The Only Woman In the Room by Marie Benedict

This was a fabulous read to end 2018. It had much to admire and learn. Set first in Vienna in a well established Jewish family, we have a young Heidi an accomplished debutante in the field of drama with a doting father and an antagonistic mother.

Very soon she catches the eye of a business magnate Fritz Mandl, whose arms dealings and factories have made him a millionaire. He moves with the uppermost sections of society and when his eye falls on Heidi, there is no way out for her. Her marriage takes place and Fritz begins to control every aspect of her life. Who she sees to where she goes, not given any room for anything to do with the many houses he owns, she is merely an ornament to adorn his world. Heidi is a clever woman and Fritz begins to see what an asset she is to his business with her acute business sense and awareness of people.

However when things turn ugly in the Mandl household, and when she is a virtual prisoner in her own home, Heidi plans her escape. Successfully entering the Hollywood scene her new life emerges. Not just a second marriage and the adoption of a baby boy, but  her real scientific talent blossoms with the manufacture of a system which will prevent ships being torpedoed. Turned down by the American Navy for the flimsiest and most chauvinistic of reasons, which made me so angry, the prototype of what Hedy Lamarr put together with her partner is followed by the navy today. Even our cell phones use a system which was manufactured or rather put together by her.

No one knows of this part of the glam girls history. That she was responsible for raising 2.5 million pounds in one dance hall performance is one of the highlights of her life. What she actually did is not known - her scientific mind and bent, her obviously above average intelligence was ignored by the powers that be. So sad.

Despite this woman being born in modern times, she did not get a fair chance to shine. This part made me feel very unhappy at the way she was treated. People could not visualize other than what her physical appearance projected, which was glamour and beauty.

Gorgeous story sent to me by Netgalley, for an unbiased review, courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark.

The Girl From The Mill by Chrissi Walsh

This is a rags to riches story with a lot of history running through the entire story along with a very nice romance.

Lacey is a diamond in the rough Yorkshire girl. Employed in a textile mill, Lacey realises that women are marginalized. They do not get a good deal in their homes, nor in their work place. They are the backbone of yorkshire's textile industry and they get paid substantially less than the men, under appalling work conditions. Lacey decides after a mill accident to organize the women in a collective group, a basic Union to ask for better working conditions and for better pay. At the same time an unlikely romance develops between the boss's son and Lacey.  Not favored by anyone the relationship develops slowly, culminating in a joyous marriage but her very new husband enlists and leaves Lacey to face an uncertain, war torn future alone.

The details of Lacey's life including an ongoing battle with a woman who is mad with jealousy over Lacey's marriage, her budding entrepreneurship and facing a future with her baby son when her husband is declared MIA forms the story of a very unusual and courageous woman. The history and turbulent times faced by ordinary village folk are detailed well.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Aria.

The Belting Inheritance by Julian Symons

I am a sucker for these idyllistic covers. When you start the book you also know that you are in a stylised setting. Its almost medieval - the autocratic lady of the manor, no domestics (due to the great War) but ruling all with a fist of iron, two sons dead in the War, two left behind and one distant nephew adopted into the family. A motley collection but you sense a great story round the corner.

All the characters are eccentric, all live far removed from everyday life in England especially our Christopher the speaker in the story as it were. Orphaned at a young age, he was brought to the Belting house then sent to school, then on to university and has "expectations" as like everyone else though definitely not a greedy boy! the two sons specially were in their own ways wanting to get the fortune that waited them on their mother's demise.

When after years the news came through that David the eldest was alive, it threw the cat amongst the pigeons.  Stephen particularly felt that it was unjust! and Miles followed blindly. Our narrator was devil's advocate but  when David finally appeared he tended to be with the brothers, that David was an imposter. However David answered questions put forward by two people who knew from way back, but the brothers and Christopher were unconvinced.

How Christopher finally unravelled the sad story of the impersonation follows. Christopher broke from the mould, had his adventure and found love as well.

Loved this book!

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Poisoned Pen Press.

The Accident by Donna M. Zadunajsky

There are several stories here and although initially I thought it was going to be too much, it somehow blended in well.

We have Adanya an officer of the law. Her story is separate. We have Kaitlyn whose story is quite separate. Kaitlyn is married and on the surface everything seems fine. Her husband is a twisted abusive who has no qualms about hitting her at every turn, even in the past to force a miscarriage.
Adanya has a heavy secret. When she was a teenager she had a baby, she gave the baby away for adoption, a decision tinged with deep regret and sadness.

Kaitlyn had a great love in Adam who went to Afghanistan and then she got involved with her husband to her deep regret. Now that she has conceived again, she is determined to run away, create a new identity and bring up this baby alone. All that changes when a grievous accident affects the lives of all of the above.

In twists and turns, some plausible, some slightly not we are taken into the next step of both Adanya and Kaitlyn's lives - thank goodness for the better and happier.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review.

Death Comes to Bath by Catherine Lloyd

Sir Robert and Lady Lucy Kurland are taking the waters at Bath for the sole purpose of Sir Robert recovery from a war wound which he got whilst at Waterloo. Lucy wants to help him out and the house taken for three months seems to be a good option.

Bath however is not good for everyone and their immediate neighbours, whom they know are struck by the first disaster the death of Sir William.  There is a Lady William and her two sons, there are three sons from his first marriage and the ensuing battle, and cross talk amongst them all makes it very obvious that more than one person wanted to get rid of Sir William - father or not.

Lucy and Robert face the predicament of knowing there is a murderer in their midst and signs point to all of the five sons. To narrow it down needs a certain amount of judicious probing and this they do admirably. The final villain is unexpected and obvious!

Very nicely told in a very genteel time in England this was a very welcome read.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Kensington Books.

Forgotten Books by Becki Willis

Going back into the past, unraveling mysteries of family and the secrets hidden for decades can sometimes spring pleasant, sometimes unpleasant surprises.

Charity wants to get to know the aunt who gave her an unexpected bequest. Coming up and finding a dilapidated cottage she does find surprising stuff. A blood stained suit with bullet holes and four boxes of stuff dating back to 1984 with differing addresses on them. Delving further, she finds out that all were supposed to be delivered on the day her Uncle supposedly committed suicide. Thinking of going a step further, she starts on a quest to deliver the boxes thirty years hence not realising that she is opening a can of worms.

This book had lain in my old Kindle collection for months and for this I apologise.

An interesting story throwing up romance, suspense and sadness.

The book was sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased reviews courtesy of Clear Creek Publishing.

The Secret by Jennifer Wells

 


Set in two separate time frames 1920 and 1942, we have WWII fully upon the whole world and everyone buckling under its weight.

1920 and Lily finds herself a guest of Dr. Cuthbertson in an isolated manor. How the events of 1920 will again come up in 1942 is a bit uncanny. Lily gets pregnant and has a child.  Fast forward Ivy is a nurse working in the local clinic. She has to go up to Dr. Cuthbertson's house once in a while to attend to an invalid son, who is supposedly injured whilst fighting. Ivy's mother never a person in good spirits goes berserk when she hears that Ivy is going up to the manor and has met the Mrs. Cuthbertson though the Doctor is always absent and not to be disturbed.

 Ivy does realise at the very onset that things are not quite right at the big house but she becomes fond of the young man and does not want to jeopardize her position in the clinic either. She is also intimidated by Mrs Cuthbertson who is rude and condescending.

The story unravels slowly and typifies the standards of the age, where a lot of stuff going on in homes was all veiled up and a curtain pulled across the whole thing to maintain an aura of respectability as that was what of prime importance.

A very interesting part of the story was the form of family planning advice offered by the clinic - privately to the poorer section of the community who had no one else to turn to. It did show women supporting women, despite the morals of the day. No mean feat this.

Sent to me by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Aria.