Susanna:

I’ve been reading The Black Silk Purse by Margaret Kaine. This saga is the sort of book which makes you read just a bit more… just another scene… just another chapter. The story has depth and pace, the characters are well-rounded and the mystery surrounding Ella’s past kept me turning the pages. I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but I particularly liked the way the ending was handled. Plenty of historicals overlook the importance of social class, but Margaret Kaine has taken it into account and therefore the happy ending she has written has substance and credibility and rounds off a thoroughly enjoyable book in the best possible way.

Kitty:

I have just taken a whole week’s holiday, full of many joys. One of which was having the time to read so read I did.

I have devoured The Forgotten Village by Lorna Cook, a fabulous timeslip that deftly weaves the story of modern-day romance along with a mystery long buried in the forgotten village of Tyneham, untouched since 1943.

I also managed to get to The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory and cannot believe I have left it languishing on my bookshelf for so long. I have long been a devoted fan and this retelling of the story of Kathryn Parr, the final wife of Henry VIII, has been as satisfying as all her others in both the Tudor and Plantagenet series.

Currently I’m listening to The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary and am loving it as much as I thought I would, brilliant concept and beautiful characterisation.

And finally, this week I read an ARC which I think will be the stand-out book of 2020, but I can’t tell you about it yet. Grrr! Trust me when I can, I will sing from the rooftops so watch this space! It is perfect.

Jane:

I started the month by reading non-fiction; first Georgetter Heyer’s Regency World by Jennifer Kloester (for research purposes – thanks for the recommendation, Cass!) and then a cricket autobiography, probably unsuited to this page so reviewed elsewhere on Frost.

Even with a review copy of Elizabeth Buchan’s new book, The Museum of Broken Promises burning a hole in my Kindle I decided to turn to my book club read for August for some light relief. Also because it was a book I’d wanted to read for ages, A J Pearce’s Dear Mrs Bird. It’s set in London during the blitz and the narrator (Emmy) is a young woman with the narrative voice of Honeysuckle Weeks’ character, Samantha Stewart, in Foyles War.

Emmy’s dream job at a newspaper turns out to be less than perfect when she ends up working for Mrs Bird, an Edwardian throwback with a rather outdated problem page. Initially the book seems to be an amusing light read, but as the blitz worsens the story becomes darker too. The characters are wonderful and I enjoyed every minute I shared with them, although it wasn’t a book that blew me away. Still more than worth reading though.