Author: Barbara

Avid reader/reviewer of historical romance and historical mysteries.

Sisters of Fortune by Anna Lee Huber

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Fiction, Standalone Title, Top Pick - Highly RecommendedLeave a comment

Sisters of FortuneBarbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Publication Date: 2/20/24
Number of Pages: 416

This book was one of the most poignant, evocative, and beautifully written books I have ever read. It made the Titanic’s voyage real to me – in every way. The author tells the story through the Fortune family who were actually on the voyage in real life, but little is known of them. Their story is fictional but, goodness, you feel it – as if you are right there with them. You feel the bubbling, electric excitement of the passengers as they board the unsinkable Titanic. You feel the glamour of the jewels and the people, the sumptuousness of the surroundings. You also feel the panic, heroism, and bravery of the passengers and crew. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book that gave me so many feels.

The Fortune family – father, mother, brother, and three sisters – were taking their version of the Grand Tour. They traveled from their home in Canada to Europe where they spent time in all the great places and even went to the Middle East to ride camels and see the sights in the desert before finally deciding to travel home on the marvel of the times – the Titanic.

The story’s main focus is on the three sisters, Flora, Alice, and Mabel, and their lives, expectations, frustrations, loves, and insecurities. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses – hopes and dreams. They also find they are stronger than they ever thought they could be – especially in a time when women were to be coddled and looked after like fine porcelain figurines. However, we also get to know, like, and respect their father as well as their mother and young brother who had so much ahead of him in life.

Flora is the older sister – dutiful, caring, obedient, and engaged to a man of her parents’ choosing. As she grapples with that expectation, she meets a man who captures her attention totally and finally wins her heart. Will her parents agree to her ending her current engagement?

Alice is also engaged, but to a man she adores – but she has trepidations of returning home. She wants adventure, travel, and excitement, not the protected life her fiancé has described to her. Can she find a way to have both adventure and her fiancé?

Mabel is the rebel of the family – she chafes at being coddled and protected – she believes women have intelligence and should receive an education, the right to vote, etc. Her father adamantly denies her when she begs to go to college. Can she convince him while they are on this voyage?

If you love historical fiction, or even if you don’t, you will surely enjoy this book. Anna Lee Huber’s research and attention to detail is second to none. When you finish the book, you will feel as if you walked the corridors of the Titanic, smelled the delicious aromas of the rich foods, felt the sea breeze on your face, met all of the people on board – the glamorous and the not so glamorous, and felt the fear and panic as the passengers tried to find and board lifeboats.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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The Duke’s All That by Christina Britton

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Scottish/Highlander2 Comments

The Duke’s All That (Synneful Spinsters, #3)

Barbara’s rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Synneful Spinsters #3
Publication Date: 2/6/24
Period: Regency (though it doesn’t feel like it)
Number of Pages: 336

This story sucks you in from the opening in 1808 and holds you prisoner through the main body thirteen years later. I have been anticipating the enigmatic Seraphina’s story since the beginning of the series, and it was worth the wait. Of all of the Oddments (the name a group of friends bestowed upon themselves), Seraphina was the one who seemed to hold the deepest, darkest secrets. Turns out that was true. Finally, we learn all of Seraphina’s secrets – and goodness – there are some doozies in there. After you learn of all she endured, you’ll wonder at the strong, resilient woman she became. However, I believe that strength and resilience were already a part of her makeup or she would never have been able to endure and overcome all she did.

Lady Seraphina Trew, daughter of the Earl of Farrow, had the temerity to fall in love with, and secretly marry, a boy who worked in her father’s stables, Iain MacInnes. Seraphina never cared about the difference in their status – she just loved Iain beyond measure – until he betrayed her. Not only did that break her heart and soul, it cost her thirteen years of terror, hiding, doing unspeakable things, and protecting her sisters to her own personal detriment.

Iain MacInnes loved Seraphina Trew beyond measure – until she betrayed him in a most unconscionable way. Somehow, he’d always known that she couldn’t really love him because he was so far beneath her. Iain couldn’t punish Seraphina for that betrayal, he still loved her – always would – but he could take revenge on the pompous aristocrats of her class. And he did – over and over – he outmaneuvered them at cards and any other way he could and amassed their estates and a fortune to boot. Iain became a very wealthy man.

Seraphina, now known as Seraphina Athwart, has a comfortable life on the Isle of Synne. She and her two sisters own the Quayside Circulating Library where they are finally settled and happy. Until a very bitter Iain shows up looking for a divorce from her. She has no choice but to go with him to Scotland for the divorce.

Iain, now the Duke of Balgair, has recently learned that his dead wife is not dead at all. Bitter pain and resentment drive him to look for her for over a year until he finally finds her. He’ll drag her back to Scotland to prove she is alive – and to get the divorce he wants.

Goodness – what a read! Seraphina has intrigued me since the first book and Iain, WOW! Just WOW. I adored them as a couple and I loved seeing them open up during that road trip and discover what really happened to them all those years ago. I love Iain’s compassion, caring, and ready acceptance that he still loved Seraphina and wanted her to continue as his wife. What I didn’t love was that Seraphina held on to her determination to have the divorce and be done with Iain for much too long. I would have rather seen her continuing as his wife and the two of them exacting revenge on her father. That didn’t happen! After all he cost them, after all of the cruelty, he didn’t really get any punishment at all. Anyway, I still loved the book, but I didn’t give it 5-stars because I hated to see her father walk away totally unscathed.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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