History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

      Shelly Stratton is the author of She Wears the Mask .  This interesting guest post discusses how she incorporates realistic details and facts about streetcars from the early 20th century, which were common long before her birth. Mrs. Stratton describes her love of these older modes of public transportation as well as how she felt a joy and kinship with those who patronized these iconic symbols of urban transportation throughout the industrial age. Thank you, Mrs. Stratton! Trolley Cars, the Metro, and Bringing Historical Settings to Life By Shelly Stratton      Decades ago, whenever I visited my great grandmother and great aunt in NW Washington, D.C., they would always ask me, “Did you drive in or take the trolley car here?” As I removed my coat or stowed away my umbrella, I would politely correct them with “I took the metro.”  But after correcting them so many times and both of them persistently referring to the metropolitan transit ...

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder by Dianne Freeman Publication Date: July 28, 2020 Kensington Books Genre: Historical Mystery Series: A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, Book 3 Synopsis: In Dianne Freeman’s charming Victorian-era mystery series, Frances Wynn, the American-born Countess of Harleigh, finds her sister’s wedding threatened by a vow of vengeance.      London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets. Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, needs a venue for her sister Lily’s imminent wedding, away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the usual country pursuits—shooting, horse riding, and romantic interludes in secluded gardens.      But the bucolic setting harbors a menace, and it’s not simply the arrival...

Author: J.R. Erickson Narrator: Allyson Voller Length: 7 hours and 26 minutes Series: Northern Michigan Asylum Series, Book 1 Publisher: J.R. Erickson Released: May 20, 2020 Genre: Paranormal The dead have stories to tell. Are you listening?  On a sunny August morning, in 1935, 13-year-old Sophia Gray finds her friend Rosemary wandering in the woods. Rosemary’s yellow dress is tattered and stained, she walks with a strange lurch, and her eyes are vacant and glassy. She beckons to Sophia, desperate to show her something, and Sophia follows. In an abandoned cabin, beneath a tattered blanket, Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body. It was not Rosemary who led her there, but Rosemary’s ghost. Step into the Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane Twenty years after Sophia discovers Rosemary’s body, she finds herself trapped in the sprawling, and eerily beautiful, Northern Michigan Asylum for the Insane, in the hands of a malevolent doctor who preys o...

Marie Antoinette’s World: Intrigue, Infidelity, And Adultery In Versailles [history/biographical nonfiction] Release date: June 15, 2020 Postponed due to Covid-19: July 30, 2020 at Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Hardcover and ebook, 320 pages Author’s page | Goodreads SYNOPSIS Synopsis: This riveting book explores the little-known intimate life of Marie Antoinette and her milieu in a world filled with intrigue, infidelity, adultery, and sexually transmitted diseases. Will Bashor reveals the intrigue and debauchery of the Bourbon kings from Louis XIII to Louis XV, which were closely intertwined with the expansion of Versailles from a simple hunting lodge to a luxurious and intricately ordered palace. It soon became a retreat for scandalous conspiracies and rendezvous—all hidden from the public eye.       When Marie Antoinette arrived, she was quickly drawn into a true viper’s nest, encouraged by her imprudent entourage. Bashor shows that her often ...

Out of Night by Kellie Butler Publication Date: June 24, 2020 Raleigh Hills Press Paperback & eBook; 328 pages Series: The Laurelhurst Chronicles, Book 4 Genre: Historical Fiction Synopsis: How long can you run from yourself?         1968. In the continuing bestselling Laurelhurst Chronicles family saga series comes a gripping, moving tale of separation, self-discovery, new beginnings, and reconciliation.         Kate. A mainstay on Swinging London’s party circuit for years, Kate is plunged into a sordid world when Lord Elliott Cutterworth kicks her out of her home and takes custody of their daughter, Violet after she relapses on her journey to sobriety. Separated from her family, she’s determined to get clean and regain custody of her daughter. On the run from Elliott and her old life, she finds assistance in her reluctant brother-in-law, Edward Cavert, who is running away from some secre...

Hadassah, Queen Esther of Persia Author: Diana Wallis Taylor Genre: Historical Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction Publisher: Whitaker House Release Date: 2019 Pages: 304 Source: My personal collection Synopsis: One of the great heroines of the Old Testament, Hadassah was a beautiful, graceful young woman who put her faith in God and her guardian, her cousin Mordecai.     She dreams of marrying Shamir, a tall, handsome, studious young man who is the rabbi’s son. Her heart beats faster when she hears the sound of his deep voice as he reads the Torah. And she hopes that he will visit Mordecai soon to present a betrothal request.      Then, an upheaval in King Xerxes’s palace changes everything. Queen Vashti has been banished and an edict goes out for all qualified young virgins throughout the empire to be taken to the palace as he searches for a new queen.      Fear strikes in the hearts of many, including Mordecai, as he realizes Ha...

Helen Had a Sister A Tale of Ancient Greece Author: Penelope Haines Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy Release Date: 2020 Pages: 259 Source: My personal collection Synopsis: Helen of Troy's story is well known. Hers was the "face that launched a thousand ships", started a ten-year war and brought about Troy's destruction. But Helen had a sister.In a world where women were submissive, she ruled.In a world where women were loyal, she was unfaithful.In a world where honour and blood feuds abound, she exacted the ultimate revenge.Born into the Royal House of Sparta, her courageous spirit, passionate love and lust for life make her a unique heroine. Her character and her choices have fascinated people for centuries. Her story is one of betrayal, murder, adultery and revenge, set in ancient Greece at the time of the Trojan war.She is Clytemnestra, High Queen of Mycenae.       My Review: For centuries, Clytemnestra has had a horrible reputation in Greek mytholog...