About the Book: ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL meets ARIADNE in this thrilling, evocatively told debut novel, reframing the trial of Phaedra, one of classical literature's most controversial figures, for the modern reader. In Athens, crowds flock to witness the most shocking trial of the ancient world. The royal family is mired in scandal. Phaedra, young … Continue reading Book Review: The Heroines by Laura Shepperson
Historical Fiction
Book Review: The Lessons by John Purcell
About the Book: What if your first love was your one and only chance of happiness? In our lives, some promises are easily forgotten, while others come to haunt us with tragic results. From the bestselling author of The Girl on the Page comes The Lessons, a compelling novel about love and betrayal. 1961: When teens Daisy and Harry … Continue reading Book Review: The Lessons by John Purcell
Book Review: When I First Held You by Anstey Harris
About the Book: Silence tore them apart. Can the truth bring them back together? In 1960s Glasgow, anti-nuclear activists Judith and Jimmy fall in love. But their future hopes are dashed when their protestors’ squat is raided and many, including Jimmy, are sent to prison. Pregnant and with no word from Jimmy, Judith is forced … Continue reading Book Review: When I First Held You by Anstey Harris
Book Review: The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
About the Book: Be careful what you wish for... it may just come true.At The Mercury Theatre in London's West End, rumours are circulating of a curse. It is said that the lead actress Lilith has made a pact with Melpomene, the tragic muse of Greek mythology, to become the greatest actress to ever grace … Continue reading Book Review: The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell
Book Review: Friends Like These by Meg Rosoff
About the Book: New York City. June, 1982. When eighteen-year-old Beth arrives in Manhattan for a prestigious journalism internship, everything feels brand new – and not always in a good way. A cockroach-infested sublet and a disaffected roommate are the least of her worries, and she soon finds herself caught up with her fellow interns … Continue reading Book Review: Friends Like These by Meg Rosoff
Book Review: Blue Hour by Sarah Schmidt
About the Book: 1936: At nineteen, Kitty was ready to leave behind the stifling control of her parents and all those constantly telling her how to live her life. Work at the Wintonvale Repatriation Hospital was her escape and a chance to be someone else.Then she met soldier George Turner - and she heard her mother's … Continue reading Book Review: Blue Hour by Sarah Schmidt
Book Review: Ithaca by Claire North
About the Book: Seventeen years ago, King Odysseus sailed to war with Troy, taking with him every man of fighting age from the isle of Ithaca. None of them has returned, and the women of Ithaca have been left behind to run the kingdom. Penelope was barely into womanhood when she wed Odysseus. While he … Continue reading Book Review: Ithaca by Claire North
Book Review: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
About the Book: A discarded painting in a roadside clean-up, forgotten bones in a research archive, and Lexington, the greatest racehorse in US history. From these strands of fact, Geraldine Brooks weaves a sweeping story of spirit, obsession and injustice across American history. Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a … Continue reading Book Review: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Book Review: These Days by Lucy Caldwell
About the Book: April, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Over the next two months, it's going to be destroyed from above, so that people will say, in horror, My God, Belfast is finished. Many won't make it through, and no one who does will remain unchanged. Following the … Continue reading Book Review: These Days by Lucy Caldwell
Book Review: The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre by Natasha Lester
About the Book: Lavish and compelling, this is the story of a young woman trying to forget her devastating part in the war. 1943. After spearheading several successful advertising campaigns in New York, PR wizard Alix St Pierre comes to the attention of the US government and finds herself recruited into a fledgling intelligence organisation. Enlisted as … Continue reading Book Review: The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre by Natasha Lester
Theresa Smith Writes 