Reviewed: May 15th, 2024 Released: August 24th, 2023 Genre: Historical Romance
Lily Matthews had always known Aiden Donnelly, but nothing prepared her for the way their childhood friendship deepens into something more. Set in the turbulent years before World War I, and with preparations for the Coronation of King George and the suffragist movement in full swing, Lily and Aiden’s lives are about to change forever.
A chance encounter with Music Hall star and suffragette activist, Kitty Marion opens a world of possibilities. Lily, apprentice dressmaker, has dreams of designing theatrical costumes, Aiden, talented pianist and songwriter is waiting for his career break. One of them is left behind with a promise, the other is drawn into suffragette activism in the hope of creating a better world for them both. But will this opportunity bring them closer together or be the source of a devastating separation?
A Song for Kitty blends fictional and real-life characters to transport readers to a captivating time in history. If you love romantic historical fiction, you’ll be enthralled by this gripping story full of powerful emotions, strong characters, and a dangerous conflict. Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: May 4th, 2024 Released: December 15th, 2014 Genre: Historical/Steampunk Fantasy
One spy. One dangerous book. One deadly mission. The first in a delightful fantasy mystery series, The Invisible Library is the astounding debut from Genevieve Cogman.
Irene must be at the top of her game or she’ll be off the case – permanently . . .
Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. Along with her new assistant Kai, she’s posted to an alternative London. Their mission – to retrieve a dangerous book. But lo and behold, when they arrive, it’s already been stolen. London’s underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.
In this world teeming with supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic, Irene soon finds herself up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. And Kai is also hiding secrets of his own. Yet failure is not an option – the nature of reality itself is at stake. Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: March 19th, 2024 Released: February 23rd, 2022 Genre: Gothic Fantasy
This is my last love letter to you, though some would call it a confession. . .
S.T. Gibson’s sensational novel is the darkly seductive tale of Dracula’s first bride, Constanta.
Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.
Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death….Read My Thoughts…
Today, I am excited to be chatting with Historical author Helen Pugh to talk to us about her latest book, Unsung Women in Somerset. She is also a writer of children’s historical books.
HG: I can see this getting confusing, so I’ll use my initials (HG) for me in this interview! Welcome, Helen. I am so excited to talk to you about your book. Especially as we have just been celebrating International Women’s Day. Tell us a little about your book.
Helen: Unsung Women in Somerset is a book of real-life and legendary women who lived, loved, worked and made a difference in the county of Somerset, England. Often, these women were erased from the narrative, both when they were alive and after they died in terms of how their stories were overlooked.
Starting in pre-Roman times, we go right through to the mid-20th century. The book is made up of 23 chapters that generally consist of a short story followed by historical notes, a chapter bibliography and shorter sections on other women of note from the same era.
As well as gender discrimination, some of the women encountered discrimination due to ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social standing and so on.
Examples of the women in the book include an African princess who survived and thrived despite the odds, a woman who had two funerals and an enslaved Roman woman who married a priest.
HG: I think it is so interesting that you chose a variety of women through the ages who lived in Somerset. Who are the women on the cover of the book?
Helen: The cover represents women in different eras and undertaking different tasks. The woman at the top represents the book’s Medieval women, who included a translator, various queens, churchwardens, a witch and a baroness. The woman in the middle represents the women who took holy orders, such as an abbess, a prioress, a hermitess and a vowess. The woman at the bottom represents the women in the world wars, for instance a doctor, a tram driver and a member of the French Resistance. Behind the words are sections of a 17th-century map of Somerset.
HG: I hadn’t even noticed the maps behind the words until you mentioned it. This is why I Iove asking that question, you always see more when you understand the author’s intent. What about the title, what were your thoughts behind that?
Helen: The title, Unsung Women in Somerset, refers to how many of these women have been marginalised in the past. They have not often been celebrated, mainly because most people nowadays have not heard of most of them. And I chose “in Somerset” rather than “of Somerset” because not all the women were born or raised in Somerset. Some of them came into the county later in life and so I felt the word “in” conveyed this idea better.
HG: What made you write this particular book? And why women in Somerset in particular?
Helen: I chose to write a book that focused on historical women because in general, women have been overlooked in the study of history. There are so many books, news articles etc that focus almost exclusively on men. An old saying goes: “Geography is about maps. History is about chaps.” This mindset of focusing on men when studying history has meant that amazing women who lived in Somerset have often remained obscure. Problems with the records themselves have also kept women marginalised, such as simply not documenting women’s achievements and contributions, documenting those achievements using the passive voice rather than naming the woman or women involved, not bothering to preserve documents relating to women and unforeseen circumstances like archives going up in flames. Some women’s stories may never be known. Alice atte Castle is possibly an example of this. She is listed as a tenant of Fenny Castle, near Wells, in 1354, but I can’t find any other information about her.
Countless women, imperfect and human just like us, have pushed boundaries, in big or small ways, so that future women could lead better lives– entering male-dominated spheres, demanding their rights, breaking gender norms, taking on positions of power… The list goes on. At times, these women’s obscurity is just due to their gender but can also be because of multiple forms of discrimination, including social standing, race and disability.
And I chose to write about Somerset because I wanted to write a book that would explore the place I live in now, whereas my previous books were about where I used to live (Ecuador and so my books were based on South American history, with a particular focus on women).
I’m one of those people who used to think local history is boring but it definitely isn’t, not always. If you look in the right places, you can find incredible things, sometimes even things that happened in the tiniest hamlets. Another reason for picking Somerset is that bigger cities do get more focus in terms of history and things going on now. Bristol gets talked about a lot.
It’s exciting to get to know the spaces we visit day to day, that we look at the same hills people in years gone by looked at, walked the same paths, even if a lot has changed over time.
HG: History is full of amazing facts, you just have to dig a little to find them. I think it is wonderful that you found these unsung heroines to write about. I imagine that you have to do a lot research for each story you include?
Helen: Tons! Most of the time I spend on my books is researching. Sometimes it can take an hour of research just to write one or two sentences! It can be very tricky to pinpoint information about the women and/or tricky to find a consensus in the sources being looked at.
HG: When did you first realise you had a passion for writing?
Helen: I’ve been writing since I was really little, about 7 or 8. I wrote stories as a child, starting off with things about my teddies, then as a teenager I wrote science fiction for a while. Now I’m writing about history.
HG: Thank you so much for joining me today. It is so interesting to learn more about these amazing women. Just one more question for you. What are you working on next?
Helen: One fascinating aspect that I’ve come across in researching historical women in Somerset is the global nature of Somerset’s residents. For instance, the Roman Empire was culturally diverse, many Medieval queens were from mainland Europe and I mentioned before an African princess who came to Somerset. With that in mind, my next research project will look at cultural diversity in Somerset and I’m also working on a junior edition of Unsung Women in Somerset, aimed at ages 9 and above.
About the Author
Helen Pugh
Helen Pugh is the author of Unsung Women in Somerset, a collection of short stories focussing on real-life and legendary women in Somerset.
Her other works include Jungle-tastic Tales and Inca-tastic Tales, short story anthologies for children based on extensive research into the rainforest and Inca history, respectively, as well as Cuentos incatásticos for Spanish speakers.
Helen studied Spanish and Italian at university and has a lifelong passion for history, especially that of women who made history but have been edited out of history.
As an Amazon Associate I may benefit from purchases made using these links.
If you enjoy epic fantasy then the award winningSentinal series is now complete. If you like fantasy books with a touch of romance then you will love SoulBreather. Prefer Dystopian Science Fiction? Then try Harmony. Start the adventure and stay for the journey.
Sign up to my newsletter and download a free novella called Sentinals Stirring and get notified when my next books are published.
By clicking the sign up button above, you agree to share your email address with the site owner and the newsletter platform provider to receive marketing, updates, and other emails from the site owner. Use the unsubscribe link in those emails to opt out at any time.
By signing up to my newsletter, you agree to receive commercial information from Helen Garraway, located at 61 Bridge St, Kingston, Hertfordshire, UK (Data Administrator). You can withdraw your consent at any time. The data will be processed until the consent is withdrawn.
Reviewed: March 10th, 2024 Released: February 16th, 2014 Genre: Magical Cosy Mystery
Regency widow shouldn’t be hunting spectres all night.
Lady Judith Avely’s magical gift for divining the truth makes her prodigiously good at lying. To absolve a guilty secret, she travels to the exiled Duke of Sargen’s estate, but the last thing she expects is to run into the duke himself, who is lamentably now even more attractive than in his volatile youth.
The duke has his own concerns: he has returned home to a haunted house, with skulls floating about and a footman apparently bashed by a book. Such vulgar circumstances are best avoided, but the duke needs Judith’s unique talents to help uncover the culprit – even if it might put her in the sights of a killer.
With the help of a tiny vampiric acquaintance and a continuous supply of drinking chocolate, Judith should be able to solve the uncanny mystery…if only the duke will stop making improper remarks about her mobcaps.
A lady who can discern lies, the duke who lied to her, and a gothic cosy mystery full of bats, skulls, and cocoa.
Lady Avely’s Guide to Truth and Magic features a mid-life heroine, a slow-burn second-chance romance, and a magical version of Regency England. Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: February 8th, 2024 Released: February 7th, 2024 Genre: Cosy Mystery
A talented spell-weaving witch on the run is forced to find magical refuge in a mystery novel, playing the role of Emily Crookshanks, amateur sleuth and professional flirt.
Waking up with no idea who or where she is, Emily finds herself in the quaint 1920s English countryside village of Little Pucklewick, uncomfortably sharing tea and cakes with the not so Reverend Wilson-Smallsey, the village’s rather pompous womanising vicar.
After a series of shocking murders, Emily hooks up with the village doctor, a rather dashing ex-RAF fighter pilot known to his chums as ‘Ceddars’. Working together, they uncover clues and interrogate suspects.
Add an inept inspector, various pompous ladies from the regular vicarage get-togethers, a dashing explorer recently returned from the Orient, his very attractive career-minded secretary, and a whole host of motives and clues, including a series of nasty accusatory posters, and Emily finds herself in the middle of a most confusing and frustrating mystery.
But more than the murders, Emily suffers from terrifying visions of attack and desperate escape. And just what are wands and spell-weavery, and the smartphones and hi-def televisions she occasionally glimpses in her mind?
Despite everything, Emily knows that to survive, she must solve the mystery and, to do that, she must keep going to The End. Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: November 12th, 2023 Released: October 20th, 2021 Genre: MM Historical Fantasy Format: ebook (KU)
Silas Mercer has faced wily boggarts, mad faerie queens and enraged forest spirits. But can he withstand a daemon who is losing his mind?
Pitch and Sickle are left bruised, battered and reeling after their confrontation with the Verderer. They have learned a startling truth behind the arrowhead that wounded Silas, a truth that must be taken to the Lady Satine and the Order without delay. But his encounters in the Forest of Dean have effected Pitch in alarming ways. The daemon’s body may have healed but his erratic behaviour and wildly unpredictable temper grow ever more concerning. Silas owes his life to Pitch. Their experience in the forest has brought them a closeness he could not have imagined possible.
But what can he do for a daemon who is losing his way?
And how long will Silas survive, if he must ride alone? Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: October 29th, 2023 Released: June 30th, 2021 Genre: Historical MM Fantasy Format: ebook (KU)
Silas Mercer is a dead man walking.
And the mysterious Order of the Golden Dawn have big plans for their newest ankou and his deathly bandalore.
Life as a servant of death has its challenges. But the biggest one of all is Silas’s daemonic guardian, Pitch. He may look like heaven, but he’s making Silas’s life all kinds of hell.
The daemon is arrogant, egotistical and his appetite for violence and tea cakes is fast outgrowing the small village where they have been recuperating since their run-in with Black Annis.
Now, the increasingly unstable Blight is causing new havoc, and fresh monstrosities are emerging. Pitch and Sickle are back in the saddle, and on their way to the haunted Forest of Dean. But can Silas rely on his guardian’s protection? Or will Pitch prove to be the most dangerous encounter of all? Read My Thoughts…
Reviewed: June 8th, 2023 Released: June 1st, 2023 Genre: Epic Fantasy
“No surrender. No retreat.” With twenty enemy swords at their backs and a broken bridge ahead, the last knights of an outlaw order turn to fight. A young woman with forbidden magic joins their final stand. And as blade meets blade, she starts to sing…
Adelais was raised in the far north, learning stories of the old gods and the skill of weaving runes into magic. Now, she is locked in a convent far from home, forced to kneel to a foreign god.
When inquisitors arrive with plans to torture an innocent man, Adelais cannot stand by. She aids an attack to free the prisoner and joins the raiders as they flee into the night.
Her new companions are the last of the Guardians—once a powerful holy order, now ragged fugitives, hunted almost to extinction.
The knights carry a secret treasure, precious and powerful enough to shape kingdoms. Their pursuers, desperate to possess it, will crush any who stand in their way.
Nowhere is safe—in city or chateau, on the road or in the wilds. And even disguised as a boy, Adelais draws attention wherever she goes. Is she angel or demon, priestess or witch?
Adelais must summon all her courage and all her memories of the old gods’ magic as the noose tightens around her and a thunderous final reckoning approaches.
Reviewed: May 20th, 2023 Released: June 28th, 2018 Genre: Historical Fantasy Audiobook Narrated by Emma Powell
India Steele is desperate. Her father is dead, her fiancé took her inheritance, and no one will employ her, despite years working for her watchmaker father. Indeed, the other London watchmakers seem frightened of her. Alone, poor, and at the end of her tether, India takes employment with the only person who’ll accept her – an enigmatic and mysterious man from America. A man who possesses a strange watch that rejuvenates him when he’s ill.
Matthew Glass must find a particular watchmaker, but he won’t tell India why any old one won’t do. Nor will he tell her what he does back home, and how he can afford to stay in a house in one of London’s best streets. So when she reads about an American outlaw known as the Dark Rider arriving in England, she suspects Mr. Glass is the fugitive. When danger comes to their door, she’s certain of it. But if she notifies the authorities, she’ll find herself unemployed and homeless again – and she will have betrayed the man who saved her life.
Helen Garraway 