...masterly intelligent romance!

-

1877. Hooked by the opening, a rowing competition between major arch rivals Cambridge and Oxford where we meet the delicious yet dangerous Edward Clark and the vibrant Federica Marshall, I was pulled in even further by the opening interplay (of sorts) between Edward and this interesting woman dressed quite severely, in a mannish jacket with epaulets, wearing a bowler hat and exhibiting a jaunty freedom. Edward has left his beloved Toulouse to return to England. We have no clue as to why the story starts here, on the banks of the Thames at a rowing competition, and whither it is going, except that by the title, and now the description of this interesting young woman, that it somehow involves suffragettes.     
The novel's brilliant! I loved it after the first page and was well and truly ensconced by the end of the first chapter.
There's betrayal and friendship, intrigue and blackmail, and of course a romance that cannot be. We have a younger brother James, a nasty piece of work, coveting all that his older brother has and who cannot endure slights to his person. We have friendships that endure. There's masterly repartee between our two main characters, Free (Frederica) Marshall and Edward Clark.
Along the way are gathered in some of the 'Brothers Sinister.'
Free and Edward are wonderful together.  Their talk about punctuation is just so witty and clever! Free, with an interesting circle of friends runs a woman's press challenging the place of women. Edward is an adventurer, an artist and a man with a shadowed and past.
Humour, dastardly doings and romance! All great elements for an excellent read.
The plot drew me on down unexpected avenues with the tension being held right to the end.
Wonderful!

 A NetGalley ARC

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Things aren’t as they seem!

-
Image
A Murderous Tryst  (Beatrice Hyde-Care Mystery #11) by Lynn Messina    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Oh my! Bea certainly has a lot to contend with. Bea’s rattled! The Duke has been missing from their bed for a night. When a distraught Bea come downstairs the next morning she finds her beloved husband Damien clasped in the arms of a glamorous female. A female who turns out to be Kesgrave’s first mistress, Mrs. Penelope Taylor! What?! Of course Bea’s heart sinks and she falls back on her painful memories of Aunt Vera’s responses to such a situation. Bea is both shaken and traumatised, but determined not to show it.  It seems Penny has been accused of murder. Actually  Penny’s desperately trying to avoid Newgate.    As a former mistress Penny does the unthinkable thing in society’s eyes. She asks for help from Bea. Bea’s response is just as shocking. She says yes. Kesgrave is as usual inscrutable. Of course this is the beginning of a harebrained chase, complications between Bea  and Amien,  and an investiga
Read more

Women in war—Internment by the Japanese 1942-45.

-
Image
Sisters Under the Rising Sun  by Heather Morris    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fitting tribute to the women interred by the Japanese in Indonesia and Malaya during 1942 until liberation in 1945. Amongst the internees are a group of Australian Army nurses who were not given recognition by the Japanese as members of the armed forces and therefore not prisoners of war according to the Conventions of war.  Sister Vivian Bullwinkle is the only survivor of the massacre of a group of soldiers and nurses on Radji Beach, Bangka Island near Sumatra  in 1942, after the sinking of  HMS Vyner Brooke. There are a number of civilian prisoners in the camps like Norah Chambers and her sister Ena.  Combined, the story of these women interred under terrible conditions, their struggles and achievements are monumental.  Their gifts to their fellows beyond speech. Music plays an important part in uplifting the prisoners’ spirits. It’s truly a privilege to read about their plight, their vows to each other, and their braver
Read more

A sparkling ride!

-
Image
An Inconvenient Earl  (A Royal Match #4) by Julia London      ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What an untidy, meandering, convoluted, and strangely joyous tale! Emma Clark’s abusive husband Albert, the Earl of Dearborn had decamped to Africa, leaving Emma to wander Butterhill Hall and manage the estate alone. Months later a man turns up to give Emma the news Albert has died in Cairo from yellow fever. Said gentleman then promptly has some sort of attack and dies on Emma’s receiving room floor. Emma’s stunned. What to do? She knows her sister-in-law Adele, will toss Emma out of Butterhill Hall when she learns of Albert’s death, so Emma says nothing. Almost a year is gone when Luke Olivien, the Weslorian Comte ve Marlaine, son of the Duke of Astasia, turns up to deliver Albert’s pocket watch to Emma. Luka is an anthropologist. He’s been travelling with Bedouin tribes studying their migratory habits and trade routes. Emma does all she can to avoid having Luka tell her that Albert is dead. She ignores him, fl
Read more