Just One More Chapter : Laura Purcell

Showing posts with label Laura Purcell. Show all posts

Friday, October 25, 2019

Review: Bone China by Laura Purcell

Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft's family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken. But Dr Pinecroft has plans for a revolutionary experiment: convinced that sea air will prove to be the cure his wife and children needed, he arranges to house a group of prisoners suffering from the same disease in the cliffs beneath his new Cornish home. While he devotes himself to his controversial medical trials, Louise finds herself increasingly discomfited by the strange tales her new maid tells of the fairies that hunt the land, searching for those they can steal away to their realm.

Forty years later, Hester Why arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralyzed and almost entirely mute Miss Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try and escape her past but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers that her new home may be just as dangerous as her last.

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published September 19th, 2019

by Raven Books

****

This month I have been reading suspense thriller books. Laura Purcell has written a couple historical fiction and then ventured into Gothic historical that sends chills up my spine.

Her latest Bone China had the same dark atmospheric quality I was craving. Set in an isolated house on the coast of Cornwall I felt the unknown vibe as this book played out. Told from the POV of Hester Why and Louise Pinecroft it weaves back and forth in time smoothly as the stories of these two women were revealed.

I enjoyed this (and all of Laura Purcell’s books) story, it was eerie and I felt the tension the plot created. With its many layers being pulled away this was a story that kept me on my toes. The characters made this book, they are flawed, creepy and rather sinister each hiding something.

The ending wasn’t what I expected but it worked and fit the story.

If you haven’t read Laura Purcell, I highly recommend her books.

Bone China is part of my 2019 reading off my shelf challenge

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Review: The Corset by Laura Purcell

The new Victorian chiller from the author of, The Silent Companions.

Is prisoner Ruth Butterham mad or a murderer?

Victim or villain?

Dorothea and Ruth.

Prison visitor and prisoner.

Powerful and powerless.

Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor and awaiting trial for murder.

When Dorothea's charitable work leads her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted with the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets teenage seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another theory: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread. For Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.

The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations – of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses – will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality and the power of redemption. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer?

Paperback, 416 pages

Published May 2nd, 2019

by Raven Books

****

The Corset was released in the UK last year and set for a June 19th, 2019 release in North America titled The Poison Thread.

I ordered this from the UK because of the cover also since I was so enamored with Laura Purcell's previous book, The Silent Companions I was anxious to get my hands on this baby.

I love the blurb, it doesn’t give any of the story away but leaves much to the imagination, giving hints to an eerie Gothic tale of murder and mayhem with a touch of the supernatural...well maybe...

Told from alternating pov’s I was treated to scenes of Victorian England society from both sides of the fence. From the prim and proper to prison and low-class workers. From fancy dinner parties to those wondering if they will be fed just one meal a day. The author vividly illustrated the setting, both visually and emotionally.

I’ve never heard of phrenology before, and yes I did pull out a dictionary. What an original concept and the author pulled it off nicely.

The Corset is a story of guilt, injustice, and revenge, it’s a coming of age story as both women struggle in a society where women are meant to do as told and not think for themselves. Where their happiness depended on how obedient they were. Definitely a book and author I recommend.

This book is part of my ‘2019 reading off my shelf’ challenge.

click on cover to see my review

Monday, March 5, 2018

Review: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

When newly widowed Elsie is sent to see out her pregnancy at her late husband's crumbling country estate, The Bridge, what greets her is far from the life of wealth and privilege she was expecting . . .

When Elsie married handsome young heir Rupert Bainbridge, she believed she was destined for a life of luxury. But with her husband dead just weeks after their marriage, her new servants resentful, and the local villagers actively hostile, Elsie has only her husband's awkward cousin for company. Or so she thinks. Inside her new home lies a locked door, beyond which is a painted wooden figure--a silent companion--that bears a striking resemblance to Elsie herself. The residents of The Bridge are terrified of the figure, but Elsie tries to shrug this off as simple superstition--that is, until she notices the figure's eyes following her.

A Victorian ghost story that evokes a most unsettling kind of fear, this is a tale that creeps its way through the consciousness in ways you least expect--much like the silent companions themselves.

Paperback, 320 pages

Expected publication: March 6th 2018

by Penguin Books

****

I have been shying away from contemporary psychological thrillers these days, I find they lack the creepy, suspenseful, on the edge of your seat feel. And to be totally honest I had given up hope of obtaining an arc (of The Silent Companion) from netgalley when I requested back in the fall. When I did receive this last week I jumped right in blind, totally forgetting what this book was about but being familiar with the author I knew I was in good hands.

The Silent Companions is the type of eerie, suspenseful, spooky, mysterious book that I love, add the historical setting and I was glued to the pages. There are two time periods involved here, 1635 and 1865 that are connected by The Bridge, an estate that the locals stay away from because of its dark history.

Laura Purcell does a great job setting the mood for this story, with it's locked doors, strange noises and equally interesting characters (real and wooden) and of course an old diary. Because of the time periods involved the mystically elements fit right in, witch's were believed to exist and the way everything was presented felt authentic. Definitely shows the authors knowledge of the time period. While I didn't get that scared feeling I was totally captivated here, I had to keep reading to find out what was going on.

I like the cover above but think the UK version is also great.

Thanks to the publisher (via Netgalley) for an advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Review/Giveaway; Mistress of the Court by Laura Purcell

The second in Laura Purcell’s captivating and acclaimed series of novels chronicling the lives and loves of the consorts and mistresses of Britain’s rash, reckless and ebullient Hanoverian kings.

Her first novel, Queen of Bedlam, was published by Myrmidon in the summer of 2014.

Orphaned and trapped in an abusive marriage, Henrietta Howard has little left to lose. She stakes everything on a new life in Hanover with its royal family, the heirs to the British throne.

Henrietta’s beauty and intelligence soon win her the friendship of clever Princess Caroline and her mercurial husband, Prince George. But, as time passes, it becomes clear that friendship is the last thing on the hot-blooded young prince’s mind. Dare Henrietta give into his advances and anger her violent husband? Dare she refuse?

Whatever George’s shortcomings, Princess Caroline is determined to make the family a success. Yet the feud between her husband and his obstinate father threatens all she has worked for. As England erupts in Jacobite riots, her family falls apart. She vows to save the country for her children to inherit – even if it costs her pride and her marriage.

Set in the turbulent years of the Hanoverian accession, Mistress of the Court tells the story of two remarkable women at the centre of George II’s reign.

“Ms. Purcell’s knowledge of the intimate life of the Hanoverians is stunning, and in this novel she has brought a remarkable, and unappreciated herione to gritty, heart-breaking life.” –Anita Seymour, author of Royalist Rebel

“Laura Purcell is a wonderful storyteller, and Mistress of the Court a fabulous Georgian read!”–Lucinda Brant, NY Times bestselling author of Georgian romances and mysteries

Paperback: 448 pages

Publisher: Myrmidon Books Ltd (4 Aug. 2015)

paperback - publisher as part of this tour

*****

It's rare when I venture past the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in my reading. I know the names of the various kings and queens but that's about it. I started Mistress of the Court with both excitement and a little trepidation (would I be lost in an unfamiliar time?).

I am happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author created characters that I really got to know, not just on the surface but she got inside of them which had me feeling much empathy for their plight.

The story weaves the POV which I liked, it gives the reader both sides of certain plot lines. Again not being familiar with issues of the day, I learned much as I was also entertained. The outline of this book above does a great job with what this book is about, no need for me to add to it. The authors writing was smooth and her knowledge of this time period is evident. Reading it wasn't hard to feel the life style of that era. Upon closing the book I googled what I could about both Henrietta and Caroline, even King George (was he really that nasty?). I think I have myself a new time period to study and read about. The conflicts, family drama seem as typical as any other British royalty and the author has done a great job with Mistress of the Court.

There is a nice couple pages with Author's notes which just completed this book perfectly. I eagerly away the sequel and reading more of her books.

To win a copy of this book (worldwide giveaway). Just leave a comment below, contest closes on Oct. 24th. More entries if you spread the word (leave a link below).

Purchase Links

Amazon UK | Amazon

Laura Purcell is a former Waterstones bookseller who lives in Colchester. She is a member of the Society for Court Studies and Historic Royal Palaces and featured on a recent PBS documentary, talking about Queen Caroline’s life at Hampton Court.

She maintains a history blog at laurapurcell.com.