Book Review: The Fire and the Rose by Robyn Cadwallader

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

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: 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: 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: 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