A Pearl for My Mistress by Anabel Fielding Blog Tour

An enchanting first novel from author Anabel Fielding, A Pearl for my Mistress is the story of Hester a bright, ambitious working class girl who longs to escape the dreary Northern town where she grew up. Her sister, a singer with a jazz band has already escaped to London and Hester too dreams of the bright lights and the chance to find love and to be herself. Hester believes that a job as a lady's  maid will offer that escape. She finds employment with the Fitzmartin family, accepting a tiny salary for the chance to find excitement as lady's maid to their wild and unpredictable daughter Lucy. This is 1934 and many aristocratic families are living in straightened circumstances and a life in service doesn't appeal to the majority of young women but Hester is soon caught up in the whirlwind of Lucy's exciting, aristocratic life and entranced by Lucy herself. but her loyalty to Lucy will be tested when she realises that her Mistress is involved in a dangerous game. Lucy has begun to write to supplement her meager allowance and to express her political opinions which are very different from her parents'. Lucy falls under the spell of Mosley and the Blackshirts and that begins to have very real consequences for Hester. Leaving the young maid with a dilemma can she put aside her own views for love?
A perfect novel for fans of Downtown Abbey, Love in a Cold Climate or I Capture the Castle this wonderfully researched story evokes a bygone era of debutantes and London seasons, of shooting parties and smoky Jazz clubs. The contrasting lives of upstairs and downstairs are brilliantly drawn and the language is spot on for the era. If like me you love reading about The Mitford Sisters then this little gem will be right up your street.
Published by HQ Digital. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for a chance to read this book. You can download this book now for only £1.01 or $1.36 in the USA, making it a perfect comfort read for a wet and dreary afternoon, follow the links below.
Amazon UK
Amazon USA

The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor

Hazel Gaynor's fourth novel is based around the amazing true story of Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths; young cousins in Cottingley Yorkshire who in 1917 claimed to have photographed fairies at the bottom of the garden. The girls take the photographs for their own amusement but nothing stays a secret in Cottingley for long and soon the whole village is talking. In the aftermath of war people need something to believe in and soon the girls and their photos and the Yorkshire fairies are the subject of newspaper and magazine articles and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sends them cameras to take more pictures, but what is the truth? Hazel Gaynor weaves this true story with the fictional tale of Olivia Kavanagh in 2017, who inherits her grandfather's bookshop in Howth. Olivia discovers a manuscript at the bookshop written by Frances which tells the truth of the Cottingley Secret. Olivia is captivated by the story and getting caught  up in the mystery means she can avoid having to make decisions about her future. She is due to be married in a few weeks time, her fiancee, her job and her life are all in London but the pull of the bookshop, her ailing grandmother, her childhood home in Howth and the mystery of her mother's death are all keeping her from moving forward. This is a beautifully written book, both strands of the story are utterly compelling. Hazel Gaynor is a fantastic storyteller. The Cottingley Secret will appeal to fans of Kate Quinn, Tracy Rees, Katherine Webb and Gill Paul.
This is one of my most anticipated books of the year and finally this Thursday September 7th it goes on sale in Ireland. Published by Harper Collins who kindly sent me a copy for review.

More new books to be excited about in 2017

2017 is proving to be an absolutely top notch year for books. Not only are there new books on the way from some of my favourite historical fiction authors Bernard Cornwell, Ken Follett, Hazel Gaynor and Diana Gabaldon as well as new books from fantasy authors Philip Pullman, Celine Kiernan, Frances Hardinge and Ilka Tampke there are all of these lovelies to look forward to also.

Just Published 

The bestselling author of The Bees returns with a powerful environmental thriller about friendship and obsession. Perfect for fans of Rosamund Lupton and Peter May. Out now 4th Estate.

Lucy Atkins third novel features a TV historian, a Victorian diary and a web of secrets and lies. This sounds just amazing. Out now Quercus Books

Rebecca Mascull has just released her third novel and it features women pilots in Edwardian England and the Great War. I am really looking forward to reading this. Out Now from Hodder Books. For fans of Katherine Webb and Helen Dunmore.

A new book from Carol Goodman always makes me sit up and take notice and this one seems intriguing as it features a spooky, possibly haunted house in the Hudson Valley, which is having a menacing impact on the couple who have taken it on. This is out now from William Morrow. Goodman is a must read for fans of Gothic thrillers.

Coming in June

The second book from Irish author of YA fiction Moira Fowley-Doyle. Rose, Ivy, Hazel and Rowan hope that a mysterious spellbook will help to find the things they have lost; big and small but slowly they begin to wonder if its actually revealing secrets that were never meant to be told. Out on June 1st from Corgi Children's part of PRH. 

The new novel from Rowan Coleman features Luna; a young woman reeling from the impact of her mother's death. Somehow Luna is transported back to 1977 and meets her mother as a young woman. Can she save her from suicide? I have heard wonderful things about this novel which is being called spellbinding and heart-breaking. Out on 29th June from Ebury Press (PRH)

The companion to This Savage Song brings V.E. Schwab's Monsters of Verity series to a thrilling and high-octane conclusion. Out on June 13th from Titan Books.

Coming in July

The first book in the Midnight Queen trilogy is released in paperback this summer. It features an alternative 19th Century England fully of myth, magic and intrigue. It's ideal for fans of Susanna Clarke, Genevieve Cogman and V.E. Schwab. (Alison & Busby)

The second book in Angela Slatter's Verity Fassbinder series is coming this July and I cannot wait. I adored the first book about Verity's adventures. Verity is a paronormal investigator with a difference. For fans of Lisa Tuttle, Jim Butcher and Ben Aaronovitch. Read my review of the first book HERE

Coming in August

First and foremost I have to mention this book by the brilliant Hazel Gaynor. It will be published by William Morrow Books in the US and Canada in August but fans on this side of the Atlantic will have to wait a little longer. There will be a special early edition for Ireland in September and a paperback for the UK next March. (Harper Collins) I actually feel like I have been waiting for this book for so long as I read about it in the Bookseller when Hazel signed the deal for this book. This will be Hazel's fourth novel and is the tale of the sisters who convinced the world that they had photographed fairies in their garden. Hazel is a wonderful writer her books are the ultimate comfort read. This is a story I cannot wait to explore. 

Taking inspiration from some classic horror and science fiction this book features Mary Jekyll on the hunt for clues to her father's past. She seeks the aid of Holmes and Watson and crosses paths with women who are the creations of a secret society of power crazed scientists. It sounds utterly thrilling and will be released by Saga Press NY in August

The second book in Lisa Tuttle's dazzling new paranormal crime series sees Jesperson and Lane travel to Norfolk to investigate the curious death of Mr Manning and the strange shrieking pits. I am really looking forward to revisiting these characters and just look at that cover. Read my review of the first in the series HERE  (August Jo Fletcher Books)

A thrilling debut from an Irish author about a young girl kidnapped and taken to the icy north. This looks perfect for fans of Abi Elphinstone and Emma Carroll. From Alfred A Knopf in August. 

and Finally coming this September 

A new book from Frances Hardinge. Yay. All I needed to hear about this were the words dark historical tale. This is set during the English Civil War and features a family cursed to carry the souls of seven ancestors.  Makepeace Felmotte inherits not only those angry men but the spirit of a bear and it is this strength that she uses to escape. Sounds amazing. Macmillan 21st September.