Review: The Ghosts of Paris

Title: The Ghosts of Paris (Billie Walker Mystery #2)

Author: Tara Moss

Publisher: 1st June 2022 by HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 384 pages

Genre: historical fiction, mystery

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

A thrilling tale of courage and secrets set in postwar London and Paris, in which a search for a missing husband puts investigator and former war reporter Billie Walker on a collision course with an underground network of Nazi criminals

It's 1947. The world continues to grapple with the fallout of the Second World War, and former war reporter Billie Walker is finding her feet as an investigator. When a wealthy client hires Billie and her assistant Sam to track down her missing husband, the trail leads Billie back to London and Paris, where Billie's own painful memories also lurk. Jack Rake, Billie's wartime lover and, briefly, husband, is just one of the millions of people who went missing in Europe during the war. What was his fate after they left Paris together?

As Billie's search for her client's husband takes her to both the swanky bars at Paris's famous Ritz hotel and to the dank basements of the infamous Paris morgue, she'll need to keep her gun at the ready, because something even more terrible than a few painful memories might be following her around the city of lights . . .

My Thoughts

I am ever so happy to have been lost in Billie Walker’s world - my new historical female heroine! The Ghosts of Paris is the second novel in the Billie Walker series by Tara Moss and I loved it! Although not necessary to have read The War Widow (Tara does provide a catch up and some background) I highly recommend you do. This is a post WWII private investigator you will not want to miss out on!

‘My dear girl,' Basil said, looking quite appalled. You think this kind of work is appropriate for a woman?' 'Well yes, Basil, I do. I grant it's not for everyone, but it's appropriate for plenty of women and men, given the chance.’

The Ghosts of Paris will take you from Sydney, to London, to Paris. Tara recreates the streets of Sydney and brings alive the post war struggles of two European capitals with all the sights and sounds. The storyline reels you in on so many bases. Not only is there a challenging missing husband case to solve but Billie is also wondering if this trip might shed some light on her own husband missing from the war years. There are twists, turns and action aplenty from this riveting tale. 

Full credit to Tara for giving readers such a strong, confident and independent leading lady with her Fighting Red lipstick yet also able to demonstrate Billie’s softer and more vulnerable side. With just enough sprinkling of historical details there is much at play in this post war mystery. You will be cheering Billie on as she fights the good fight - literally and figuratively - against her male peers and always with the trusty Sam supportively by her side. 

‘Ah, Paris. You see? You are the right man for this job,’ Vera declared, raising her glass victoriously. ‘I knew it.’ ‘I do hope so’, Billie cautiously agreed. ‘I may even be the right woman.’

I highly recommend this series and reading the books in order. The Ghosts of Paris is such a wonderful historical mystery book filled with exciting, emotional and highly addictive storyline’s. I can't wait to see what Billie gets up to next. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Pharaohs of the Sun

Title: Pharaohs of the Sun

Author: Guy de la Bédoyère

Publisher: 12th July 2022  by Hachette Australia

Pages: 382 pages

Genre: non fiction, history, Egypt

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

For more than two centuries Egypt was ruled by the most powerful, successful, and richest dynasty of kings in its long end epic history. They included the female king Hatshepsut, the warrior kings Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, the religious radical Akhenaten and his queen Nefertiti, and most famously of all for the wealth of his tomb the short-lived boy king Tutankhamun. The power and riches of the Pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty came at enormous cost to Egypt's enemies and most of its people. This was an age of ruthless absolutism, exploitation, extravagance, brutality, and oppression in a culture where not only did Egypt plunder its neighbours but Egyptian kings and their people robbed one another.

3,500 years ago ancient Egypt began two centuries in which it became richer and more powerful than any other nation at the time, ruled by the kings of the 18th Dynasty. They presided over a system built on war, oppression, and ruthlessness, pouring Egypt's wealth into grandiose monuments, temples, and extravagant tombs. Tutankhamun was one of the last of the line and one of the most obscure. Among his predecessors were some of the most notorious and enigmatic figures of all of Egypt's history. Pharaohs of the Sun is their story, showing how the glamour and gold was tainted by selfishness, ostentation, and the systematic exploitation of Egypt's people and enemies.

My Thoughts

‘Their legacy was their history, temples, tombs, and works of art of the 18th Dynasty which the world has looked upon in awe ever since, all the while sobered by the wreckage and decay, and the lone and level sands stretching far away. In that. if we are honest, we can also see the relics of our own time and our hubris in some far distant future.’

Ever since I was at school and first introduced to Egypt and its history I have been fascinated. So much so that I had to fulfill a childhood dream by sitting beside the Sphinx and visiting Tutankhamen’s tomb. I have read both fiction and nonfiction tales from this time as I just can't get enough of it. For anyone like me, Guy de la Bédoyère 's latest book is sure to make you happy. 

Guy has written many historical books over three decades. His latest, Pharaohs of the Sun, details ancient Egypt in the 18th Dynasty, a time when this civilisation was at its peak. Under this particular group of Pharaohs, Egypt became the richest and most powerful Bronze Age state that would prove to intrigue and captiviate people for thousands of years to come. This book covers it all and is very readable for the non-academic. I enjoyed the parallels Guy brought from other Empires to try and explain and correlate. 

‘Egypt’s glory days of the 18th Dynasty were built on a hierarchy with gold-bedecked kings at the top and the broken bodies of labourers, including children and prisoners of war, at the bottom. These kings presided over a population most of whom died before their thirties from disease or other hazards.’

Guy does an amazing job across the depth and breadth of this dynasty. With the big names such as Tutankhamen, Hatshepsut, Akhenaten and Nefertiti to lesser known ones, he writes of their stories inclusive of the cost to those they ruled. It was certainly a time of great riches with complete and utter ruthlessness. There is also a most impressive index, glossary, timeline colour photos and more included in some of the 100+ pages of reference materials and extras. 

The 18th Dynasty was an incredible era for the ancient Egyptians - well up there with some of the world's best. For me, and for many others, it continues to be such a source of fascination. We see it all from the grandeur to the enormous cost to all involved.  This is a book I highly recommend to lovers of all things ancient Egyptian.

‘My imagination runs riot wondering what the common people who see my monument in the years to come will say. Beware of saying I know not, I know not why this was made and a mountain fashioned entirely from gold like an everyday event I swear as Re loves me, as my father Amun favours me shall be eternal like the star that never sets.’

~ Hatshepsut, on her obelisks at Karnak ~

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Blade Breaker

Title: Blade Breaker

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Publisher: 28th June 2022 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 578 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre:  young adult, fantasy, adventure

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

The fate of the world rests on a blade's edge.

Fighting beside her band of unlikely companions, Corayne is learning to embrace her ancient lineage and wield her father's powerful sword.

But while she successfully closed one of the Spindles, her journey is far from over.

Queen Erida's army marches across Allward with her consort, Taristan, right beside them, opening more portals into nightmarish worlds, razing kingdoms to the ground.

Corayne has no choice but to assemble an army of her own if she's to save the realm as she knows it. But perilous lands await her and the companions, and they face assassins, otherworldly beasts, and tempestuous seas all as they rally a divided Ward to fight behind them.

But Taristan has unleashed an evil far more wicked than his corpse armies. Something deadly waits in the shadows; something that might consume the world before there's any hope for victory.

My Thoughts

Last year Victoria presented her fans with, Realm Breaker the first book in her new trilogy - an unlikely band of misfits who came together in their quest to save the world from impending doom and destruction. The second instalment, Blade Breaker has just come out and is the perfect next instalment. 

‘Your world is lost ….' The shadow rippled with His voice. "You do not know it yet. How can you? That wretched hope won't let you accept defeat. Oh, how I despise

that flame inside you, that restless heart of yours. She took another step, this one

a bit easier. The sword grew heavy in her hand.’

The epic adventure continues on right where the first book ended with unsung heroes and vile villains aplenty and intrigue that will have you impatiently awaiting the final reckoning. If you enjoyed the first, then you will happily continue the journey with the fight to control What Waits -  the demonic force that wants to enter the Realm. With Victoria providing a range of POV, there are twists and turns aplenty as the fate of the world rests delicately on the point of a blade. This book is rich and inviting and highlights how far some characters will go to either save or destroy the realm. 

Admittedly, some parts are slow but the ending is worth it. It still has the Lord of the Rings vibe, this time with an added Game of Thrones politicking element. I believe this is all setting up for an interesting book 3 and I look forward to seeing where Victoria eventually takes readers. This is a big book with many characters and a complex world. I will say that the main characters eg. Corayne is still not as appealing as Sorasa or Dom whom I was much more invested in. 

‘Now there is nowhere to go, and yet I keep walking forward. Into what, I do not know. And neither does anyone else.’

 

The humour is still there, the world building is huge, the plot involved and although slow in spots this is an enjoyable read for lovers of this genre. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The White Hare

Title: The White Hare

Author: Jane Johnson

Publisher: 23rd June 2022 by Head of Zeus, Apollo

Pages: 400 pages

Genre: historical fiction, folklore

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

For fans of Alice Hoffman and Kate Morton, The White Hare is a spellbinding novel about mothers and daughters finding a new home for themselves, the secrets they try to bury, and the local legends that may change their lives.

In the far west of Cornwall lies the White Valley, which cuts deeply through bluebell woods down to the sea at White Cove. The valley has a long and bloody history, laced with folklore, and in it sits a house above the beach that has lain neglected since the war. It comes with a reputation and a strange atmosphere, which is why mother and daughter Magdalena and Mila manage to acquire it so cheaply in the fateful summer of 1954.

Magda has grand plans to restore the house to its former glory as a venue for glittering parties, where the rich and celebrated gathered for cocktails and for bracing walks along the coast. Her grown daughter, Mila, just wants to escape the scandal in her past and make a safe and happy home for her little girl, Janey, a solitary, precocious child blessed with a vivid imagination, much of which she pours into stories about her magical plush toy, Rabbit.

But Janey’s rabbit isn’t the only magical being around. Legend has it that an enchanted white hare may be seen running through the woods. Is it an ill omen or a blessing? As Mila, her mother, and her young daughter adjust to life in this mysterious place, they will have to reckon with their own pasts and with the secrets that have been haunting the White Valley for decades.

My Thoughts

Reading a Jane Johnson book you know you are always in for a treat - I am such a fan. Whether she be writing an historical tale from Morocco or Spain, or the mystical elements of the Cornish coast, Jane has a real skill at capturing that sense of place. The White Hare sees a return to Cornwall and the myths and legends that surround this area of England.

‘Those ancient people had incredible vision and determination. They were channelling a force of nature with which they had a powerful connection, and I think we’ve lost that connection in this busy, chaotic world.’

The White Hare is a slow burn tale loaded with atmosphere as it tells the story of three generations of women from the same family. While somewhat different from Jane’s previous books, she still creates a great sense of place for these characters. You are sure to lose yourself in the Cornish coast from the beaches to the gothic home and the lightly imbued mystical elements. I appreciated the exploration of local folklore/pagan beliefs that are sprinkled throughout. 

This is a story to immerse yourself in with a focus on people and place rather than a strong, consuming plot. Set in beautiful Cornwall, there is rarely a story to be told from this locale that does not appeal to readers who wish to lose themselves in a unique and special place. 

‘Once you’ve lived in this valley, you’ll never be free of it. Its uncanny beauty gets inside you, right into the marrow. It has its own climate, its own peculiar character. In the same way as people can draw you in and repel you at the same time; both beguile and frighten you.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Brightest Star

Title: The Brightest Star

Author: Emma Harcourt

Publisher: 7th July 2022 by Harlequin Australia, HQ & MIRA

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre:  historical fiction

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

A thirst for learning and a passion for astronomy draw an extraordinary young woman deep into the intellectual maelstrom, political complexities and religious extremism of Renaissance Florence. This beautifully crafted novel will appeal to readers of Karen Brooks' The Good Wife of Bath and Pip Williams' Dictionary of Lost Words.

1496 It is the height of the Renaissance and its flowering of intellectual and artistic endeavour, but the city state of Florence is in the grip of fundamentalist preacher Friar Girolamo Savonarola. Its good people believe the Lord speaks through him, just as certainly as the Sun circles the Earth.

For Leonarda Lunetta, eldest daughter of the learned Signore Vincenzo Fusili, religion is not as interesting as the books she shares with her beloved father. Reading is an escape from the ridicule flung her way, for Luna is not like other girls. She was born with a misshapen leg and that, and her passion for intellectual pursuits - particularly astronomy - alters how society sees her and how she sees the world.

Luna wants to know, to learn, to become an astronomer who charts the nights sky - certainly not the dutiful, marriageable daughter all of Florence society insists upon. So when Luna meets astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, she is not surprised that his heretical beliefs confirm her view that world is not as it is presented - or how it could be. These dangerous ideas bring her into conflict with the preacher Savonarola, and her future is changed irrevocably as politics, extremism and belief systems ignite in a dangerous conflagration.

Luna is a woman born out of time, the brightest star of her generation, but can she reconcile the girl of her father's making with this new version of herself? And if she does, will Renaissance Italy prove too perilous and dark a place for a free-thinking woman?

My Thoughts

The Brightest Star is a work of historical fiction by Australian author, Emma Harcourt. Following up from her debut, The Shanghai Wife, Emma demonstrates her versatility and depth as a growing author. What is there not to love in going back to Renaissance Italy and being immersed in the intellectual, political and religious turmoil of the day. Make the lead character a female with a physical disability and you have all the ingredients for a riveting story. 

‘How cruel a fate. She flung the book across the room and heard it smack sharply against the far wall. Damn this world that elevated men above all others.’

This was such a well researched book which made for excellent reading. Whether it be the politics of the time with the Medici’s, the growing movement and growth in the understanding of astronomy (particularly concerning Copernicus) or the role of women - there is certainly much on offer for readers of historical fiction. It was a full immersion into Florentine society of the day.

‘Florence was a city that did not suffer rule-breakers and he’d not counted on his daughter developing quite so independent a voice. She’d become wilful, speaking her mind whenever it pleased her and asking for the freedoms of a man.’

The story is overflowing with details as you come to understand how life was for Luna, being female with a disability. Was her father doing her a disservice by fostering her love of reading and other intellectual pursuits, setting her up for failure given society's expectations?  Luna’s story is certainly unique and worth the read as a strong female lead well ahead of her time. 

‘There was peace in the stars. The night sky blinked. There was Venus, so bright. ‘Hello, wandering star,’ Luna whispered and wished she were up there, afloat in her own perfect sphere in that more perfect world.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Crimson Thread

Title: The Crimson Thread

Author: Kate Forsyth

Publisher: 5th July 2022 by Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 350 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction, world war II 

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

In Crete during World War II, Alenka, a young woman who fights with the resistance against the brutal Nazi occupation, finds herself caught between her traitor of a brother and the man she loves, an undercover agent working for the Allies.

May 1941. German paratroopers launch a blitzkrieg from the air against Crete. They are met with fierce defiance, the Greeks fighting back with daggers, pitchforks, and kitchen knives. During the bloody eleven-day battle, Alenka, a young Greek woman, saves the lives of two Australian soldiers.

Jack and Teddy are childhood friends who joined up together to see the world. Both men fall in love with Alenka. They are forced to retreat with the tattered remains of the Allied forces over the towering White Mountains. Both are among the seven thousand Allied soldiers left behind in the desperate evacuation from Crete's storm-lashed southern coast. Alenka hides Jack and Teddy at great risk to herself. Her brother Axel is a Nazi sympathiser and collaborator and spies on her movements.

As Crete suffers under the Nazi jackboot, Alenka is drawn into an intense triangle of conflicting emotions with Jack and Teddy. Their friendship suffers under the strain of months of hiding and their rivalry for her love. Together, they join the resistance and fight to free the island, but all three will find themselves tested to their limits. Alenka must choose whom to trust and whom to love and, in the end, whom to save.

My Thoughts

A new book by Kate Forsyth, as one of Australia’s best storytellers, is always cause for celebration. You know without doubt that you are in for a rich historical tale that will fully immerse you back in time. 

‘Hitler’s winged devils are leaping from the sky onto our soil. They think us an island of weak old fools. We shall show them!’

Kate’s, The Crimson Thread, is so multilayered and so much more than a simple World War II story. Set in Crete, it details the time of the Nazi occupation and the terrible impact that ensued on the local people, their resistance and the support given by a few remaining allied forces. On the one level, it is full to the brim of information from this horrific occupation and those who stood up for the greater good. A good solid wartime saga.

“War is not an adventure, my boy,” she had said. “It hurts you somewhere deep down, and the wound never heals.”

Kate does, however, take this to the next level through her rich and vibrant multidimensional storytelling. Firstly the cast of characters are wonderful (though I couldn't stand Teddy from the outset - but I think that was the point) and you cannot help but feel each and every tragedy that befell them. The romance is true and honest. Secondly is the Cretan culture - traditions, music and food - this particular aspect I found most entertaining and interesting. Finally, Kate’s great love of fairy tales/myths comes shining through - how could it not from the home of Zeus! With all the Greek retellings I have read of late, it felt like going home in many ways. To read of Ariadne and the story of the Minotaur amongst the temple ruins was a definite highlight. Kate cleverly weaves  it all together into a sublime retelling with a new cast of characters - heroes and villains.

‘The people of Crete had three great passions: love of country, love of freedom, love of life. The Nazis had brought subjugation, enslavement, death. Alenka was determined to fight them’

Overall, this is sure to be another success to Kate’s impeccable list of books. The faultless way she weaves history, culture and mythology to provide a tale of tragedy with real heroes offering resistance makes this a highly recommended read for lovers of this genre. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.