BOOK REVIEW: Eavesdropping on Jane Austen’s England: How Our Ancestors Lived Two Centuries Ago by Roy and Lesley Adkins

For readers interested in the social history of England in Jane Austen’s time, or for Regency Romance readers and writers who want to plump up their lore packets with information on the everyday lives of the not-so-rich-and-famous citizens, Eavesdropping on Jane Austen’s England: How Our Ancestors Lived Two Centuries Ago by Roy and Lesley Adkins is a perfect choice. 

The book uses not only quotes from Austen but also excerpts from letters and diaries of lesser known men and women to explore marriage, child-bearing and rearing, modes of transportation, what people ate and wore, where they worked and how they played. Although the prose is somewhat dry, there is a wealth of information to be found. Maps, a time-line, and an extensive bibliography provide an additional bonus. (This book is also sold under the name Jane Austen’s England: Daily Life in the Georgian and Regency Periods.) It’s a book I’ll likely refer back to again and again.

BOOK REVIEW: All About Genevieve by Shana Galen

I’ve been eagerly awaiting the newly released All About Genevieve, the third book in the Misfortune’s Favorites Series by Shana Galen. This Regency Romance series follow three lords, the closest of friends, as they find their true loves. (Book One is The King and Vi and Book Two is My Fair Katie.) The storyline unfolds best if the books are read in order.

Three men, the Marquess of Kingston (King), the Duke of Carlisle (Henry), and Emory Lumley, the Duke of Tralee (Rory), were all neglected and abused as children. Strong-willed and angry, they were sent to a boys’ school in Scotland to have their spirits broken. Instead, they continued to raise hell and rebel against mistreatment. One stormy night, they conspired to steal a keg of whiskey from two impoverished sisters who lived near their school. The theft went awry, and they ended up cursed by the elder sister–a very real witch. The curse stated they would lose what they loved most on their thirtieth birthdays.

By the time they reach thirty, they have mostly forgotten about the witch and the curse, until it comes true.

In Rory’s case, a carriage accident claims the life of his wife and infant son on his thirtieth birthday. Grieving and full of guilt, he spends the next several months on the continent, carousing with undesirable fellows. When he finally returns home, he is confronted with the fact that he has a seven-year-old daughter, Frances, whom he barely knows. (He and his wife were estranged, so he never spent any time with the girl.) Frances acts out (in the same way Rory used to) to such a degree that he decides at once to hire a governess who can control her. 

Genevieve Brooking has been a governess for many years (though she is still a young woman.) She presents herself as a candidate for the job and proves so competent she is hired on the spot. Genevieve can handle any crisis having to do with children. She can also handle Rory’s outbursts and missteps. But she has a harder time with her own reaction to Rory’s extreme handsomeness and the way his heart is quickly softened by Frances.

The novel is a lovely example of the lord-falling-for-the-governess trope. The story is unique in that Frances’ viewpoint is also shown in some of the chapters. And the real twist is the witch’s curse. Rory and his friends have been promised a chance to reverse the curse, but to do so, they must return to where it all began to confront the witch.

After following the series, I was looking forward to the reunion of these three men and seeing how/if the curse would be lifted. The stories walk a fine line between credible and infused with the supernatural, but it’s a Romance. Go ahead and suspend disbelief. The novels are fun!

BOOK REVIEW: Lady Ambition's Dilemma by Jane Steen

Lady Ambition’s Dilemma is the third book in Jane Steen’s superb late 19th century mystery series, The Scott-De Quincy Mysteries. Read them from the beginning to best enjoy the series progression. (Lady Helena Investigates and Lady Odelia’s Secret are the first two books.)

The stories center on the large, aristocratic Scott-de Quincy family, particularly on the youngest sibling, Lady Helena, who was widowed in book one. With the help of a French physician newly arrived in the area, Armand Fourtier, she set out to solve her husband’s murder. In book two, Helena gets to know one of her much older sisters better. Lady Odelia is an artist involved in a scandal who needs some support. When another murder occurs, Helena must solve it as well, with help from Armand.

Now, Helena has emerged from mourning. As a wealthy young widow, she is looking forward to more society. She is particularly looking forward to Armand’s return from France. However, she is sought out by her snobbish older sister, Blanche, a marquess, also a widow, who has a pressing problem. Her son Dederick needs help finding a wealthy wife. He runs with a fast set, gambles, spends money profligately, and drinks far too much. Yet these are minor concerns. His real problem is that he engaged in a love affair with Lord Arthur, another young aristocrat, a man who is now threatening him with exposure. Helena’s help is enlisted once more.

Helena tries. She writes a gentle letter to Lord Arthur; she speaks to Dederick; and she lends Blanche money to lease a country house to let Dederick rusticate for a while. Unfortunately, Dederick embarks on a hunting trip with his set, a set that includes Lord Arthur. During the train ride to reach the site of the party, Lord Arthur falls, or jumps, or is pushed from the train to his death. When murder becomes the most likely scenario, Dederick is the main suspect, and Helena’s investigating skills are called into play. 

Steen’s novels are tightly plotted murder mysteries, but they are also explorations of family dynamics and there is a slow burn romance. A smattering of political intrigue is woven in as well. For historical mystery fans, I can’t recommend this series highly enough. 

BOOK REVIEW: Ne’er Duke Well by Alexandra Vasti

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Ne’er Duke Well is a recently released Regency Romance by Alexandra Vasti, a new-to-me author.

The hero, Peter Kent, had been abandoned by his father, a duke, and raised in Louisiana, far from the entanglements of London Society. However, two years earlier, upon discovering that he was the heir presumptive to the dukedom, he returned to England to learn the ropes. Now, he is the Duke of Stanhope. He wants to use his position for good. He has liberal ideas and is not hesitant to proclaim them. But there is a problem. He has two young half-siblings, Freddie and Lu, and he is determined to take custody of them and raise them in a caring environment. Unfortunately, he has made a bad impression on the judge who will rule on his case. Peter needs help.

The heroine, Lady Selena Ravenscroft, wants to provide that help. They are friends of a sort. She thinks his suit will be aided by his taking a wife with an impeccable pedigree. The children need a mother, after all. She has a few ladies in mind. But not herself. Definitely not. Because she has a secret that she knows will come out one day, and the scandal would be ruinous to her and to Peter’s chances. Selena is part owner of a well-known publishing company. The company is especially successful because of its “Venus” line, racy novels for ladies to help them learn a little of the world so they won’t be so disadvantaged when dealing with men.

Whenever one member of a pair in a Romance tries to help the other find a perfect match, readers know what to expect. But the journey to love—how they get to the point of realizing they are meant to be together—is what makes the novels fun. Peter and Selena are well suited, and the obstacle is a formidable one, making this a very enjoyable read.

This is a charming, moderately steamy Romance with likeable protagonists and a well-constructed plot. It’s a standalone novel, as far as I can tell, but I look forward to more from this author.

BOOK REVIEW: Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner continues in the post-WWII setting of her previous novels, The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls. The current protagonist Vivien Lowry was one of the bookshop girls we met in book two, a writer with a tragic past. Her fiancé, David St. Vincent, the heir to an earldom, had been killed in the war.

When Vivien’s stage play flops in London, she escapes to Rome where she has been offered a job as a script doctor for a floundering movie at the Cinecittà studio. This world-famous studio was created by Mussolini as a propaganda machine and was then taken over by the Nazis. Now, in 1955, the studio is reviving, producing commercial films to international acclaim. A large number of American ex-pats, Hollywood-types escaping the restrictions and dangers of McCarthyism, have come to Rome to work at Cinecittà. Vivien is eager to work with these creative men and women.

She has another reason to come to Rome. She has just learned from her deceased fiancé’s sister that David did not die in a crash in Italy. He was reported missing in action and was likely a prisoner of war. At least for a little while. Vivien is certain he’s not still alive; he would have made his way home to her. But she’s desperate to learn the truth of what happened to him, and thinks she might discover more if she is physically in Italy rather than London.

While in Italy, she makes new friends, has a love affair, and struggles with the restrictions placed on moviemakers by the all-powerful Catholic Church. She also pulls strings to learn about David’s captivity.

Vivien’s story is interspersed with chapters about La Scolaretta, “the Schoolgirl,” a member of the Italian Resistance and a very successful assassin. 

The storylines merge in a poignant way. Fans of Jenner’s historical women’s fiction, especially those wondering “what next?” for the Bloomsbury Girls, should love this novel. I particularly enjoyed the atmosphere – post-WWII Italy is an unusual setting for me and Jenner does a great job of immersing the reader in the time and place.

BOOK REVIEW: Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Whale Fall by Elizabeth O’Connor is a heartbreaking literary historical novel. Set in 1938, on a fictional island off the coast of Wales, the story is narrated by an 18-year-old island woman named Manod.

Manod is intelligent and caring. She’s attuned to the rhythms of island life, but yearns to expand her horizons. Many of the younger islanders have already moved to the mainland in search of better opportunities, and Manod hopes to do so also, but it’s unclear whether their lives improve or if what they sacrifice in leaving is too great a price to pay.

The story begins with two arrivals. The first is a dead whale that washes ashore. As it slowly decomposes, it becomes part of the island, incorporated into children’s games and adult rituals. The second is an invasion by two English ethnographers, who are eager to record the culture of the islanders before it disappears. They enlist Manod’s help as an interpreter/transcriber. She begins to see them as the means for her escape. Yet her admiration for them slides into disillusionment as she discovers how they manipulate their observations to tell the story they want to tell.

As expected, the ethnographers are more interested in creating a compelling story for the book they are writing than in presenting a realistic picture of the people and their customs. In the act of “preserving” the culture, they are instrumental in distorting it.

The language is spare. The pace of the novel is slow, but there is a tension in it that held my interest – a sense of impending doom. The whale is potentially an evil omen. The ethnographers are unprincipled. The culture is slowly dying. And WWII is approaching. This is not exactly an enjoyable novel, but it will make you think.

BOOK REVIEW: Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women (multi-authored)

 I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women is a multi-authored collection of 23 short stories featuring fictional women throughout history, from medieval times to the 1970s. It’s not a book that I can sit and read cover-to-cover, but it’s great fun to dip into. Pick a theme (Gambling with the Unknown; Dangerous Deeds; Moral Combat; or Defying Domestic Authority) and enjoy! There is something here for everyone!