Category Archives: Romance

September 3, 2026 · 8:03 am

Henrietta – Georgette Heyer

Cover of Sophie Irwin's novel 'Henrietta'.

As I like both Georgette Heyer and Sophie Irwin, I had to read this novel (and it didn’t disappoint)

Here’s the blurb …

Could this be the Season she wins his heart? 

Henrietta has secretly loved Arthur, Lord Allerton, since childhood. He is the only man who is interested in her rather than her fortune – just not in the way that she wants.

After three years away at war, Arthur has returned to London to find everything changed. His finances are ruined, his family in chaos. And sweet, shy Hetty is … different.

For Hetty has set herself a challenge: she has one summer to become the charming, dashing Diamond she’s always wished to be. And either Arthur will notice her, or she’ll give up her dreams entirely.

But in a glittering Season plagued by scandal and intrigue, is there still room for love …?

I loved this novel – the characters were fabulous – Arthur, the older brother, very responsible, Timothy, the dandy younger brother, Trixie, the younger sister determined to find some excitement (and probably ruin herself), and Henrietta, our heroine, who was a ward of the Allertons, but now just lives with them. She’s also incredibly wealthy (80 000 pounds) and very shy and awkward. The perfect set up for a regency romance.

There is descriptions of frocks, regency cant (slang), balls, the theatre and a balloon ascension. We’re just missing a trip to Vauxhall Gardens. There are fortune hunters and lovely shy young men.

Sophie Irwin has done a fabulous job of emulating Georgette Heyer. This is one of my favourite novels of the year.

A review.

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August 24, 2026 · 9:41 am

The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion (Vol 1) – Beth Brower

f Emma M Lion

I pre-ordered this novel (on Kobo) and then I received an email telling me I could download it, but no I couldn’t. Then I got a surly email from Booktopia informing that it wasn’t available yet. So eventually it arrived.

Here’s the blurb …

“I’ve arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.”The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

This is a series of journal entries set in the late 1800s. It does feel quite authentic and Emma is a charming character.

Here she is describing how she wants to live to her banker.

I simply wish to keep myself in London, in Lapis Lazuli House, and buy books. I have considered owning a cat, but I believe that expense won’t put mw out in the streets just yet.

This is a short, quick to read, and charming novella. I will definitely move onto Volume 2 (I want to know about the tenant in Lapis Lazuli Minor – is there going to be romance?)

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August 22, 2026 · 6:19 pm

Sophie, Standing There – Meg Mason

As I loved Sorrow and Bliss, I was very keen to read this new novel. I pre-ordered it in paper, and then also bought a kindle version (I am finding it easier to read on my Boox as I can fit it easily into my handbag and therefore take my book with me everywhere).

Here’s the blurb ..,

Sophie Lockwood is a lovely person – warm, kind, relentlessly positive. She’s cherished by her brother Laurie, adored by her best friend Emma and valued by her colleagues. But she is deeply lonely.

Her marriage is over. She’s moved out of the home she shared with her now ex-husband and all she has in the fridge is two eggs and sliced bread in the freezer. Sometimes one day in her life can feel like the entire month of January. But she’s fine.

She spends her time reading, finding comfort in the pages of the books she devours. Until one day she stumbles upon an author she’s never read before – Lilac Dunne. Her books, interviews and podcasts soon become a lifeline; every word is solace, company she hasn’t felt in so long. It’s almost like love.

Love at first read. And Sophie would love to meet her, although she never will obviously. In a way, thank goodness, because that would change everything. Sophie’s entire life.

Hilariously candid and raw, Sophie, Standing There is a bittersweet story of love, loneliness and finding connection in the most unlikely of places.

I watched a podcast, where Meg Mason described Sophie as a happy person. And I thought, ‘gosh that’s not how I would describe her’. When we first meet Sophie things are pretty miserable – she has separated from her husband, and is living in his dingy investment property (paying a peppercorn rent – why isn’t it also her investment property?). She has a job she loves, but it is not well-paid, and she is lonely (for some reason she is no longer contacting her best friend Emma).

However, Sophie is a fabulous character – kind, competent, and thoughtful. The writing is beautiful, it felt like I was inside the terrible flat or the dodgy restaurant across the road. Some of the characters were suitably awful in their selfish disregard for anyone else. Laurie, her brother, was lovely, and their backstory was intriguing.

The action in this book is ordinary and I mean that in a positive way – we could all be Sophie. Getting through each day, doing the best we can, and hoping for something better.

For all of us readers, this novel is also about reading, and the relationship between the reader and the author, and finding that connection with someone else who loves the same novel that you do.

This is one of my favourite books of the year.

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July 16, 2026 · 11:11 am

Cherry Baby – Rainbow Rowell

Cherry Baby – Rainbow Rowell

I bought this at the airport, it seemed a fun holiday read.

Here’s the blurb …

Everybody knows that Cherry’s husband, Tom, is in Hollywood making a movie…

Almost nobody knows that he isn’t coming home.

Tom is the creator of Thursday—a semi-autobiographical webcomic, turned bestselling graphic novel, turned international phenomenon.

Semi-autobiographical. That means there’s a character in this movie based on Cherry… “Baby.”

Wide-hipped, heavy-chested, double-chinned Baby.

Cherry never wanted this. No fat girl wants to see herself caricatured on the page—let alone on the big screen. But there’s no getting away from it. Baby looks so much like Cherry that strangers recognize her at the grocery store.

While her soon-to-be ex-husband is in Los Angeles getting rich and famous and being the Internet’s latest boyfriend, Cherry is stuck in Omaha taking care of the dog he always wanted and the house they were going to raise a family in… and wondering who she’s supposed to be without him.

Cherry had promised to love Tom through thick and thin.

She’d meant it. 

One night, Cherry decides to leave all her problems, including Tom’s overgrown puppy, at home. She ventures out to see her favorite band play her favorite album… and someone recognizes her from across the room.

Russ Sutton knew Cherry when she was a young art student with a fondness for pin-up dresses and patent leather heels. Before Tom.

Russ knows Cherry. He likes Cherry.

And best of all… he’s never heard of Thursday.

Cherry Baby is Rainbow Rowell’s richest, most ambitious — sexiest — novel yet. Told with deep tenderness and shot through with Rowell’s signature wit—this is a second-chance romance for grown-ups. For people who understand how rare it is to get even one chance at love, and how impossible it can feel to make it work.

This was fun – I loved all of the references to Cherry’s wardrobe and her family. There was probably a bit too much about how fat she is and how fat everyone (apart from Hope) is in her family for me. Also there are graphic sex scenes, so if you’re more of a ‘closed door’ person, skip those bits. I liked that this was about a couple trying to find their way back to each other.

Kirkus review.

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July 15, 2026 · 2:43 pm

Meet Me At The Museum – Anne Youngson

Meet Me At The Museum – Anne Youngson

I started this book so many times. I bought it as a kobo and I would start to read it whenever I was out and about with only my phone. I finally dedicated some time to it while I was on holiday.

Here’s the blurb …

Please be aware I am writing to you to make sense of myself …

When the curator of a Danish museum responds to a query about ancient exhibits, he doesn’t expect a reply.

When Tina Hopgood first wrote it, nor did she …

Professor Anders Larsen, an urbane man of facts, has lost his wife, along with his hopes and dreams for the future. He does not know that a query from a Mrs Tina Hopgood about a world-famous antiquity in his museum is about to alter the course of his life.

Oceans apart, an unexpected correspondence flourishes as they discover shared passions: for history and nature; for useless objects left behind by loved ones; for the ancient and modern world, what is lost in time, what is gained and what has stayed the same. Through intimate stories of joy, anguish, and discovery, each one bares their soul to the other. But when Tina’s letters suddenly cease, Anders is thrown into despair. Can this unlikely friendship survive?

This is an epistolary novel, which I always enjoy. It is a series of letters between Tina and Anders in which they share parts of their lives and (maybe) fall in love. The novel starts with them noticing the differences between where they live and the lives they lead, but then they start to offer each other advice and they both begin to pay attention to their surroundings and the people in their lives. It’s about choices and the sacrifices required by those choices, but it is also about making new choices and changing direction.

There is a lovely metaphor about walking along picking raspberries and then looking back and seeing how many raspberries you didn’t see the first time, but you can walk in the opposite direction and pick the ones you miss.

The writing is beautiful – gentle and thoughtful.

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May 22, 2026 · 3:15 pm

The Society of Literary Marauders – Sasha Wasley

The Society of Literary Marauders – Sasha Wasley

Miss A and I saw this at Boundless Books. And we were sold at ‘Austen for our times’!

I ended up listening to it – it was beautifully narrated by Eleanor Howell.

Here’s the blurb …

At Oxford University, 1928, four young women make a secret pledge: ‘I hereby undertake to take and read any book kept away from nice young ladies.’

They’ve come from unlikely corners of the British Empire: brickworker’s daughter Annie, wealthy flapper Ridley, refined Parsi aristocrat Dorelia and disheartened schoolteacher Norma. They call themselves the Society of Literary Marauders and the price of entry is having stolen a book.

Their illicit meetings rapidly become a lifeline in a world where knowledge is power, and women are fed lies and half-truths. They start with small misdemeanours – getting their hands on banned books, stealing back historical records claimed by the men’s colleges. But over time, they become aware of a true literary injustice – and they slowly formulate a plan to put this historical wrong to right…

This was very enjoyable. I loved all of the Oxford references, and all of the Western Australian references. The letters to Annie from her mum and Alf were hilarious. And Kit? What a fabulous character.

I have to admit that I thought Annie’s dislike of Kit went on a bit long (here I am talking about the characters like real people).

It was clearly well-researched, but that was just background to a good story.

Here is an interview with Sasha Wasley

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May 13, 2026 · 2:09 pm

Nonesuch – Francis Spufford

Nonesuch – Francis Spufford

I have read two other Spufford books – Golden Hill and Light Perpetual, and I liked them both. So when a friend said she had this one, I was keen to read it.

Here’s the blurb …

It’s the summer of 1939. London is on the brink of catastrophic war. Iris Hawkins, an ambitious young woman in the stuffy world of City finance, has a chance encounter with Geoff, a technical whizz at the BBC’s nascent television unit.

What was supposed to be one night of abandon draws her instead into an adventure of otherworldly pursuit – into a reality where time bends, spirits can be summoned, and history hangs by a thread. Soon there are Nazi planes overhead. But Iris has more to contend with than the terrors of the Blitz. Over the rooftops of burning London, in the twisted passages between past and present, a fascist fanatic is travelling with a gun in her hand.

And only Iris can stop her from altering the course of history forever.

Mr Spufford has such a wonderful way with words. His descriptions, in particular, are fabulous. I could see the cluttered attic, Iris’s flat in Chelsea, etc. I also think Iris and Geoff’s relationship is lovely – a grownup relationship with ups and downs and doubts.

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April 24, 2026 · 1:14 pm

Business as Usual – Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford

Business as Usual – Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford

I had heard about this book in various places, but it is out of print. I finally found a second hand copy at Awesome Books.

Here’s the blurb …

Business As Usual by Jane Oliver and Ann Stafford was first published in 1933. It’s a delightful illustrated novel in letters from Hilary Fane, an Edinburgh girl fresh out of university who is determined to support herself by her own earnings in London for a year, despite the mutterings of her surgeon fiance . After a nervous beginning looking for a job while her savings rapidly diminish, she finds work as a typist in the London department store of Everyman’s (a very thin disguise for Selfridges), and rises rapidly through the ranks to work in the library, where she has to enforce modernising systems on her entrenched and frosty colleagues. Business as Usual is charming: intelligent, heart-warming, funny, and entertaining. It’s deeply interesting as a record of the history of shopping in the 1930s, and also fascinating for its unflinching descriptions of social conditions, poverty and illegitimacy.

I love this book! A series of letters and memos (meemos) that Hilary writes to various people (and the ocassional letter about her). It is witty and interesting. Given that it was published in 1933 and set in 1931 and 1932, I have to think the working and living conditions are accurate. There were so many staff employed in the department store – originally Hilary was writing postage labels for the books! Now days you’re lucky to find any staff in department stores.

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April 13, 2026 · 4:15 pm

This Book Made Me Think of You – Libby Page

This Book Made Me Think of You – Libby Page

I bought this book because it was a book about books and that cover!

Here’s the blurb …

Twelve stories. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly, because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. Mainly, because Joe died five months ago…

The gift is simple – twelve carefully chosen books from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

And so begins a reading-inspired journey that takes Tilly around the world; from bustling sidewalks in New York and the tree-lined avenues of Paris to the tranquil Tuscan countryside and the white sands of Bali. With the help of the bookshop owner, Alfie, Tilly starts to discover who she is now, after Joe.

But can Tilly’s year of books show her how to love again?

Currently this is my favourite read of the year. I cried a bit – usually while reading Joe’s letters to Tilly, or when Tilly had a moment of grief. I bought some books – based on the recommendations at the start of each month, or even the books Joe selected for Tilly. I liked almost all of the characters – Harper, Tilly’s sister, annoyed me. The settings were great – Primrose Hill, Paris, New York, Tuscany, Bali, and a very welcoming book store (with a cat – more book stores should have a cat).

Some of my favourite quotes

I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being – Hafiz of Shiraz (from Shakespeare and Company in Paris)

The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever.

A review

I have ordered some of her other books.

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April 8, 2026 · 3:33 pm

Prophet – Helen MacDonald + Sin Blaché

Prophet – Helen MacDonals + Sin Blaché

I really enjoyed H is for Hawk. I saw this while on holiday in Dunsborough (here). I did know it was going to be completely different, but good writing is good writing.

Here’s the blurb …

A genre-bending, strikingly original tour-de-force about an unlikely spy duo on the most dangerous and otherwordly mission of their lives, from the New York Times–bestselling author of H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald, and the stunning new voice of Sin Blaché.

Adam Rubinstein and Sunil Rao have been nemeses and reluctant partners since their Uzbekistan days. Adam is a seemingly unflappable American Intelligence officer; Rao is ex-MI6, an addict and rudderless pleasure-hound with an uncanny ability to discern the truth about anything and anyone—except Adam.

Adam and Rao have gone their separate ways until they are called back together when a full-sized, 1950s American diner shows up in an English farmer’s field and a mysterious death ensues. What follows is a reality-twisting, action-filled quest as the unlikely duo begin to uncover how and why people’s fondest memories are being manifested and weaponized against them, in increasingly bizarre and tangible forms, by a spooky, ever-shifting substance called Prophet. Adam and Rao must find a way to stop these malevolent entities from taking over a world that is just one perilous step from our own.

The brilliant minds of Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché have created a tantalizing fusion of sci-fi, detective noir, action, and romance in this high-tension, fast-paced adventure. Prophet is a triumph of storytelling.

Like a lot of science fiction this was a bit too long. However, I loved the premise and the relationship between Adam and Rao. This novel has emotional heft – damaged people, working together to save the world. But at its heart it’s really about Adam and Rao, so relationships, courage and trust. And two people who really need to have a conversation.

A review

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