Tag Archives: historical

Half a Sixpence by Evie Grace Book Review

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Frost is always excited to discover a new author and our excitement was huge upon the discovery of Evie Grace. Her debut novel Half a Sixpence is a dazzling debut that remined me of the Catherine Cookson books I have loved so much. Brilliant historical fiction that draws you in and does not let you go. Even better, this is the first book in a trilogy. We can’t wait until the next instalment.

 

Set in Kent in the 1830s, Half a Sixpence by Evie Grace is the first in the Maids of Kent trilogy, published on 13th July. Described as Catherine Cookson meets The Darling Buds of May, Half a Sixpence marks the change in rural life on Rook Farm as the mechanisation of the industrial revolution sweeps across the countryside and changes the fate of families forever.

HALF A SIXPENCE

by

EVIE GRACE

Published by Arrow

Paperback

13th July 2017

Priced £5.99

True love sometimes comes at a price

East Kent, 1830

Catherine Rook takes her peaceful life for granted. Her days are spent at the village school and lending a hand on her family’s farm. Life is run by the seasons, and there’s little time for worry.

But rural unrest begins sweeping through Kent, and when Pa Rook buys a threshing machine it brings turbulence and tragedy to Wanstall Farm. With the Rooks’ fortunes forever changed, Catherine must struggle to hold her family together.

She turns to her childhood companion, Matty Carter, for comfort, and finds more than friendship in his loving arms. But Matty has his own family to protect, and almost as quickly as their love blossomed their future begins to unravel.

With the threat of destitution nipping at her heels, Catherine must forge a way out of ruin . . .

Evie Grace was born in Kent, and one of her earliest memories is of picking cherries with her grandfather who managed a fruit farm near Selling. Holidays spent in the Kent countryside and the stories passed down through her family inspired her to write Half a Sixpence.

She loves researching the history of the nineteenth century and is very grateful for the invention of the washing machine, having discovered how the Victorians struggled to do their laundry.

Half a Sixpence is Evie’s first novel in her Maids of Kent trilogy. Half a Heart and Half a Chance will follow.

 

 

Easterleigh Hall by Margaret Graham Book Review

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51ggbcnOkHL._SY300_The perfect novel is a truly wonderful thing: a key to take you away from your life. It transports you to another world and you can lose yourself and all of your problems for hours at a time. I read most of Easterleigh Hall on a glorious Autumn Sunday while the rain poured outside. I was grabbed straight away, the characters are so well-written and fascinating. Evie Forbes is a fantastic heroine: a ballsy, decent and ambitious young woman. She is smart and is willing to sacrifice and work hard to get what she wants.

Set in County Durham just before the First World War, it is almost impossible to review Easterleigh Hall without mentioning the success of Downton Abbey, and this book would make a similarly amazing TV series. It has its villains in Lord Brampton and a valet called Roger, every great novel needs someone to hate. Most of the rest of the characters, and especially the Forbes family, are impossible to not love. Things are not always what they seem and even those ‘upstairs’ come into their own.

Margaret Graham is a very versatile writer. Her other books are also amazing. Her historical books like this one are always well researched. You are taken into the past and you always learn something too. So not just entertaining.

Evie starts work as an assistant cook at Easterleigh Hall against her family’s wishes. Her family do not like Lord Brampton as her father and brothers work in the mine that he owns. But Evie wants to run a small hotel and her training will give her a way out. Little do they know that the world is on the brink of war. The book does not rush. It allows the story and the characters to grow, to really get into the story. I love this, you really feel like you know these people. This is a glorious read and one I will be recommending to friends. Luckily there are another two books in the series which will take us up to the Second World War. I can’t wait.  It is out on October 9th. Read it, buy it or steal it. Okay, maybe not the last one.

Easterleigh Hall is available here.

http://www.margaret-graham.com