Lovereading Latest: Historical Fiction

Pure - Andrew Miller

Pure
Andrew Miller

Format: Paperback - Released: 05/01/2012
Lovereading Price: £6.74 - Saving £2.25 (25%)

Winner of the Costa Book of the Year award 2011. The author of the prize-winning, hugely acclaimed Ingenious Pain returns to the 18th century with an enthralling tale set in pre-revolutionary Paris. Following the judging, Geordie Greig, chair of the final judges, said: “Pure is a rich and evocative historical novel which engrosses with its vivid portrait of pre-revolutionary France. The qualities of Pure stood out for its memorable gothic tale of morality and mortality.” Greig chaired a final judging panel that included actor and comedian Hugh Dennis, actress Dervla Kirwan, broadcaster Mary Nightingale, novelist Patrick Gale, author Jojo Moyes, historical biographer Flora Fraser, author William Fiennes and children’s writer, Eleanor Updale.

Pantheon - Sam Bourne

Pantheon
Sam Bourne

Format: Hardback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £9.74 - Saving £3.25 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. A truth unearthed by Jonathan Freedland, who writes under the pseudonym Sam Bourne, is the idea at the centre of this explosive WW2 thriller. While we thought we were fighting a morally repugnant enemy who believed in the ‘master race’ the idea behind it ‘eugenics’ was supported by some of the most influential British and American intellectual and political elite of the time. An unwitting Oxford don finds himself personally involved in this previously hidden aspect of WW2 when his wife and child are kidnapped.

Tom-All-Alone's - Lynn Shepherd

Tom-All-Alone's
Lynn Shepherd

Format: Hardback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £9.74 - Saving £3.25 (25%)

February 2012 Book of the Month. Described by the author as a homage to Charles Dickens but also an incredibly well researched and re-imagined, gripping Victorian murder mystery based on his classic Bleak House. Where Dicken’s just hinted at Lyn Sheperd immerses you in a grim London underworld in which girls as young as ten work the night as prostitutes, unwanted babies are ruthlessly disposed of, and those who threaten the rank and reputations of great men are eliminated at once, and without remorse.

A Book for All and None - Clare Morgan

A Book for All and None
Clare Morgan

Format: Paperback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £6.74 - Saving £2.25 (25%)

February 2012 Debut of the Month. A beautiful, haunting literary debut from an extraordinary new talent who we can see scooping future literary prizes. When you are the Director of the Creative Writing Course at Oxford University there is, understandably, quite a lot of interest when you decide to write your first novel but Clare Morgan clearly hasn’t let it effect her.Looking at the lives of two academics through their passions for the philosopher Nietzsche and novelist Virginia Woolf, A Book for All and None, is highly accessible and thought provoking. Why not try the free Opening Extract?

The Legacy of Eden - Nelle Davy

The Legacy of Eden
Nelle Davy

Format: Paperback - Released: 03/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

February 2012 Debut of the Month. A ‘Piece of Passion’ from Nelle’s editor, Jenny Hutton:When we first read The Legacy of Eden we were left breathless. Nelle is a phenomenal talent, writing with emotion and drama while still capturing the stark reality of the life of a dark, dysfunctional family in the American Midwest. The Legacy of Eden is a magnificent, sweeping epic that charts the rise and fall of the infamous Hathaway dynasty, the reader is drawn back through history into a tangled web of ambition and power, destruction and freedom, love and betrayal. Long-buried family secrets and scandal unfurl with a quiet, mesmerising power and the characters, who stay with you long after you’ve put the book down, are a testament to Nelle’s skill as a writer and storyteller. This is a captivating debut."

The House of Dust and Dreams - Brenda Reid

The House of Dust and Dreams
Brenda Reid

Format: Paperback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.24 - Saving £1.75 (25%)

February 2012 Debut of the Month. Set in Greece in 1936 this is a charming tale of friendship, resilience and love in the face of war seen through the eyes of Evadne a spirited and unconventional wife of a young diplomat.

The Sky's Dark Labyrinth - Stuart Clark

The Sky's Dark Labyrinth
Stuart Clark

Format: Paperback - Released: 17/10/2011
Lovereading Price: £6.74 - Saving £2.25 (25%)

February 2012 Debut of the Month. A vivid, thrilling portrayal of the lives and work of Kepler and Galileo and their struggles with the social and political forces around them. It's the first in what will be a fascinating trilogy. Each book bringing to life, through vivid storytelling, key moments in our understanding of the cosmos. Set in the seventeenth century, when religion and science were at war the revelation that the earth was not the centre of the universe is seen through the eyes of the two men who proved it; Galileo and the lesser known German scientist Johannes Kepler. Books like this transform the way you access and understand our view of history. The Sky's Dark Labyrinth series:1. The Sky's Dark Labyrinth2. The Sensorium of God

The Queen's Secret - Victoria Lamb

The Queen's Secret
Victoria Lamb

Format: Hardback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £9.74 - Saving £3.25 (25%)

This romantic, historical fiction debut is based around the real visit of Queen Elizabeth I 19 day visit to Kenilworth castle in 1575 that historians believe was the last chance for Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester to persuade her to marry him. The author skillfully wraps an intriguing fictional mystery around this real event and the book is meticulously researched making it an informative as well as entertaining read.

The Sealed Letter - Emma Donoghue

The Sealed Letter
Emma Donoghue

Format: Paperback - Released: 03/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

From the bestselling author of Room comes a delicious tale of secrets, betrayal and forbidden love. Based on blow-by-blow newspaper reports of the 1864 Codrington Divorce, The Sealed Letter, full of sparkling characters and wicked dialogue, is a thought-provoking mystery and gripping drama of friends, lovers and marriage.

My Sweet Valentine - Annie Groves

My Sweet Valentine
Annie Groves

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.24 - Saving £1.75 (25%)

An emotional and engrossing portrayal of the lives of four women as Valentine's day approaches, in 1941 wartime London.

The Winter Palace (A Novel of the Young Catherine the Great) - Eva Stachniak

The Winter Palace (A Novel of the Young Catherine the Great)
Eva Stachniak

Format: Hardback - Released: 19/01/2012
Lovereading Price: £9.74 - Saving £3.25 (25%)

This 3rd novel from Eva Stachniak is a fresh fictional look at the fascinating life of Catherine the Great told through her “tongue” — a young lower-class orphan who eventually becomes a spy at the Imperial Court. Fans of historical fiction will love this opulent and lush story, bursting with period detail, that brings Catherine’s life in the Winter Palace vividly to life.

Labyrinth - Kate Mosse

Labyrinth
Kate Mosse

Format: Paperback - Released: 20/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.99 - Saving £2.00 (25%)

A Special Edition of Labyrinth by Kate Mosse to celebrate Orion's 20th anniversary. Winner of the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year at the British Book Awards 2006. I was privileged to visit Kate in her Carcassonne retreat and be shown the numerous locations she used throughout this novel; the exact tower, steps, house, street etc that feature in the action in this exciting tale. It’s a time-slip adventure, a grail-tale, a history lesson, and a thumping good read that effortlessly links medieval France with the present through two strong heroines. I loved it.

The Sensorium of God - Stuart Clark

The Sensorium of God
Stuart Clark

Format: Hardback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £9.74 - Saving £3.25 (25%)

The 2nd installment of the exciting Sky's Dark Labyrinth Trilogy explores the life and times of the reclusive and fearsome mathematician Isaac Newton, and the adventurous astronomer Edmond Halley. Working together to unravel the mysteries of the universe, they find their lives are plunged into chaos as science and religion collide. This trilogy of novels are inspired by the dramatic struggles, personal and professional, and key historical events in man's quest to understand the Universe. These fictional encounters are fascinating to read and full of science and astronomy presented in such a compelling way. The Sky's Dark Labyrinth series:1. The Sky's Dark Labyrinth2. The Sensorium of God

The Midwife of Venice - Roberta Rich

The Midwife of Venice
Roberta Rich

Format: Paperback - Released: 16/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £5.24 - Saving £1.75 (25%)

Hannah Levi is famed throughout Venice for her skills as a midwife but, as a Jew, the law forbids her from attending a Christian woman. However, when the Conte appears at her door in the dead of night, Hannah's compassion is sorely tested. And with the handsome reward he is offering, she could ransom back her husband, currently imprisoned on the island of Malta. But if she fails in her endeavours to save mother and child, will she be able to save herself, let alone her husband?

The Winds of Folly - Seth Hunter

The Winds of Folly
Seth Hunter

Format: Paperback - Released: 02/02/2012
Lovereading Price: £6.74 - Saving £2.25 (25%)

1796: Nathan Peake, captain of the frigate Unicorn is sent with a small squadron into the Adriatic to help bring Venice into an Italian alliance against the French. He establishes a British naval presence, harrying the French corsairs that swarm out of Ancona in Italy. While Nathan confronts the politics of 'intrigue, poison and the stiletto' in Venice, his mission is further complicated by the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte's aide de camp, Junot. Recognising Nathan as the 'American' who saved Bonaparte's life in Paris, Junot invites him to army headquarters where he unwillingly joins the French in a victorious battle against the Austrians. Meanwhile, in Venice, French troops move into the city and a new revolutionary government takes power. Nathan learns that Bonaparte is negotiating a peace deal with the Austrians - Britain's only remaining ally. Worse, the Spanish are about to ally with the French. Nathan returns to the Unicorn and rejoins Nelson for the decisive Battle of St Vincent against the entire Spanish fleet.