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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 Marriage Season by Jane Dunn #Review

 

I am delighted to feature the Regency Romance, The Marriage Season by Jane Dunn. It was published on January 26th by Boldwood Books. 

 

‘It’s not a fair world I’m afraid. Beauty or fortune carries the day. You have the beauty and I the fortune, so there’s every chance we’ll succeed’

In Regency England, marriage is everything. For young widow Sybella Lovatt, the time has come to find a suitable husband for her sister and ward Lucie. Male suitors are scarce near their Wiltshire estate, so the sisters resolve to head to London in time for The Season to begin.

Once ensconced at the Mayfair home of Lady Godley, Lucie’s godmother, the whirl of balls, parties and promenades can begin. But the job of finding a husband is fraught with rules and tradition. Jostling for attention are the two lords – the charming and irresistible Freddie Lynwood and the preternaturally handsome Valentine Ravenell, their enigmatic neighbour from Shotten Hall, Mr Brabazon, and the dangerous libertine Lord Rockliffe, with whom the brooding Brabazon is locked in deadly rivalry.

Against the backdrop of glamorous Regency England, Sybella must settle Lucie’s future, protect her own reputation, and resist the disreputable rakes determined to seduce the beautiful widow. As the Season ends, will the sisters have found the rarest of things – a suitable marriage with a love story to match?


 My Thoughts

I was delighted to be immersed in the world of Regency men and women as they embarked on their quest to find suitable marriage partners. The level of detail in describing the clothes, houses and daily activities of the upper class ladies and gentlemen really evoked the period. Appearances and custom seem to count for everything and the appearance of polite behaviour covers up what may be going on in private.

    The roles of men and women are starkly contrasted with unmarried girls at their most vulnerable. Until marriage, they are constrained by the need to appear to have innocence and a total lack of awareness of ‘baser’  behaviour. Life in the country and London us also contrasted. You feel that it is only in the country that Sybella  can really act freely as the adult she is. In this historical novel you will find a fine range of characters and a diverting plot with just the right portion of romance. There are rakes and innocents but the most interesting of all of course is the aloof but sincere neighbour who Sybella meets. 

In short: a fine romance

 

                         About the Author

Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which  is to be published in January 2023. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.

You can follow Jane here: Twitter  |  Instagram   |  Bookbub

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Jane Dunn, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

 

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