History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

A Beautiful Rival: A Novel of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein  Author: Gill Paul Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Release Date: 2023 Pages: 383 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Bestselling author Gill Paul reveals the history of cosmetic titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein and their infamous rivalry that spanned decades in a world that was changing dramatically for women—perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Marie Benedict, and Beatriz Williams.        They could have been allies: two self-made millionaires who invented a global industry, in an era when wife and mother were supposed to be the highest goals for their sex. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires built on grit and determination…and yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars, and the Great Depression.         B...

Death of a Lady (Jane Austen Investigations #1) Author: Laura Martin Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Suspense Publisher: Sapere Books Publication Date: 2023 Pages: 290 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review  Synopsis: Can Jane use her observational skills to solve a horrific murder…? 1795, Hampshire, England Jane Austen and her family are delighted to be attending Lord Westworth’s ball. The event has been at the centre of village gossip after it was announced Westworth was holding a ball to celebrate the return of his brother, who went missing in India many years earlier and had been declared dead. At the ball an old friend, Emma Roscoe, bumps into Jane and tells her she saw something she shouldn’t have. She asks Jane to meet her at ten o’clock in the library to discuss it. Delayed by dancing with the charming Mr Tom Lefroy, Jane is late to meet to her friend. But when she arrives, she finds the body of Emma Roscoe lyi...

A Rome of One’s Own: The Forgotten Women of the Roman Empire  Author: Emma Southon Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography  Publisher: Abrams Press Publication Date: 2023 Pages: 415 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review  Synopsis: This wildly entertaining new history of Rome uses the lives of 21 women to upend our understanding of the ancient world, from the acclaimed author of A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum .       This is a history of women who caused outrage, led armies in rebellion, wrote poetry; who lived independently or under the thumb of emperors. Told with humor and verve as well as a deep scholarly background, A Rome of One’s Own highlights women overlooked and misunderstood, and through them offers a fascinating and groundbreaking chronicle of the ancient world.        The history of Rome has long been narrow and one-sided, essentially a history of “the Doing ...

Harriet: A Jane Austen Variation  Author: Alice McVeigh Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Warleigh Hall Press Release Date: 2020 Pages: 320 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Emma, a privileged young heiress, decides to mentor Harriet Smith, a pretty boarding-school pupil, and to matchmake her as eligibly as she can… But how is she to guess that Harriet has a secret?        Meanwhile, the brilliant, penniless Jane Fairfax consents to a clandestine engagement with Frank Churchill – though not daring to confess, even to him, that she is being relentlessly pursued by her best friend’s husband.        Harriet sidelines Emma herself in favour of the ingenious Harriet and the fascinating Jane Fairfax. It is Emma – but an Emma with a surprisingly believable twist in its tail.         My Review: Harriet is a major supporting character in Jane Auste...

Bloody Mary Author: Carolly Erickson Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography  Publisher: St. Martin’s Press-3PL Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 828 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: Here is the tragic, stormy life of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. Her story is a chronicle of courage and faith, betrayal and treachery—all set amidst the splendor, pageantry, squalor, and intrigue of sixteenth-century Europe.        The history of Mary Tudor is an improbable blend of triumph, humiliation, heartbreak, and devotion. In Bloody Mary , historian Carolly Erickson recounts it all against the turbulent background of European politics, war, and religious strife of the mid-1500s. The result is a rare portrait of the times and of a woman elevated to unprecedented power in a world ruled and defined by men.        My Review: Mary Tudor is known as the first reigning queen of England. However, she left be...

Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel Author: Alice McVeigh Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Warleigh Hall Press Release Date: 2021 Pages: 342 Source: Personal Collection  Synopsis: Susan is a Jane Austen Prequel (or Pride and Prejudice Variation) brilliantly capturing Austen's own Lady Susan as a young girl.        Familiar characters abound - Frank Churchill, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr Collins - but Susan - mischievous and manipulative - is the star. This is Austen that even Austen might have loved, with a touch of Georgette Heyer in the romantic sections. Fans of Bridgerton will also relish this classic regency romance, the first in a six-book series.        Sixteen-year-old Susan Smithson - pretty but poor, clever but capricious - has just been expelled from a school for young ladies in London.         At the mansion of the formidable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, she attracts ...

Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power Author: Leah Redmond Chang Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography  Publisher: Farrar, Strays, and Giroux Release Date: 2023 Pages: 490 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The boldly original, dramatic intertwined story of Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots—three queens exercising power in a world dominated by men.        Orphaned from infancy, Catherine de’ Medici endured a tumultuous childhood. Married to the French king, she was widowed by forty, only to become the power behind the French throne during a period of intense civil strife. In 1546, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Elisabeth de Valois, who would become Queen of Spain. Two years later, Catherine welcomed to her nursery the beguiling young Mary Queen of Scots, who would later become her daughter-in-law.       Together, Cather...