Book Review / The Forgotten Tower by Lulu Taylor

1939

When Arthur Pendleton arrives at Wakefield Castle with cases of precious fossils from the Natural History Museum, all he wants is to protect them from London bombs in peace and quiet. Soon, though, he is drawn to the family there: the deaf old colonel with his Fortnum’s catalogues, Great Aunt Constance and her delicate constitution, and the grandchildren – from the eldest, Imogen, to the youngest, Archie. But who is the beautiful woman he has seen weeping in the castle grounds? Is she real or a ghost?

With war declared, the family at Wakefield Castle prepare to make sacrifices and to open their doors to newcomers. But while the castle offers a refuge for many, including evacuees, it is also a place to hide many things: sorrow, secrets and even people . . .

As winter deepens, an unwelcome arrival begins to change everything, and suddenly danger is apparent within the castle walls itself.

The present

Georgie Wakefield never wanted to be a chatelaine, but the castle is her husband Casper’s legacy and he is determined to restore its fortunes. Hiding from her troubled past, Georgie sets about learning all she can about the family who lived there before her, including from an inherited recipe book with notes in many hands. Who was Etti Boule and why are the children who were there during the war determined to remember her? Can she be connected to the West Tower, with its legends of hauntings and a weeping woman?

The arrival of her sister, escaping from a violent marriage, awakens Georgie’s darkest fears. As the secrets of Wakefield begin to reveal themselves, she realizes that, in order to be free, she must confront what she most dreads . . .

Published:  23rd November 2023   

Publisher:  MacMillan

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  Duel perspective, split timeline and historical drama.  What more can I say?  I loved this so much.  This story was so rich in atmosphere with the castle and its surroundings mixed with interesting characters and a plot that made it so I did not want to put this story down!  There's something about a split timeline, past and present, that somehow manages to weave itself together as the story goes on that always pulls me in.

What I did not like about this story...  Absolutely nothing!  Loved this.

Would I recommend...  Yes!  If you love Kate Morton and you haven't picked this up yet, you need to!

Book Review / The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a stranger coming up the long road to the farm and watches as her mother speaks to him. Before the afternoon is over, Laurel will witness a shocking crime. A crime that challenges everything she knows about her family and especially her mother, Dorothy—her vivacious, loving, nearly perfect mother.

Now, fifty years later, Laurel is a successful and well-regarded actress living in London. The family is gathering at Greenacres farm for Dorothy’s ninetieth birthday. Realizing that this may be her last chance, Laurel searches for answers to the questions that still haunt her from that long-ago day, answers that can only be found in Dorothy’s past.

Dorothy’s story takes the reader from pre–WWII England through the blitz, to the ’60s and beyond. It is the secret history of three strangers from vastly different worlds—Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy—who meet by chance in wartime London and whose lives are forever entwined. The Secret Keeper explores longings and dreams and the unexpected consequences they sometimes bring. It is an unforgettable story of lovers and friends, deception and passion that is told—in Morton’s signature style—against a backdrop of events that changed the world.

Published:  9th October 2012   

Publisher:  Atrica Books / Pan

Goodreads : Click Here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

What I liked about this story...  At the risk of sounding repetitive every time I read and review a book by this author, the main aspect that I always enjoy is the duel perspective in the timeline and the build up of the mystery, both in the past in the future, and somewhere along the line it begins to unravel and you discover that both storylines are linked in some way that I usually never figure out until it actually happens.  I did not want to put this book down.  At nearly 500 pages, honestly, I had to put it down because of how long the story was but I can certainly say that it wasn't long before I picked this up again.

What I didn't link about this story...  Absolutely no comment here.   Nothing.  I loved this book. 

Would I recommend?  If you couldn't tell from the above, of course!!  If you love a good historical drama with a slow build, pick this up!  Even if you haven't but its something you have wanted to try, pick it up!

Book Review / The Lake House by Kate Morton

An abandoned house...
June 1933, and sixteen-year-old Alice Edevane is preparing for her family's Midsummer Eve party at their country home, Loeanneth. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks light up the night skies, the Edevane family will have suffered a loss so great that they leave Loeanneth forever.

A missing child...
Seventy years later, after a particularly troubling case, Detective Sadie Sparrow retreats to her beloved grandfather's cottage in Cornwall. Once there, she stumbles upon an abandoned house, and learns the story of a baby boy who disappeared without a trace.

An unsolved mystery...
Meanwhile, in her elegant Hampstead home, the formidable Alice Edevane, now an old lady, leads a life as neatly plotted as the bestselling detective novels she writes. Until a young police detective starts asking questions about her family's past, seeking to resurrect the complex tangle of secrets Alice has spent her life trying to escape...

Published:  20th October 2015   

Publisher:  Atria Books

Goodreads : Click here

Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone

Source:  Bought

MY REVIEW

There's something about a good historical romance story that always sucks me in.  There's a good mix of mystery, intrigue, historical drama with a little bit of romance weaved into it.  This story definitely did not disappoint. 

What I liked about this story...  The best part of this story for me was the mystery element of the story from 1933.  You have this tragedy happen with the disappearance of the boy and finding out what happened to him...  The way this story is written, the mystery gets revealed bit by bit, which just made me not want to put the book down.  

What I didn't like about this story...  There were a lot of characters in this story and at times I did find it hard to keep up with who was who but, for me, that didn't affect how much I enjoyed this story.

Would I recommend?  Yes absolutely!    Its a historical drama with a split storyline, both in the past and the present, so if that's not a structure that you like this is probably not for you but if you haven't tried this style of story before I would highly recommend giving it a go.