Book review: A summer of history and romance with Ebury books

The heat is on and it’s time to relax with some of this summer’s best escapist romances.
A summer of history and romance with Ebury booksA summer of history and romance with Ebury books
A summer of history and romance with Ebury books

Ebury Press, which publishes a wide range of fiction and non-fiction, has a super, sunshine collection to enjoy… from the sizzling last instalment of an exciting alternative Tudor history and a gritty rag-to-riches saga to the compelling story of a teenager’s devastating family secret.

The Boleyn Reckoning by Laura Andersen

What if the refrain had been ‘Long live Henry IX’?

Laura Andersen’s enthralling Tudor trilogy, which dares to imagine what might have happened if Anne Boleyn had actually given Henry VIII a son, reaches its thrilling conclusion.

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Andersen’s cleverly worked and action-packed fictional account of ‘the king that never was’ has turned out to be as deadly, dramatic and dangerous as the real Tudor story.

Mystery, conspiracy, murder and romance have been the driving forces behind this exciting series which rounds off neatly with a dramatic choice that will forever change the course of history.

While English soldiers prepare for the threat of invasion, William Tudor struggles with his own personal battles. He still longs for his childhood friend Minuette but she has secretly married William’s trusted adviser, Dominic, an act of betrayal that puts both their lives in danger. Meanwhile, with war on the horizon, Princess Elizabeth must decide where her duty really lies… with her brother or with her country.

High on passion, intrigue and perilous politics, The Boleyn Reckoning delivers a suitably dramatic finale to this enjoyable, fictional slice of turbulent Tudor history.

(Ebury, paperback, £6.99)

Eliza’s Child by Maggie Hope

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Maggie Hope, who has been writing short stories since the early 1970s, is a born storyteller and her new saga, set in 19th century Newcastle, is brimming with her trademark warmth and wisdom.

After the birth of their son, Eliza Mitchell-Howe naively hopes that her profligate husband Jack will put his gambling habit behind him and become more responsible. But then he loses their home and abandons her, leaving Eliza with no choice but to return to her parents’ pit cottage. She inadvertently attracts the attention of the ruthless mine owner Jonathan Moore. But is she willing to sacrifice her reputation to protect her son?

An enchanting rags-to-riches story…

(Ebury, paperback, £5.99)

A Daughter’s Choice by June Francis

Liverpool author June Francis returns to her home city for the emotion-packed sequel to A Mother’s Duty, a moving story featuring feisty hotel owner Kitty Mcleod.

A Daughter’s Choice, originally published as Somebody’s Girl, moves forward to 1958 just as Kitty’s seventeen-year-old daughter Katie is about to discover a devastating family secret...

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The only girl in a brood of four boys, Katie is the apple of her mother’s eye and is being groomed to take over the family-run Arcadia hotel in Liverpool. But she is devastated to discover that Kitty is not her real mother. Celia Mcdonald, the natural mother who abandoned Katie only hours after she was born, re-enters the teenager’s life and her world is turned upside down. Tormented by her divided loyalties, Katie is plagued by a question Celia refuses to answer – who is her real father?

Packed with drama, passion and mystery, this is a treat for all romantics…

(Ebury, paperback, £5.99)

The Factory Girl by Maggie Ford

A Londoner through and through, Maggie Ford grew up in the capital’s East End and its tough streets have provided the atmospheric backdrop to a string of gritty romances.

In The Factory Girl, she whisks us away to the hard grind of the years after the First World War when the men returned home from the trenches to find work, marry and forget the horrors of warfare.

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The Armistice has been declared but times are hard for eighteen-year-old Geraldine Glover. A machinist at Rubins clothing factory in the East End, she dreams of a more glamorous life. When she meets Tony Hanford, the young and handsome proprietor of a small jeweller’s shop in Bond Street, Geraldine is propelled into a new world… but it comes at a heavy price.

Written with warmth and a deep affection for the hardy folk of London’s East End, The Factory Girl is a compelling and emotional tale of love, loss and resilience.

(Ebury, paperback, £5.99)