Just found one of my favorite authors had a new book out in 2019 that I missed! BOOK DESCRIPTION We are in England sometime during the early part of the 20th century. A chance encounter with a group of unusual and talented people on a train journey reveals an insight into the life and times of Queen Victoria, one of… Read more »
I met author Calvin Cherry today and his Dracula prequel, which is a biographical narrative of author Bram Stoker, looks to be an intriguing historical read! Stoker: Evolution of a Vampire by Calvin Cherry Every writer has an inspiration. Every icon holds a story. Every legend hides a dark side. Dear reader, When the boon of sleep becomes a presage… Read more »
From the Prologue… Thank goodness for a blatantly obvious murder. From Chapter One… This is an account of a remarkable man named Sherlock Holmes. BOOK DESCRIPTION “Being shunned by Society gives Charlotte Holmes the time and freedom to put her extraordinary powers of deduction to good use. As “Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective,” aided by the capable Mrs. Watson, she’s had… Read more »
“That solemnity which etiquette, decorum and decency insisted should prevail could scarcely hide the excited expectation in the Palace of Kensington on that June morning in the year 1837.” THE QUEEN AND LORD M by Jean Plaidy On the morning of 20th June 1837, an eighteen-year-old girl is called from her bed to be told that she is Queen of… Read more »
The Testament of Sophie Dawes The Queen of Chantilly and a Scandal at the Heart of Victorian Society by Robert Stephen Parry Author Website / GoodReads / Amazon During the Victorian era, a few months after Prince Albert’s untimely death, an archivist arrives at the Queen’s residence of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. His job is to sort… Read more »
Bride of a Distant Isle by Sandra Byrd Daughters of Hampshire My review for Mist of Midnight (HNR) A Lady in Disguise (coming 2017) Annabel Ashton of Highcliffe Hall had grown up knowing of her mother’s shameful and alarming condition, which ended with an early death at an asylum. At only four years of age, Annabel lost her mother, and… Read more »
Author Interview: ROBERT STEPHEN PARRY The Hours Before begins with an interesting character perspective. Can you explain why you chose this path for the introduction? Perhaps one of the easiest mistakes we can make in life (and the more successful, wealthy or comfortable one becomes the easier it is to make it) is to assume that humility and modesty are… Read more »
The Queen’s Husband by Jean Plaidy The third of the four-book Queen Victoria series (The Captive of Kensignton Palace, The Queen and Lord M, The Queen’s Husband, and The Widow of Windsor) The Queen’s Husband is a detailed account of Prince Albert’s childhood, youth in Coburg and marriage to the Queen of England. I chose to read this particular book… Read more »
1. Many reviewers have called The Arrow Chest hauntingly beautiful–which is true–but the supernatural elements are so subtle that only those well-versed in Tudor history see the glaring similarities between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and Oliver Ramsey and Daphne. Firstly, I applaud you for not making it sickening obvious; my question is: did you begin writing with the idea… Read more »
The Hours Before By Robert Stephen Parry Set during the Belle Époque era, The Hours Before is the story of Deborah Peters, a once-celebrated clairvoyant turned dejected society matron, who is bent on revenge and readying herself for a final assignation with her adversary. Readers take a backward look at the events leading up to the protagonist’s current wretched state,… Read more »
The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry Blending the life of a 19th century Pre-Raphaelite painter with famous Tudor personages, The Arrow Chest is the story of a Victorian couple in an eerily similar situation to the most famous of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne Boleyn. Amos Roselli and his lifelong muse, Daphne, meet again after her marriage to a wealthy industrialist…. Read more »
The Flower to the Painter by Gary Inbinder Marcia Brownlow, a young artist among a group of American expatriates in late 19th century Europe, began her journey as a governess when her family fell on hard times and left her bereft. A friend’s aunt makes a proposal that Marcia cannot afford to decline, although it would require a major deception:… Read more »