Yvonne
This week I am sharing with you, two new books which have found their places on my TBR shelf, courtesy of the lovely folk at NetGalley who provided the download facility and two of my favourite publishers / publicists who recommended the titles and authors.
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‘THE SECRET‘ by JENNIFER WELLS
A tightly woven story full of secrets and lies with a breathtaking finale.
London 1920 – Troubled young dancer, Lily, is invited to remote Elmridge House, home of the wealthy theatre benefactor Dr Cuthbertson to escape her troubled past. An isolated guest room and a surprise pregnancy leave her longing to return to the stage and her London life. She soon discovers that Elmridge House is not all that it seems – the house holds secrets which make it difficult for her to leave.
Missensham 1942 – Young nurse Ivy Watts is called out to a patient at Elmridge House, home of the aloof Mrs Cuthbertson and reclusive Dr Cuthbertson. Ivy is entranced by the opulence of the house and its glamorous past, but when she tells her mother about Mrs Cuthbertson, her mother becomes fearful and forbids her from returning to the house. What secrets does Elmridge House hold? And why does Lily’s mother live in fear of the mysterious Mrs Cuthbertson?
Perfect for the fans of Lesley Pearse and Susan Lewis.
Blog Tour runs 4th – 15th December 2018 inclusive – hosted by Aria Fiction
My author Guest Post airs December 6th
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‘THE VICTORY GARDEN‘ by RHYS BOWEN
From the bestselling author of The Tuscan Child comes a beautiful and heart-rending novel of a woman’s love and sacrifice during the First World War.
As the Great War continues to take its toll, headstrong twenty-one-year-old Emily Bryce is determined to contribute to the war effort. She is convinced by a cheeky and handsome Australian pilot that she can do more, and it is not long before she falls in love with him and accepts his proposal of marriage.
When he is sent back to the front, Emily volunteers as a “land girl,” tending to the neglected grounds of a large Devonshire estate. It’s here that Emily discovers the long-forgotten journals of a medicine woman who devoted her life to her herbal garden. The journals inspire Emily, and in the wake of devastating news, they are her saving grace. Emily’s lover has not only died a hero but has left her terrified—and with child. Since no one knows that Emily was never married, she adopts the charade of a war widow.
As Emily learns more about the volatile power of healing with herbs, the found journals will bring her to the brink of disaster, but may open a path to her destiny.
This one doesn’t officially publish until February 12th 2019..
Which is the date my Q&A post goes lives – courtesy of ‘Little Bird Publicity‘
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MAILBOX MONDAY
… is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week. Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Mailbox Monday now has a permanent home, where links may be added each week. So why not stop by, leave a link to your own Mailbox Monday post, oh! and don’t forget to leave a comment for our three new joint administrators, after all, we all like to receive them … Your Hosts for ‘Mailbox Monday’
Leslie of ‘Under My Apple Tree’
Serena of ‘Savvy Verse & Wit’
Martha of ‘Reviews By Martha’s Bookshelf’
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… You never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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Both of these look good to me!
I seem to be coming across more books set during WWI these days (perhaps because of the recent centennial?) and I’ve enjoyed learning more about it. We have one coming up in our book club at the beginning of the year.
The first book sounds more mysterious in the description than the cover implies.
I must admit that I do like my historical fiction reading to have some good, solid research behind a storyline, especially those which rely quite heavily on famous world events as their main focus.
I always enjoyed World History lessons at school and as the teacher was very passionate about his subject, the World Wars were covered most thoroughly, if a little biased towards a British standpoint!
The recent centennial commemorations have certainly raised awareness of The Great War amongst today’s younger generations, although whether the true enormity of events completely resonates with them – who knows!
I shall be interested to see which book your group is reading, but I guess that as usual, I shall just need to be a little patient 🙂
I have high hopes for The Victory Garden but will probably wait until January to read it. Have a great week, Yvonne.
In theory, I have plenty of time to promote, read and review ‘The Victory Garden’, before the official February release date and my Q&A session on the Blog Tour. However, I have had exactly those same thoughts before, yet still managed to run out of time, so I am going to start this one good and early!
Thanks for stopping by and Happy Reading 🙂
They both look good to me but I think I’d pick up The Victory Garden first. The title and the cover call out to me. I know “you can’t judge a book by it’s cover,” but I do.
Cover and premise alone, would probably also draw me to ‘The Victory Garden’ first.
I do believe that most of us are primarily ‘visual’ people when it comes down to it, so whilst none of us wants to consciously judge a book by its cover, I’m sure we all do to one degree or another.
Thanks for visiting this week and enjoy your reading 🙂
i can’t say either of these two appeal to me in a way that makes me want to buy them though I ‘d probably pick them up (The Secret more so as Elmridge House intrigues me) if I were to see them in the library. Perhaps your stop on the tours might persuade me otherwise.
As author Rhys Bowen was born down this part of the world, in Bath and much of the storyline of ‘The Victory Garden’ takes place in Devon, then I guess I have slightly more empathy with this book, over and above ‘The Secret’.
That being said, I also like the intrigue which seems to surround Elmridge House. The fact that Jennifer’s writing has been compared to that of Lesley Pearse and Susan Lewis can’t be a bad testament either and the Goodreads ratings and reviews see both authors at fairly level pegging.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, even though neither of these books really appeal to you. I appreciate your support 🙂
Whew- those NG titles can be sooooo tempting. Enjoy your new books. Happy Reading!
I don’t even browse the general titles at NetGalley these days. All the titles I feature generally come from one publisher, Aria Fiction, with whom I am a pre-approved reader. There are just the odd one or two titles from other publishers, where NetGalley is the most convenient way of me getting access to the downloads.
The reason I no longer browse NetGalley, is the same reason I tend to try and steer clear of book shops as much as possible – It is a bit like the child in a sweet shop syndrome, where I would crave just about every book I saw – so I try and avoid temptation!
Life is just full of so many reading addictions 🙂
These both look good, especially The Secret with the surprise pregnancy and the secrets at Elmridge House. Enjoy these and have a good weekend 🙂
Because of promotional commitments, I have had to bump ‘The Victory Garden’ right to the top of my TBR list. I am only a short way into the story so far, but it is shaping up very nicely into a read I just know I am going to enjoy!
Thanks for visiting this week and I hope that all is well with you 🙂