The Mesmerist - Barbara Ewing

This is one of my bargain books, I wasn't sure what to expect as I had never read Barbara Ewing before but for 33p it was worth a try.  I found it a bit slow reading at first as I couldn't really get interested in Hester and Kitty's story. However when Cordelia's story began to unfold the narrative became not just more interesting but moved at a much faster pace.

As the story was eventually intriging I'm glad I stuck with it.
 

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler

Goodreads Blurb

After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?

Not only is Courtney stuck in another woman’s life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman; and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to fool even the most astute observer. But not even her level of Austen mania has prepared Courtney for the chamber pots and filthy coaching inns of nineteenth-century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who must fend off suffocating chaperones, condom-less seducers, and marriages of convenience.

This looking-glass Austen world is not without its charms, however. There are journeys to Bath and London, balls in the Assembly Rooms, and the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, who may not be a familiar species of philanderer after all. But when Courtney’s borrowed brain serves up memories that are not her own, the ultimate identity crisis ensues. Will she ever get her real life back, and does she even want to?( 

My Review

I confess I have never read a Jane Austen novel (yes honestly), I only picked this novel up because it was buy one get one free for 99p.  To my surprise I found it an enjoyable read and as a result it may have inspired me to dust one of Jane Austen's novels of my shelf and give it a try (one day).

The modern twist made what could have been the usual 'will they, won't they' scenario, which I can find tedious and frustrating, much more interesting. 

A light, enjoyable 'holiday' read.

The Somnambulist - Essie Fox

BBC TV Bookclub Blurb

The debut novel from Essie Fox, The Somnambulist follows seventeen year-old Phoebe Turner as she visits Wilton's Music Hall to watch her Aunt Cissy performing on stage, risking the wrath of her mother, Maud, in the process. Maud marches with the Hallelujah Army, who are campaigning for all London theatres to close. At the show, Phoebe is drawn to the enigmatic Nathaniel Samuels, a man who heralds dramatic changes in the lives of all three women. When offered the position of companion to his wife, Phoebe leaves London for Dinwood Court in Herefordshire, a house that could well be haunted and that holds the darkest of truths. A darkly stunning gothic novel that transports the reader right back into Victorian times.

My Review

I heard of this book via the BBC TV Bookclub, and was intrigued by the story line.   Must confess to my ignorance I did not know what Somnambulist meant (sleepwalker).  Now a new word added to my vocabulary.  Thoroughly enjoyed this novel of 405 pages, I read it so quickly it didn't seem that long at all.  A Gothic (although not heavily so) novel set in Victorian London and Herefordshire, mainly from the viewpoint of the primary protagonist Phoebe.  Very atmospheric and descriptive, full of twists and turns some of which you can predict and some that catch you unawares.  A good strong story with great characters. 

Recommended. 

The Shell Seekers - Rosemunde Pilcher

Phew...just finished reading this mammoth book, 600+ pages.  I thoroughly enjoyed the story but it took a few (long) chapters to get into it but when I did it was engrossing.  I have read as big if not bigger books but this one would have benefitted from being shorter.  The characters were believable, some likable, some not so much but all evoked an emotion of some sort - product of good writing skills.  

When I was reading it at the back of my mind was Angela Landsbury (in the movie) I believe meeting one of the characters (no elaboration here as I don't want to spoil the book), this didn't gel with the novel.  I hate it when moviemakers think they can improve on a successful story.  Would like to see the movie with Venessa Redgrave, I understand this is more true to the novel. 

I would have awarded 5 stars, the story was excellent, the descriptions were very well written and beautifully descriptive but some were just too long therefore I have awarded 4 1/2 stars.  However I would still recommend this as a very good read.  I am looking forward to hearing what my fellow bookclubbers make of this one.  

Lowcountry Ghost Stories

Official Blurb

Lowcountry Ghosts haunt the maze of marshes and ancient rice fields along South Carolina's Coast . . .

• Does lovely Alice Flagg still live in The Hermitage at Murrells Inlet more than 100 years after her death?
• When ghost ships appear far out in the marsh, do they represent lost fishermen? pirates? Confederate blockade runners? 
• Are threatening spirits haunting Miss Genevieve's beads taken from a long-forgotten grave?

Find history, mystery, and romance in these three gentle ghost stories (10,000 words, nine illustrations--about 40 pages if it were a paperback) from Lynn Michelsohn's longer work, Tales from Brookgreen: Folklore, Ghost Stories, and Gullah Folktales in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

My Review

Interesting little collection of 3 ghost stories and the history behind them set in South Carolina, I particularly enjoyed the history of the Confederate blockade runners. Short introductions to the authors' other works are also included.  If you like this sort of forklore storytelling check out Haunted Lowcountry Website for other ghostly tales.

 

Of Moths & Butterflies - V R Christensen

Great title, beautiful cover art but unfortunately the story line was a bit too slow and predicable in the first half. I find this cat and mouse game between the hero and herione so frustrating although I do appreciate the nice flow of the story, the hint of mystery and it does suit the period in which it is set.  If the first half of the story had moved along at the same pace as the second half it would have been made for a very good read but as it stands I gave it a respectable 4 out 5 stars.  

Good read if you can stick with it.