|summary=The publisher, Choc Lit Limited, gives a fair idea of what kind of read this book is. Romance with a capital R. Courtenay decides to go back in time to a Scotland rather weary of battles but strong in image especially in terms of the countryside. Is the book's purple hue suggestive of the purple heather to be found all over this area of Scotland, I wonder. It all conjures up a deeply romantic setting for many, myself included. Add in the odd fairy-tale castle or two and it's even better.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1906931712</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Jean Marsh
|title=Fiennders Abbey
|rating=3.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=In was the end of the nineteenth century and the family at Fiennders Abbey might lead much more leisurely lives than the staff who kept the house running as it should, but their fortunes were inextricably linked. Mary Bowden was the tweenie when we first met her – she did all the dirty jobs which were beneath those higher up the ladder – as well as being the daughter of the gamekeeper. She was also intelligent, ambitious and very attractive with her straight, milk-blonde hair. As a child she'd always been very friendly with Richard, the son of the house, but it's not a friendship which either of their mothers wishes to foster.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1447200071</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Titania Hardie
|title=The House of the Wind
|rating=4
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=I loved the intriguing title of the book and was hoping that Hardie explains it. She does: not only that but the wind element (no pun intended) is mentioned throughout at regular intervals. A nice touch, I thought and not over-played either. The short Prologue describes a young girl on the eve of her 'terrible fate.' But fate seems to have changed its mind at the very last minute. And this strange/weird/scary event happens at the Casa al Vento - 'The House of the Wind.'
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0755346297</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Jane Sanderson
|title=Netherwood
|rating=4
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=The cover of Netherwood features a bold promise - 'Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey'. The basic features of a reliable 'upstairs/downstairs' saga are all present; the landed gentry enjoying their estate, the staff servicing it and the locals, all relying on the fortunate family for their own income.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0751547638</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Colin Falconer
|title=Silk Road
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Falconer presents his readers with a handy map of the famous (or perhaps that should be infamous) ''Silk Road'' which stretches from Europe all the way to China. The story opens with a charismatic young princess who lives with her extended family in an area of Mongolia. She is clearly the apple of her father's eye. So much so, that he will often take advice from her, rather than from his two older sons. She would be a prize catch indeed as a wife for any man, but the feisty Khutelun has other plans. She wants plenty of adventure and glory in her life. She doesn't want to be a baby machine and besides, no man has caught her eye. Yet.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0857891081</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Charles Frazier
|title=Nightwoods
|rating=4.5
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary=If you have read Charles Frazier's 'Cold Mountain', or indeed seen the film, then you'll have a fair idea what to expect from his latest offering - 'Nightwoods'. As with 'Cold Mountain', the landscape of the Appalachians is the dominant character, this time set in the 1950s. He even manages to get his requisite bear into the story although thankfully it fares rather better than the unfortunate beast in his first book. The dark, oppressing majesty and beauty of the mountains and woods pervades the whole story.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1444731246</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=John Buchan
|title=The Thirty-nine Steps
|rating=4
|genre=Crime (Historical)
|summary=Ask anyone about 'The Thrity-nine Steps' and I guarantee they'll be able to tell you it's a spy story with Richard Hannay at its heart. Most people will be able to tell you how it starts. But when you ask, 'Yes, but what ARE the 39 Steps?' most people will falter.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846971985</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Charlotte Anne Walters
|title=Barefoot on Baker Street
|rating=3
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=I must admit that I think the title a little cheeky, a little too near the bone as far as the iconic Baker Street and equally iconic Sherlock Holmes is concerned. The sepia front cover suggests a rather sugary, romantic read so I wasn't off to the best of starts.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780920121</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=John Buchan
|title=A Lost Lady of Old Years
|rating=5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=While I normally start with a plot description I'd better justify the summary first. (Translated, it reads - Warning - you must understand Scots dialect really well if you hope to like this book from the start. Well worth reading though, it's such a good story.)
Basically, this is a tale set during the Jacobite Rising of 1745-6 with authentic dialogue of that time; which is to say, rather hard to follow if you're anything like me. Most books, I can read in a couple of days maximum, this took me nearly a month and at some points I was reduced to asking my Scottish colleague to translate it for me.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846972035</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Brian Ruckley
|title=The Edinburgh Dead
|rating=5
|genre=Crime (Historical)
|summary=The phrase 'jack of all trades and master of none' can apply to writers as well as anything else and I've always been suspicious of authors who switch genres, as they often prove less effective when they do so. Sometimes, however, it does work and having enjoyed Brian Ruckley's fantasy writings such as [[Fall of Thanes by Brian Ruckley|Fall of Thanes]], I found that he's equally as enjoyable when writing a crime thriller.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1841498653</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Fiona Mountain
|title=Cavalier Queen
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=We sweep back in time to a young Henrietta. Living the spoilt and pampered life of a pretty, little princess whom everyone (even her dog) loves and adores. She spends delightfully carefree days singing and dancing and playing with her little dog. But the subject of marriage is on the horizon. She's fourteen after all. Time to put away those childish things. Who has her family decided will be her future husband? The young princess has no say in the matter but hopes he will be just a little handsome and be gentle with her. It's not only a marriage of two individuals (that's almost inconsequential) it's a marriage of two nations - with strategy and long-term thinking in mind. In short, the French Royal Family want to do everything to appease other countries and hopefully keep war at bay.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848091672</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Barry Unsworth
|title=The Quality of Mercy
|rating=4
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary='The Quality of Mercy' picks up the story of the author's Booker Prize-winning 'Sacred Hunger' although if you haven't read the first book, you won't be greatly disadvantaged as the relevant story lines are explained. What you might miss out on is some of the feeling for a few of the main characters, most notably the Irish fiddler, Sullivan who, when this book picks up in spring 1767, has just escaped from prison where the remaining shipmates of the slave ship, the 'Liverpool Merchant' await their trial of piracy. Slavery and abolition thereof remains a central theme of this sequel, but the book draws some poignant similarities with those in bondage due to poverty, and particularly those working in the coal mines of County Durham.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0091937124</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=James Aitcheson
|title=Sworn Sword
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=The novel is set in the turbulent years following the Battle of Hastings. We follow the Normans as they set out to quell the restless and rebellious factions in the North of England. An ambush in Durham sees the Normans decimated and determined on revenge - this precipitates the events which follow.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1848093241</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=Lisa See
|title=Dreams of Joy
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=It's the late 1950s, and America's teenagers (the very idea a brand new concept) are beginning to live the all-American dream. For some of them however it isn't all 'Happy Days' diners and rock'n'roll. For the second generation Chinese immigrants there's an alternative: back 'home' there's a brave new world being forged, a world where 'we'd work in the fields and sing songs. We'd do exercises in the park. We'd help clean the neighbourhood and share meals. We wouldn't be poor and we wouldn't be rich. We'd all be equal.'
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1408822296</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreview
|author=John Buchan
|title=Greenmantle
|rating=4
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=I'm told that Buchan is still widely read. Really? "John Buchan? Oh yes, he wrote The Thirty-Nine Steps"… and that's as far as most of us get. Let's be honest most of us only know that one from the many film versions, just about all of which take huge liberties with the original plot.
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1846971977</amazonuk>
}}