History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

A Fashionably French Murder (An American in Paris Mystery #3) Author: Colleen Cambridge Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense  Publisher: Kensington Books  Book Release Date: 2025 Pages: 273 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: American expat Tabitha Knight has found a new life in postwar Paris, along with a delightful friend in aspiring chef Julia Child. Yet there are perils in peacetime too, as a killer infiltrates one of the city’s most famous fashion houses.         If there’s one art the French have mastered as well as fine cuisine, it’s haute couture. Tabitha and Julia are already accustomed to sampling the delights of the former. Now fashion is returning to the forefront in Paris, as the somber hues of wartime are replaced by vibrant colors and ultra-feminine silhouettes, influenced by Christian Dior’s “New Look.”         Tabitha and Julia join a friend for a private show...

The Dead Curate (Jane Austen Investigations #5) Author: Laura Martin Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense  Publisher: Sapere Books  Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 239 Source: Borrowed Synopsis: Join Jane Austen as she solves a gripping murder case! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Elizabeth Bailey and Ashley Gardner.       This murder case feels personal…        1798, Steventon, England        Mr Austen’s role as rector of Steventon church has meant that Jane and her sister Cassandra are well connected in the local community.         With Mr Austen indisposed, Jane and Cassandra walk to church to greet the curate, Mr Williamson, who will be leading the sermon in his place.         But when they arrive the church is locked and the parishioners are already milling around outside....

Kateryn Parr: Henry VIII’s Sixth Queen Author: Laura Adkins Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Pen and Sword History  Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 185 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Kateryn Parr is mainly remembered today as being the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, the one who 'survived'. Kateryn was not only a wife but a queen, mother, reformer, and author. Kateryn would face a number of events in her lifetime including being held to ransom during the Pilgrimage of Grace, being placed as regent while Henry was in France, a role which only one of his five previous wives held, her namesake Katherine of Aragon, and overcame a plot which would have led to her arrest and execution. While Queen she was able to unite the Tudor family and establish some form of happiness for Henry VIII's three children. Raised by her mother Maud Parr, under a humanist education, Kateryn was intelligent enough to understand her role in life...

The Price of a Throne (The Hiberno-Norman Chronicles #1) Author: Sean J. Fitzgerald  Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Coldwater Publishing House Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 286 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Dive into the heart of medieval Ireland with this historical tale of courage, deception, and the relentless pursuit of power.      Aoife, the defiant daughter of the dethroned King of Leinster, is thrust from a life of privilege into the heart of political and familial turmoil. Promised in marriage to the formidable Norman warrior, Strongbow, her life becomes a canvas of conflict, painted with the broad strokes of national upheaval and the intricate lines of personal betrayal.      As she navigates the treacherous landscape of medieval Ireland, Aoife faces the harrowing realities of power, loyalty, and betrayal. Her story is a testament to the strength of the human spirit in ...

The Rose Arbor Author: Rhys Bowen Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense  Publisher: Lake Union Publishing  Book Release Date: 2024 Pages: 349 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: An investigation into a girl’s disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense by the bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Paris Assignment .        London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl’s disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it’s her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.       Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods...

The Girl from Botany Bay Author: Carolly Erickson  Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Trade Paper Books Book Release Date: 2008 Pages: 252 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: On a moonless night in the early 1790s, prisoner Mary Bryant, her husband William, her two small children, and seven other convicts stole a twenty-foot longboat and slipped noiselessly out of Sydney Cove, Australia, eluding their captors. They sailed north, all the way to Indonesia, traveling some thirty-six hundred treacherous miles in ten weeks—an incredible feat of seamanship. For a time, Mary and her companions were able to convince the local Dutch colonial authorities that they were survivors of a shipwreck, but eventually the truth emerged and they found themselves back in captivity, in irons, on their way to England for execution.       In time, Mary's fateful journey would win her tremendous admiration. A woman once reviled as a criminal w...