Blog Tour Book Review / The House in Quill Court by Charlotte Betts

1813. Venetia Lovell lives by the sea in Kent with her pretty, frivolous mother and idle younger brother. Venetia's father, Theo, is an interior decorator to the rich and frequently travels away from home, leaving his sensible and artistic daughter to look after the family. Venetia designs paper hangings and she and her father often daydream about having an imaginary shop where they would display the highest quality furniture, fabrics and art to his clients.

When a handsome but antagonistic stranger, Jack Chamberlaine, arrives at the Lovell's cottage just before Christmas bringing terrible news, Venetia's world is turned upside-down and the family have no option but to move to London, to the House in Quill Court and begin a new life. Here, Venetia's courage and creativity are tested to breaking point, and she discovers a love far greater than she could have ever imagined . . .






Published:     August 2016
Publisher:  Piatkus
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

 

MY REVIEW

I was so excited so be able to read this for this blog tour.  I believe it was last year I read one of Charlotte Betts' other novels, The Chateau on the Lake, which I loved.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on this and start reading!  What I love about Charlotte Betts' writing is the fact that from the minute I started reading I could really feel like I was inside the story and seeing things from a 'fly on the wall' perspective.  For this book, it was exactly that.

There is a really unexpected twist in this story that I certainly was not expecting and watching characters react to this in their own way was one of the best parts of this novel.  You have one character who gets angry, one character who drowns their sorrows and another who rises to the occasion and try to make the best of it.

Another great part of this story is that we are not only following the story of Venetia and her family but the story of Kitty who is employed by Venetia's household.  We see her make certain choices based on the unexpected twist and have to deal with the consequences of her choices.  It was more like seeing two sides of the coin, you have Venetia who is from upper class society and Kitty who is in the lower class both of whom have some pretty big decisions to make.

What a fantastic historical novel that should not be missed.  If you haven't picked up this yet, you need to!

Book Review / The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Betts

1792. As a teacher at her parents' Academy for Young Ladies in the heart of London, Madeleine Moreau has lived her life sheltered from the outside world. But on the night of a dazzling Masquerade, tragedy strikes and she is left alone in the world. Desperate to find the family she never knew, Madeleine impulsively travels to France in search of them. But with war around the corner, and fearing for Madeleine's safety, the enigmatic Comte Etienne d'Aubery offers her shelter at his home, Chateau Mirabelle.

Chateau Mirabelle enchants Madeleine with its startling beauty, but it is a place of dark and haunting secrets. As the Revolution gathers momentum and the passions of the populace are enflamed, Madeleine must take control of her own destiny and unravel events of the past in order to secure a chance at future happiness.

The Chateau on the Lake is a breath-taking historical novel set during the time of the French Revolution; rich, evocative and immersive. If you love Philippa Gregory and Joanne Harris, you will adore Charlotte Betts.

Published:     1st August 2015
Publisher:  Piatkus Books
Author Website:  Click here
Goodreads :  Click here
Series or Stand-Alone:  Stand-Alone
Source:  Review Copy from Publisher

My Review

What I loved about this book...
Historical fiction is a genre that I dont' pick up very often and I should.  Nearly every historical fiction book that I have picked up I have loved and this one is one of those.  Absolutely loved this book.   What I loved the most was the depth of the characters.  My favourite character has to be the Compte Etienne d'Aubery who is a very mysterious character but seems very genuine in his motives.  The ending of this book was particularly shocking, I had a suspicion of what would happen but the level of the action at the end I was not expecting.

What I did not like about this book...
There were parts in this story that I could not 'feel' the history but that's probably the way I was feeling at the time of reading this rather than a reflection on the writing but I didn't let that affect wanting to read this book.  It was amazing! 

About the Author
(from Goodreads)
 

Charlotte Betts discovered a passion for writing after her five children had grown up and left her in peace. Demanding careers in hotel design and property force her to be inventive in finding time to write but she has achieved seven novels in eight years. One of her short stories was published in Scribble and others short-listed by Writers’ News and Real Writers’. She has won first prize in five short story competitions and wrote a regular column on interior design for The Maidenhead Advertiser for two years. She is a member of WordWatchers http://www.wordwatchers.net/ and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.