About the Book: England, 1276: Forced to leave her home village, Eleanor moves to Lincoln to work as a housemaid. She's prickly, independent and stubborn, her prospects blighted by a port-wine birthmark across her face. Unusually for a woman, she has fine skills with ink and quill, and harbours a secret ambition to work as … Continue reading Book Review: The Fire and the Rose by Robyn Cadwallader
Historical Fiction
Book Review: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
About the Book: It is 1985, in an Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal and timber merchant, faces into his busiest season. As he does the rounds, he feels the past rising up to meet him - and encounters the complicit silences of a people controlled by the … Continue reading Book Review: Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Book Review: The Lipstick Bureau by Michelle Gable
About the Book: 1944, Rome. Newlywed Niki Novotná is recruited by a new American spy agency to establish a secret branch in Italy’s capital. One of the OSS’s few female operatives abroad and multilingual, she’s tasked with crafting fake stories and distributing propaganda to lower the morale of enemy soldiers. Despite limited resources, Niki and … Continue reading Book Review: The Lipstick Bureau by Michelle Gable
Book Review: The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman
About the Book: Norway, 1662. A dangerous time to be a woman, when even dancing can lead to accusations of witchcraft. When Zigri, desperate and grieving after the loss of her husband and son, embarks on an affair with the local merchant, it's not long before she is sent to the fortress at Vardo, to … Continue reading Book Review: The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman
Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
About the Book: Your ability to change everything - including yourself - starts here... Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very … Continue reading Book Review: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Book Review: The Heroines by Laura Shepperson
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
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
Theresa Smith Writes 