Day: May 12, 2020

Posted in Blog Tour, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Travel

The French Wife Diney Costeloe 4* #Review @DineyCost @HoZ_Books @Aria_Fiction #TheFrenchWife #HistoricalFiction #HistoricalRomance #HistFic #France #19thCentury #BlogTour #BookReview

Posted on by jolliffe01

Love, secrets and danger abound in the new historical novel from bestselling author Diney Costeloe, set in 19th-century France.

 As the St Clair family prepare for the grand wedding of their daughter, Clarice, trouble is brewing. An old friendship, a new love and a dangerous secret threaten to destroy the life the St Clairs have built.

Their younger daughter, Hélène, became friends with orphaned Annette during the terrible events of the 1871 siege of Paris. Now they are reunited, with Annette working below stairs for Hélène’s parents. But she is hiding a dangerous secret, which Hélène has promised to keep at all costs.

Meanwhile, Hélène has begun to fall in love with a young nobleman from England, whose family has plans which do not include their son choosing a French wife.

Ebook: 7th May 2020: Amazon Google Play Kobo

Hardback: 6th August 2020: Waterstones Hive

I received a copy of this book from Head of Zeus via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

My Thoughts…

The French Wife is an emotional and poignant historical story about women’s lives in nineteenth-century France. It explores the fortunes of two women with a multigenerational relationship who are servants and a wealthy French family. This story is the second in a series but reads as a standalone. Agathe, Annette and the St Clair family’s connection are provided as required in this novel.

There’s a lovely sense of place and time from the rich historical detail. The story highlights the disparity in opportunity and treatment of women of all classes. Agathe and Annette and Helene and Annette have a life-affirming friendship, which makes them stronger emotionally.

This a poignant and rewarding historical read with an authentic historical setting and believable characters.

Diney Costeloe

Diney Costeloe is the author of twenty-three novels, several short stories, and many articles and poems. She has three children and seven grandchildren, so when she isn’t writing, she’s busy with family. She and her husband divide their time between Somerset and West Cork.

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Posted in Audiobook Review, Blog Tour, Book Review, Crime, Domestic Thriller, Romance -Dark and Steamy, Romantic Suspense

Withstanding The Enemy T.L.Mahrt 4*#Review #AudioBook #Review @tlmahrt @rararesources #Romance #CrimeFiction #DomesticThriller #RomanticSuspense #Noir #Crime #WithstandingTheEnemy #RachelsRandomResources #BlogTour

Posted on by jolliffe01

Emma Andrews was orphaned at a young age with no family to turn to. Tired of the broken foster-care system, and believing it was her only option, she runs to a multi-millionaire with a reputation of hiring young women. It is only then that she learns what real monsters look like…

​Emma uses her overactive imagination to help her get through the toughest of days. By daydreaming a life full of love and freewill, she manages her colorless prison, but even in her wildest dreams, she would have never imagined it could become a reality. That is, until she meets Chance, a man willing to lay his life down to save hers.

But what Emma doesn’t expect is to fight her own personal demons—her heart.

Amazon UK

I received an audiobook copy from the author in return for an honest review.

My Thoughts…

I reviewed the audiobook edition of this story. Written from the first-person point of view it alternates between the main protagonists, Emma and Chance. Emma has a tragedy filled past. Her current life with Rick is abusive and controlling. Chance is undercover investigating Rick, but his feelings for Emma are real and hard to control.

The suspenseful plot’s dominant focus is Emma and Chance and their passion. The dark sensual romance is erotic and explicit. Naive and vulnerable Emma is easy to empathise. She is confused and fearful but becomes stronger as the story progresses.

The first book in a trilogy, it ends on a cliffhanger.

The narration is clear and well-paced, although some of the male characters would be more convincing, with a male narrator. The English accent of the butler jarred on me.

T.L.Mahrt

T. L. Mahrt is a former business owner, where she utilized her education in cosmetology, barbering, and massage therapy for several years. She was raised on and is currently living on a farm in Nebraska, where you can find her running barefoot in the countryside with her loving husband, inspiring children, and massive dogs.

After having her son, who was born with Cerebral Palsy and DYRK1A Syndrome, she made the life altering decision to stay home to care for her two children and pursue her love of writing. She has a passion for romance and poetry where her overactive imagination, along with her adventures and upbeat lifestyle drives her motivation for her writing.

T. L. Mahrt has a thirst for knowledge and is currently working on her Bachelor of Applied Science in Communication Studies degree.

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