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...

The Keeper of Hidden Books Author: Madeline Martin Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Hanover Square Press Release Date: 2023 Pages: 407 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London .      All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving.       With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting ...

Clytemnestra’s Bind (The House of Atreus #1) Author: Susan C. Wilson  Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy  Publisher: Neem Tree Books Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 288 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review  Synopsis: Clytemnestra’s Bind is a bold and brutal first-person retelling that redefines her story, unveiling the untold depths of her soul and the legacy she forged as a mother, wife, and queen.      Queen Clytemnestra's world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to do all she can to protect the children born from her unhappy marriage to him. But when her husband casts his ruthless gaze towards the wealthy citadel of Troy, his ambitions threaten to once more destroy the family Clytemnestra loves.      From one of Greek mythology's most reviled chara...

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...

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...

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 ...

Queen of Exiles Author: Vanessa Riley Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: William Morrow Release Date: 2023 Pages: 447 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Acclaimed historical novelist Vanessa Riley is back with another novel based on the life of an extraordinary Black woman from history: Haiti’s Queen Marie-Louise Christophe, who escaped a coup in Haiti to set up her own royal court in Italy during the Regency era, where she became a popular member of royal European society.       The Queen of Exiles is Marie-Louise Christophe, wife and then widow of Henry I, who ruled over the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti in the wake of the brutal Haitian Revolution.      In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the first and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to France and indiffe...