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Coming Home to Maple Lodge by Alison Sherlock #Review

  I am delighted to feature the first in Alison Sherlock's new series set in the Corswolds. Coming Home to Maple Tree Lodge was published by Boldwood Books on June 20th. A family and hotel in desperate need of help… Maple Tree Lodge has been the home of the Jackson family for over a century. But the hotel has never been a success and, following the sudden loss of his father, architect Ben Jackson soon discovers the hotel is close to financial ruin. Ben has to make some tough decisions if the hotel is to survive and his family are to keep a roof over their heads. With the hotel in urgent need of a renovation, Ben’s sister calls on the talents of her best friend, interior designer Lily Watson. Cash strapped Lily needs a successful project to prove to herself and her high-achieving parents that she can carve a successful career and Maple Tree Lodge sounds like just the place for Lily to showcase her talents. However, Lily’s vision for a cosy, country Cotswolds hotel is the com...
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The House in Quill Court by Charlotte Betts * Blog Tour Review*

    I am delighted to be part of the Blog Tour for Charlotte Betts' latest Regency novel The House in Quill Court. 

    Set in 1813, it starts off in Kent where Venetia Lowell lives with her mother and young brother. Her father, an interior decorator, is often away from home but together, they dream of opening a shop where they would supply high quality furnishings and art, using some of Venetia's designs. When Jack Chamberlaine arrives with shocking news, Venetia finds her world turned upside down and the family have to move to London, to the House in Quill Court. From then on, their lives are tested as they have to decide if they are going to stand up for what they believe is right.


    The House in Quill Court fizzes with life and verve. Its Regency setting adds romance and colour to the story which is full of historical detail. We are shown different strata of London society and Charlotte Betts weaves together different storylines into a satisying whole. In Venetia, we have a brave and believable character and we understand her motivations and actions. The whole story is peopled with lovely little cameos who add to the richness of the plot, sometimes with humour. The story of Kitty the maid stands out as we see her being tested by life.

    The contrast between Venetia's early life in Kent and the dangerous world of Regency London could not be clearer. We are shown the rich and poor living side by side as if in two parallel worlds. I particularly liked the references to the soldiers returning from the Napoleonic War and, as the author makes clear in her Historical Note which accompanies the story, London was rife with criminal behaviour, unchecked by a centralised police force. All this is captured within the pages of the book. 

In short: Regency London sparkles with life in this well researched and enjoyable read.

                                                                  The Author 




Charlotte Betts began her working life as a fashion designer in London. A career followed in interior design, property management and lettings. Always a bookworm, Charlotte discovered her passion for writing after her three children and two step-children grew up.
Her debut novel, The Apothecary’s Daughter, won the YouWriteOn Book of the Year Award in 2010 and the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers, was shortlisted for the Best Historical Read at the Festival of Romance in 2011 and won the coveted Romantic Novelists' Association's Historical Romantic Novel RoNA award in 2013. Her second novel, The Painter’s Apprentice was also shortlisted for the Best Historical Read at the Festival of Romance in 2012 and the RoNA award in 2014. The Spice Merchant’s Wife won the Festival of Romance's Best Historical Read award in 2013.
Charlotte lives with her husband in a cottage in the woods on the Hampshire/Berkshire border.

     
                                                Follow the rest of the Blog Tour!


You can connect with Charlotte Betts at her website here or on Twitter here

Thanks to the publisher, Piatkus Books for a copy of the book and a place on the Blog Tour.

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