New Release Book Review: The Buchanan Girls by Emily Madden

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021 Amanda BarrettLeave a comment

Title: The Buchanan Girls Author: Emily Madden Published: September 1st 2021 Publisher: Mira – AU Pages: 448 Genres: Fiction, Historical, Romance RRP: $29.99 Rating: 5 stars A sweeping family saga about betrayal, forgiveness and the cost of love. Sydney, 1941: Olive and Ivy may be identical twins, but they couldn’t be more different. While Olive is focused on marrying a man appropriate to… Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Buchanan Girls by Emily Madden

#aww2021 · 2021 Reviews · contemporary fiction · dual time frame · historical fiction · new release

New Release Book Review: The Women’s Circle by Karyn Sepulveda

July 29, 2021 Amanda Barrett3 Comments

Title: The Women’s Circle Author: Karyn Sepulveda Published: July 7th 2021 Publisher: Ventura Press Pages: 304 Genres: Fiction RRP: $32.99 Rating: 4 stars Sydney, present day. Anna is released into the world after six years in prison. The entirety of her possessions stuffed into a single plastic bag. The trauma of her past, a much heavier burden to carry. Feeling hopeless, isolated and deeply… Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Women’s Circle by Karyn Sepulveda

#aww2021 · 2021 Reviews · dual time frame · historical fiction · new release

New Release Book Review: The French Gift by Kirsty Manning

July 19, 2021 Amanda Barrett2 Comments

Title: The French Gift Author: Kirsty Manning Published: March 30th 2021 Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pages: 328 Genres: Fiction, Historical RRP: $32.99 Rating: 5 stars A forgotten manuscript threatens to unravel the past … Fresnes Prison, 1940: Margot Bisset, a former maid from the Riviera, finds herself in a prison cell with writer and French Resistance fighter, Josephine Murant. Together, they are transferred… Continue reading New Release Book Review: The French Gift by Kirsty Manning

#aww2021 · 2021 Reviews · contemporary fiction · dual time frame · historical fiction

Book Review: The Piano Woman by Rozzi Bazzani

June 28, 2021 Amanda Barrett3 Comments

Title: The Piano Woman Author: Rozzi Bazzani Published: February 11th 2021 Publisher: Arcadia Pages: 310 Genres: Fiction, Historical/Contemporary RRP: $29.99 Rating: 4 stars A young woman goes missing…On the threshold of World War II, a young woman from a titled family in the south of England disappears, seemingly without a trace.An unexpected inheritance…In 2016 on the outskirts of Melbourne Australia, Maddison Browne, a… Continue reading Book Review: The Piano Woman by Rozzi Bazzani

2021 Reviews · contemporary fiction · dual time frame · historical fiction · new release

New Release Book Review: The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley

June 27, 2021 Amanda Barrett3 Comments

Title: The Missing Sister Author: Lucinda Riley Published: May 25th 2021 Publisher: Pan Macmillan Pages: 816 Genres: Fiction, Contemporary/Historical RRP: $32.99 Rating: 4.5 stars They’ll search the world to find her. From the Sunday Times number one bestselling author Lucinda Riley, The Missing Sister is the seventh instalment in the multimillion-copy epic series The Seven Sisters. The six D’Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey… Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley

#aww2021 · 2021 Reviews · Beauty and Lace review · contemporary fiction · dual time frame · historical fiction · new release

Beauty & Lace Book Review: Eye of a Rook by Josephine Taylor

March 21, 2021 Amanda Barrett4 Comments

Title: Eye of a Rook Author: Josephine Taylor Published: February 2nd 2021 Publisher: Fremantle Press Pages: 216 Genres: Fiction, Contemporary/Historical RRP: $32.99 Rating: 4 stars In 1860s London, Arthur sees his wife, Emily, suddenly struck down by a pain for which she can find no words, forced to endure harmful treatments and reliant on him for guidance. Meanwhile, in contemporary Perth, Alice,… Continue reading Beauty & Lace Book Review: Eye of a Rook by Josephine Taylor

#aww2021 · 2020 Reviews · contemporary fiction · dual time frame · new release

New Release Book Review: The Valley of Lost Stories by Vanessa McCausland

January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 Amanda BarrettLeave a comment

Title: The Valley of Lost Stories Author: Vanessa McCausland Published: December 2nd 2020 Publisher: HarperCollins Books Australia Pages: 416 Genres: Fiction RRP: $32.99 Rating: 4.5 stars Beautiful, beguiling and treacherous … Big Little Lies meets Picnic at Hanging Rock in a secluded valley over the Blue Mountains. Four women and their children are invited to the beautiful but remote Capertee Valley, west of the Blue Mountains. Once… Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Valley of Lost Stories by Vanessa McCausland

2020 Reviews · dual time frame · fiction · historical fiction · mystery

Book Review: The Last Train by Sue Lawrence

January 12, 2021 Amanda BarrettLeave a comment

Title: The Last Train Author: Sue Lawrence Published: January 24th 2018 Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pages: 352 Genres: Fiction, Historical, Mystery RRP: $32.99 Rating: 3.5 stars At 7 p.m. on 28 December 1879, a violent storm batters the newly built rail bridge across the River Tay, close to the city of Dundee. Ann Craig is waiting for her husband, the owner of a large… Continue reading Book Review: The Last Train by Sue Lawrence

#20BacklistIn2020 · 2020 Reviews · contemporary fiction · dual time frame · historical fiction

#20BACKLISTIN2020 Backlist Book Challenge: The Imperial Wife by Irina Reyn

November 16, 2020 Amanda BarrettLeave a comment

In a desperate bid to reduce the books that are collecting dust on my TBR shelves, I have decided to collaborate with another avid reader and fellow book reviewer, Nicole from Certified Book Addicts. The #20BACKLISTIN2020 challenge is a self paced challenge hosted by Jaylamm.Reads, Reading and Sunshine, and Cassidys.Bookshelf. The overall goal of this challenge is to read… Continue reading #20BACKLISTIN2020 Backlist Book Challenge: The Imperial Wife by Irina Reyn

#aww2020 · 2020 Reviews · dual time frame · historical fiction · new release

New Release Book Review: The Silk House by Kayte Nunn

October 14, 2020 Amanda Barrett8 Comments

Title: The Silk House Author: Kayte Nunn Published: June 30th 2020 Publisher: Hachette Australia Pages: 384 Genres: Fiction, Historical RRP: $32.99 Rating: 5 stars Weaving. Healing. Haunting. The Top-Ten bestselling story of a mysterious boarding school sheltering a centuries-old secret… Australian history teacher Thea Rust arrives at an exclusive boarding school in the British countryside only to find that she is to look after the first… Continue reading New Release Book Review: The Silk House by Kayte Nunn

Mrs B's Book Reviews

Book reviews and recommendations from a self confessed book geek

Category: dual time frame