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Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Historical Fiction


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Pride & Prejudice Revisited in ‘Miriam’

Miriam*

By Linda O’Bryne

Page Count: TBC pages 

Genre : Historical

Today we’re doing a spotlight of this Jane Austen-ish book by British author Linda O’Bryne:

About the Book

Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice.  In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines – cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.
 
Mary Bennet – overlooked, laughed at, despised – married a missionary and vanished into a life of service out in Africa.  
 
But now Miriam, her daughter, is coming to England, disliking everything she has been told about her family.  
 
Her aunts and cousins are expecting someone quiet, dull and bookish, just like her mother, not the quick-tempered, impulsive girl who arrives.  
 
How can this adventurous girl with her desire for freedom possibly fit into their well ordered world?  
 
And what havoc will she cause as she tries?  
 
Miriam is the third book in the Cousins of Pemberley series,

About The Author

Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination – I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children! Sadly it has been lost for posterity.

I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals! Not all in the same book!

But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines. 

I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group.  Directing and acting take up a lot of my time – I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes – but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.  

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Note: We did not receive this book in time to read and review. So we’ll leave that to you. *Also, the cover for this book was “under wraps” when we were wrote this post, hence its absence. 


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‘The Nurse’s Secret’: Compelling Historical Fiction

The Nurse’s Secret

By Amanda Skenandore

Published by: Kensington Books, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

Via: Book Blog Tour

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Una Kelly has been living by her wits and her sticky fingers since she was a child. A grifter in the mean streets of 19th century New York City’s slums, Una is on the run from the “coppers” for a murder she didn’t commit. She lies her way into an unlikely refuge: the Bellevue Hospital Training School for Nurses. Based on Florence Nightingale’s nursing principles, Bellevue is the first school of its kind in the country. But for Una, it’s a place to hide.

An Expert Blend

Then an inebriated ex-friend shows up at Bellevue and threatens to expose Una’s secret past. Una caves to Deidre’s extortion scheme. But when Deidre winds up dead in the hospital’s alcoholic’s ward where she’s drying out, Una gets suspicious. Did Deidre die from an overdose of laudanum, or was she murdered? A certain tall, handsome young doctor also enters the picture in this expert blend of historical fiction, whodunit, romance, and murder mystery.

Gripping & Intense

Emotionally gripping and intense, The Nurse’s Secret is propelled by masterful story-telling, an engrossing plot and lively, three-dimensional characters within a unique historical setting. Think A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Oliver Twist meet Florence Nightingale and The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

A Second Chance

We almost missed this book. It arrived well past our deadline for a review. We just don’t have time for late arrivals. So we were inclined to put it aside. But one us – the four-legged one- said, “C’mon Mom! Let’s shoehorn this puppy into our calendar! I’ll help!”

So we gave it another chance. Glad we did. Cuz The Nurse’s Secret is a winner.

Our Rating: 4.0


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‘Potiphar’s Wife’: Fresh Take on an Old Story

ImagePotiphar’s Wife

A novel

By Mesu Andrews

Genre: Fiction/General Fiction/Historical Fiction/Biblical Fiction

Part of The Egyptian Chronicles

Published by: WaterBrook & Multnomah

Release Date: May 24, 2022

416 pages

Via: Book Launch Team

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Streams of mercy, never ceasing…

Step back into ancient Egypt and the palace of a mighty pharaoh in this beautifully crafted, meticulously researched historical novel where the writing is as elaborate as Potiphar’s apparel and the story is as exquisite as his bride’s finest crystal vase.

Who Was She?

Most people know her as one of the Bible’s most notorious women. But who was Potiphar’s wife? What was her background? Her name? Who was she? How, where and why did she meet the powerful Potiphar? Even a cursory reading of the Old Testament story indicates that she was unhappy with her marriage and husband. But why?

These themes and more are explored in a captivating faith-based novel from the award-winning author of Isaiah’s Legacy.

A Brief Overview (without giving too much away):

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PAWsome or Over-Rated? 7 Popular HF Titles Reviewed

Kimber here. You know Mom and I read a lot of historical fiction, right? Well. We’ve read so much historical fiction lately, we’re almost ready to produce our own Encyclopedia Historica. Almost.

Best of HF?

Anywho, we’re in the process of reading our way through some “Best Of” historical fiction lists found elsewhere. We wanted to see for ourselves what titles are worth the time and what belongs in the kitty litter box. Cuz ya know, just because a book or author is a popular “best seller” doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll pass Kimber and Mom Muster.

Yea, verily. No one wants to waste their time on lousy snoozers with stale, brittle plots that are as predictable as tomorrow’s sunrise. Or populated with one-dimensional, cardboard characters we don’t know, don’t want to know, and could care less about, no matter how many accolades they get elsewhere. Cuz we’re like, picky.

The List

So here’s our Totally Unscientific, 100% Subjective take on a few recently read historical-fiction titles. Plus one plain fiction title we’re throwin’ in for free. Cuz we can. (You may want to buckle up. Just sayin’). Ready? Set? Let’s GO!

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Kernels of Consummate in ‘The Coronation’?

The Coronation

By Justin Newland

Matador, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Via: ZooLoo’s Book Tours

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Step into 18th century Prussia and meet a land-owning family, its matriarch, and their community as they navigate politics, faith, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, treachery, and romance as the Seven Years’ War with Russia and Austria rages.

Select Characters:

Countess Marion von Adler of East Prussia.

The Countess could really use some Excedrin Migraine or a CAT SCAN. Her hubby Gottfried is off fighting the war, leaving Marion to run the estate – when she’s not down with a splitting headache. And what’s up with her visions of eagles?

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Female Fighter Ace Flies High in ‘The Legend of Lilia’

The Legend of Lilia

A novel based on a true story

By Christopher P. Redwine, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction

Via: Reedsy/Discovery

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Hey Mom!” quoth I, Kimber the Magnificent. “How do you spell ‘fas-cin-a-ting?” (“Quoth.” Isn’t that a great word? I stole it from Mom. Don’t tell anyone, okay?)

“Why?” quoth Mom. (There’s that great word again.)

“I need it to help with the review of that cool book you just read. The historical novel about the world’s first female ace fighter pilot.”

“You mean, The Legend of Lilia?”

“That’s it!” Says I. Mom tells me it goes kinda like this:

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‘The Secrets Left Behind’ Will Leave You Breathless

The Secrets Left Behind : An emotional and evocative tale spanning three decades. by [Antoinette Tyrrell]The Secrets Left Behind

By Antoinette Tyrrell

Spellbound Books, 2022

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction

Via: Zooloo’s Book Tours

Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“If only I’d known and now it’s too late.”

– Kate Millington

This is a story about four women. At first blush, they’re as different as night and day. But there’s more to the story as revealed in this masterful blend of history, mystery, tragedy, regret, and redemption.

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‘The Order’ Illuminates Pivotal Chapter in Human History

The Order

By John-Patrick Bayle

Lancelin Publishing

Genre: Historical Fiction

Via: Author Request

Summary:

Thrust into the political and religious tumult of the 16th century, a young monk is sent on a perilous journey with a mysterious document. 

A mysterious document is secreted beneath the floors of a French abbey for three hundred years until a young monk discovers it. If it gets out, the document threatens governments and religious hierarchies alike. Betrayal, double-crosses, kidnapping and murder follow in this thorough and solid work of historical fiction. 

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Why THIS Debut Novel Reads Like a BOSS

Sitting on Top of the WorldSitting on Top of the World

By Cheryl King

Historical Fiction/Young Adult

Via: Reedsy/Discovery

Launch Date:  December 31, 2021

Some books just grab your attention. Slide down your throat. And wrap themselves around your heart. Sitting on Top of the World is one of those books.   

June Baker is a “girl with gumption.” The “almost fifteen year-old” has to be while she rides the rails in search of work as the family farm hangs in the balance. How she got there and why rounds out the first part of this delightful book. What’s happens next fills the second half. Both pick up steam quickly in this heartwarming, delicious read about family, faith, loss, love, desperation, betrayal, and hope during the Great Depression.

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Sail Into Adventure With ‘My First Five Years at Sea’

My First Five Years at Sea

And Other Tall Tales

By John M. Tabor

Fiction/Historical Fiction/Action & Adventure

Via: Author Request

Summary: A country boy from Kansas makes an unexpected U-turn into high adventure on the water.

Shanghaied onto a rum runner in the 1930s, MIT-bound James Tyler sails into history and adventure faster than you can say, “Captain Anne Bonny.” He manages to land on his feet, “moving from one unexpected maritime intrigue to another.”

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