Charlotte Betts

La peste e la pandemia, cosa c'è di più attuale? Se poi, verso la fine del libro, scopri che raffreddore e febbre possono essere sintomi e che la malattia si diffonde nei luoghi più degradati, dove regnano la sporcizia e il sovraffollamento, il parallelismo, certamente non voluto dall'autrice, è inevitabile.
Fra colpi di scena ed equivoci vari, la storia d'amore di William e Susannah si sviluppa in una Londra devastata dalla peste e dall'incendio. Temi di fondo sono l'emancipazione e lo schiavismo.… (plus d'informations)

I read the wonderful The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Brett last year, so when I got the question if I wanted to participate in The House in Quill Court blog tour didn't I hesitate to say yes!

Venita Lovell has lived her whole life in Kent with her family. Her father is often away working in London. When tragedy strikes the family and a dark secret is revealed must the whole family relocate to London. This new start is hard on them all, but also offer a new promising future. But, first, must the whole family unit against injustice...

I quite liked Venita, she is a strong character, with a great passion for art and she will not bow down before them that threatens the new life she is trying to rebuild in London with her family. We also have young Kitty, the maid, who traveled with them to London for a new life. Kitty doesn't want to end up like her mother with a lot of children and a hard life. She wants a better life. London may offer up a new chance for her, but it's also a city that can take away happiness in a heartbeat.

I like that we both get to follow Venita and Kitty as they settle in the new city. The difference in their positions is great, but both yearn for a good life. Kitty soon finds happiness when she falls in love and Venita together with her family decides to fulfill a longtime dream of starting up a shop where they can display furniture, art, and fabrics. However, soon dark clouds descend over both Kitty and Venita's life.

And, the darkness that Bett adds to the story is the thing that makes reading this book so excruciating. Bett doesn't shy away from that life is tough in the 1900-century. That especially women have a tough life. To be honest, I did not expect that Bett would turn the story so dark. Especially Kitty gets to face how hard life is for a woman with no prospects when life turns sour.

Still, despite that the story is interesting is it also a bit predictable. Sure, not everything was predictable, I was surprised that Kitty's life seemed to turn out quite good (until of course, the harsh reality intervened). But, the big twist, in the end, did I see quite early on. And, despite, having a strong beginning and a good ending did I struggle now and then with the middle of the book and especially everything concerning Venita's brother Raffie who I felt needed to wise up and it was frustrating seeing how blind everyone was when it came to his actions.

Nevertheless, essentially did I like the book and I recommend it if you like historical fiction with a darker edge.

I want to thank Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!… (plus d'informations)

The year is 1792 and young Madeleine Moreau travelers to France after a tragedy to find out more about her father's family. She is not alone, she travelers with her friend Sophie who for her own personal reasons need to go away from her family. Also, with them is Comte Etienne d'Aubery who offers them to stay with him in France since the country is in turmoil.

If I have to read a romance book is a historical romance probably my first chose. But that probably quite logical since I find historical books generally interesting. Especially if the subject is interesting and I have always found the French Revolution interesting.

The Chateau on the Lake was a pleasant surprise because the story never got too cheesy. I can't stand romance novels with a cheesy story or with characters that are not believable. But the story in The Chateau on the Lake was really good, from the beginning to the end and the characters were well done and not flat.

There was a love triangle between Madeline, Etienne and his Jean-Luc, an old friend of Etienne who works at Chateau Mirabelle. But the love triangle never got really frustrating irritating to read about. Mostly because Madeleine's feelings for Etieene was hard to miss, at least I thought so.
I liked this historical romance very much, I especially liked that it took place during the French Revolution which meant that both Madeline and Sophie had to be careful not to reveal that they are English and not French. That made the story so much more fascinating. Madeleine and Sophie do what they can to blend in and build up a life and at the same time they must be very careful not to reveal themselves to the people around that doesn't know the truth.
Charlotte Betts has written a wonderful book and I'm looking forward to reading more books by her. It was really refreshing to read a romance book with a strong female character and an engaging story.

Thank you Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!… (plus d'informations)

I read the wonderful The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Brett last year, so when I got the question if I wanted to participate in The House in Quill Court blog tour didn't I hesitate to say yes!

Venita Lovell has lived her whole life in Kent with her family. Her father is often away working in London. When tragedy strikes the family and a dark secret is revealed must the whole family relocate to London. This new start is hard on them all, but also offer a new promising future. But, first, must the whole family unit against injustice...

I quite liked Venita, she is a strong character, with a great passion for art and she will not bow down before them that threatens the new life she is trying to rebuild in London with her family. We also have young Kitty, the maid, who traveled with them to London for a new life. Kitty doesn't want to end up like her mother with a lot of children and a hard life. She wants a better life. London may offer up a new chance for her, but it's also a city that can take away happiness in a heartbeat.

I like that we both get to follow Venita and Kitty as they settle in the new city. The difference in their positions is great, but both yearn for a good life. Kitty soon finds happiness when she falls in love and Venita together with her family decides to fulfill a longtime dream of starting up a shop where they can display furniture, art, and fabrics. However, soon dark clouds descend over both Kitty and Venita's life.

And, the darkness that Bett adds to the story is the thing that makes reading this book so excruciating. Bett doesn't shy away from that life is tough in the 1900-century. That especially women have a tough life. To be honest, I did not expect that Bett would turn the story so dark. Especially Kitty gets to face how hard life is for a woman with no prospects when life turns sour.

Still, despite that the story is interesting is it also a bit predictable. Sure, not everything was predictable, I was surprised that Kitty's life seemed to turn out quite good (until of course, the harsh reality intervened). But, the big twist, in the end, did I see quite early on. And, despite, having a strong beginning and a good ending did I struggle now and then with the middle of the book and especially everything concerning Venita's brother Raffie who I felt needed to wise up and it was frustrating seeing how blind everyone was when it came to his actions.

Nevertheless, essentially did I like the book and I recommend it if you like historical fiction with a darker edge.

I want to thank Piatkus for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!… (plus d'informations)