, and Margaret’s parents’ business collapses, she must find a job. Her lovely‘almost-sister’ Jessie recommends Margaret to her employer who is looking for someone to teach his disabled daughter to read. For Margaret, tutoring the Duncan daughter is a great alternative to training to be a schoolteacher, which is now out of the question.

Thank you so much for being my guest today. Your new book looks great.

(all media and guest post content courtesy of The Coffee Pot Book Club)

(all opinions are my own)

Whitechapel Autumn of Error by Ian Porter - #bookreview #blogtour

 Many of the women employed in the world's oldest profession were part-timers, spending much of their lives earning a pittance for long hours of tortuous work in other industries. Some attempted to live a double life of apparent respectability, keeping their night work a secret.

Maud Nash was such a woman...

***

Whitechapel 1888; a killer is on the loose and the newspapers are ensuring the nation knows all about not just the crimes but the terrible living conditions in which they are being perpetrated.

Nashey, a tough, scary yet charismatic man of the night, whose mother had to prostitute herself when he was a boy, knows the identity of the killer but keeps it a secret. He believes the publicity generated by the murders is forcing the authorities to address the poverty and degradation in the area. He allows the killer to remain free (whilst ensuring no more women are attacked) so the unsolved murders continue to dominate the headlines. He meets Sookey, an eccentric middle-class slummer and civilising influence. The two of them share a mutual friend, Mary Kelly, a fiery young prostitute whose back-story tells of how she was reduced to such a life.

To fund his surveillance of the killer, Nashey agrees, against his better judgement, to assist an old adversary to commit a daring night robbery under the noses of the huge police presence in the area.

Is it too late for Nashey and Mary to correct their mistakes?

***

Set in London's East End during the late 1880's when Jack the Ripper was a name on everyone's lips, the author has done a great job of capturing the menacing atmosphere in which people lived.

It has been well researched and there is more emphasis on the victims rather than Jack the Ripper himself.  The author demonstrates the poverty that Whitechapel's inhabitants lived vividly. It is obvious why so many people turned to crime and prostitution.

I liked the main characters of this book, namely Sookey, Nashey and Mary. Three very different individuals whose lives become intertwined as they experience the squalor of the area. They were well fleshed out and easy to engage with, although I did find Sookey's character took me a while to understand. However, there were women like her, Beatrice Webb/Potter springs to mind. Women who were committed to researching the lives of the poor.

The author describes the degradation and terror of living through such a time extremely well. A lifestyle that is fuelled by poverty, worry over where the next meal or nightly roof over their heads is coming from, coupled with the fear experienced of being on the streets after dark and becoming the Ripper's next victim.

Nashey discovers the Ripper's identity fairly early in the book, which gave this story a slightly different edge to the norm. The reader is let into this secret, and we follow Nashey's journey as he plots to reveal the Ripper's identity.

It is a moderately paced novel with a sufficiently interesting plot to keep the reader engaged. I think anyone who likes fiction set during this period will enjoy this book.

ISBN: 978 1805143987

Publisher:  Matador

Formats:  Paperback

No. of Pages:  384

***

About the Author:

Ian Porter is a historian, lecturer, public speaker and walks guide. He has a particular interest in women's history and social history. His novels are renowned for being extremely well researched and historically accurate. Whitechapel Autumn of Error is a typically feminist, social history novel that brings the dark streets of the East End 1888 to life. He has written several other novels including the highly acclaimed Suffragette Autumn Women's Spring, set during the fight for the vote for women, and a Plague On Both Your Houses, set in both London and Berlin in 1918/19 during the final months of the Great War and the Spanish Flu. Ian is getting on a bit (well, aged 69). His grandparents were young adults living in East London at the time of the Whitechapel Murders.

(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

10 Year Blogversary - My Favourite Book from 2020 - The Five by Hallie Rubenhold - #BookReview

 

"There are two versions of the events of 1888. One is very well known; the other is not. The first one is the one printed in most history books......... Then there is the other version..... which most choose to forget."

***

Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine and Mary Jane are famous for the same thing, though they never met. They came from Fleet Street, Knightsbridge, Wolverhampton, Sweden and Wales. They wrote ballads, ran coffee houses, lived on country estates, they breathed ink-dust from printing presses and escaped people-traffickers.

What they had in common was the year of their murders: 1888.

Their murderer was never identified, but the name created for him by the press has become more famous than any of these women.

In this devastating narrative of five lives, historian Hallie Rubenhold finally gives these women back their stories.

***

Continuing with my ten year blog anniversary celebrations, here is another of my favourites of the decade. Today I am publishing my favourite read from 2020 and it was originally posted on 27th May of that year.  This nonfiction title made a huge impact on me has stayed with me ever since.

I originally read this during the pandemic and my review reflects that. I have updated the review a little so there is more information about the book and the author but essentially the review is as it appeared that day.

I have a library copy of this book which I had borrowed before all the libraries were closed. However, half way through this book I knew I would want a copy of my own so bought one online. It is a fantastic book and one that I know I shall return to.

I suppose it resonates with me as my own ancestors were in the same area at the time of the murders. Flower and Dean Street is well known for it's Victorian doss houses and the 1881 census places my own great-great grandparents as being resident in Flower and Dean Street at the time the census was taken. It is a strange thought that they were rubbing shoulders with the Ripper victims and possibly even the Ripper himself.

The author has clearly done extensive research in preparation for writing this book and it contains a bibliography that runs to twenty-one pages. She has taken all of these resources and written an accessible and engaging book.

At no point does she deal with the brutality with which these women lost their lives. Instead, she focuses on the women who were murdered; their childhoods, adolescence and  adult lives which were cut tragically short. She challenges the belief that they were 'merely prostitutes,' as was contemporaneously believed and reported and presents us five women who were trying to live and survive during difficult times and in straightened circumstances.

Ms. Rubenhold has humanised and given these women a voice. Certainly, they were women who were down on their luck, homeless and alcoholic but with the exception of two of them there is no evidence to suggest that they were sex workers.

I wholeheartedly applaud the author for this book. She presents us with five women who were not merely victims of the Ripper but were victims of the time in which they lived. They were victims of their gender, time and world into which they were born - a time in which women did not have a voice. Well done Ms. Rubenhold for giving us the means by which we can see these women for who they really were and not merely as the Ripper's victims. I highly recommend this book.

ISBN: 978 1784162344

Publisher: Black Swan

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  432 (paperback)

About the Author:

Hallie Rubenhold is a bestselling author, social historian, broadcaster and historical consultant for TV and film.

She published The Five; The Untold Lives of The Women Killed by Jack the Ripper in 2019 and was the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction. It is the first full length biography of the Ripper’s victims. 

In 2005, Hallie published The Covent Garden Ladies, and was the subject of three television programmes, including the hit drama series, Harlots (ITV Encore, Amazon and Hulu). In 2006, BBC4 broadcast The Harlots Handbook, a documentary based on Hallie’s book which she presented.

Her equally celebrated second book, Lady Worsley’s Whim (entitled The Lady in Red in the US) about the 18th century’s most infamous adultery trial became BBC Radio 4’s Book of the Week in November 2008. In August 2015, it appeared as a 90 minute drama for BBC2 entitled The Scandalous Lady W, starring Natalie Dormer and Shaun Evans.

Hallie is also the author of a series of novels set during the period of the French Revolution. The first of these, Mistress of My Fate was published in 2011 (2013 in the US). The second, The French Lesson was published in the UK in April, 2016.

In addition to writing books, articles and reviews, Hallie regularly appears on TV as an expert contributor to documentaries. 

Hallie has a passion for telling a great historical tale and has a nose for unearthing previously unknown stories from little-known sources. She loves challenging our preconceived notions about our ancestors lives and revels in history’s surprising, unpleasant and gritty truths. Her extensive academic experience extends to research, teaching, lecturing and curatorial work. In the past she has been employed as a curator for the National Portrait Gallery, a university lecturer and a commercial art dealer. In 2014 she curated an exhibition on women’s reputations in the Georgian era for No.1 Royal Crescent in Bath and has been involved with several projects at the Foundling Museum in London.

Hallie received her B.A. in History from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and an M.A. in British History and History of Art from the University of Leeds. Remaining at Leeds, she embarked on her studies for a PhD and later completed her thesis on the subject of marriage and child-rearing in the eighteenth century.

She lives with her husband in London.

(author media courtesy of her website https://www.hallierubenhold.com/ / Sarah Blackie)

(all opinions are my own)