Posts Tagged ‘Historical Fiction’
The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood — Book Review
From the desk of Syrie James I was intrigued by the premise of The Curse of Morton Abbey, a novel which is described as “Jane Eyre meets The Secret Garden in a gothic novel of romantic suspense set in 1890s Yorkshire.” As a huge fan of both of those classic novels and All Things English and 19th…
Read MoreBloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner — Book Review
From the desk of Syrie James I enjoyed Natalie Jenner’s debut novel The Jane Austen Society and was excited to dive into Bloomsbury Girls, the tale of three shop girls working at a male-run century-old bookstore in 1950 London. Evie Stone (one of my favorite characters from The Jane Austen Society) is a studious…
Read MoreJane and the Year Without a Summer by Stephanie Barron – Book Review
From the desk of Syrie James I have a soft spot in my heart for the Being a Jane Austen Mystery series by Stephanie Barron. Reading them is a bit like time traveling back in time. The books are all expertly researched, a seamless blend of fact and fiction full of fascinating period and…
Read MoreThe London House by Katherine Reay — Book Review
From the desk of Syrie James I love historical fiction, women’s fiction, and novels with multiple timelines. It’s a challenging structure for an author, however, since it requires the creation of two or more protagonists who live in different eras, and separate stories that are not only equally weighted, well-structured, and compelling, but must be…
Read MoreDown a Dark River by Karen Odden — Book Review
From the desk of Syrie James I’m always up for a good Victorian murder mystery, and I was excited to dive into Karen Odden’s Down a Dark River, the first book in her new Inspector Corravan Mystery series. It’s 1878 in London, when a small boat bearing a young woman’s corpse drifts down the Thames.…
Read MorePreview of Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
Hello dear readers, I have the great pleasure to share a first look at the next historical fiction novel from Natalie Jenner, author of the international bestseller The Jane Austen Society. I’m a huge fan of Natalie Jenner and, as you know, of All Things Jane Austen, and I’m excited to share everything I know…
Read MoreVictorian Capes and Cloaks: A Dramatic Fashion Statement
When I was writing my novel Dracula, My Love, I came to a crossroads and knew I was in trouble. In the book, my heroine Mina Harker falls madly in love with Dracula, a brilliant, charismatic, devastatingly handsome being who may not be the evil monster everyone supposes. I couldn’t help falling a little…
Read MoreVictorian Gothic Giveaway!
Hello dear readers! I’m so excited to introduce you to bestselling historical romance novelist Mimi Matthews, whose Gothic suspense novel, John Eyre, releases today. Mimi’s new novel caught my eye because it merges two classics together—Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Bram Stoker’s Dracula—two books that I adore so much, I’ve written novels inspired by both of them. I…
Read MoreJohn Eyre by Mimi Matthews — Book Review
From the desk of Syrie James When I heard that John Eyre was a gender-swapping version of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre mashed up with elements from Bram Stoker’s Dracula—two of my favorite Gothic novels of all time—I was intrigued. I’m such a huge fan of these books that I’ve written novels inspired by both of…
Read MoreAuthors’ Chat with Syrie James and Natalie Jenner
Hello dear readers! I’m delighted to share this video interview between me and the fabulously talented author Natalie Jenner in honor of the paperback release of her wonderful novel, The Jane Austen Society. Please join us at the link below as we discuss the writing of our novels, how we were influenced by Jane…
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