About the Book: It is 1865 and in a coastal village in southern England, Nell picks violets for a living. Set apart from her community because of the birthmarks that pepper her skin, Nell keeps her head down and her sights small: her world is her beloved brother and devotion to the sea. Then, Jasper … Continue reading Book Review: Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal
Victorian Era
Book Review: The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
The Shape of Darkness… About the Book: As the age of the photograph dawns in Victorian Bath, silhouette artist Agnes is struggling to keep her business afloat. Still recovering from a serious illness herself, making enough money to support her elderly mother and her orphaned nephew Cedric has never been easy, but then one of … Continue reading Book Review: The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell
Book Review: The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan
The Age of Witches... About the Book: A MAGICAL TALE OF FAMILY, AMBITION AND LOVE, SET IN GILDED AGE NEW YORK AND LONDON In 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch. Two hundred years later, her legacy lives on in the scions of two very different lines: one dedicated to using their powers to … Continue reading Book Review: The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan
Book Review: What Empty Things Are These by J. L. Crozier
What Empty Things Are These... About the Book: In 1860s Britain there is nothing unusual in a man beating his wife. When George Hadley’s aggression triggers his own stroke and coma, his wife discovers all she thinks of as hers is to pass to her young son Toby. Adelaide seems as powerless as her ladies’ … Continue reading Book Review: What Empty Things Are These by J. L. Crozier
Book Review: The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal
The Doll Factory... About the Book: The Doll Factory, the debut novel by Elizabeth Macneal, is an intoxicating story of art, obsession and possession. London. 1850. The Great Exhibition is being erected in Hyde Park and among the crowd watching the spectacle two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist, it is the encounter of … Continue reading Book Review: The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal
New Release Book Review: The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry
The Way of All Flesh… About the Book: A vivid and gripping historical crime novel set in 19th century Edinburgh, from husband-and-wife writing team Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. Edinburgh, 1847. City of Medicine, Money, Murder. Young women are being discovered dead across the Old Town, all having suffered similarly gruesome ends. In the New … Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry
Theresa Smith Writes 