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    World Tides uses the Simply Harmonic Formula and harmonic constants provided by the UKHO to give 7...

The Familiars
The Familiars
Stacey Halls | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Thriller
9
8.7 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
51 of 230
Book
The Familiars
By Stacey Halls
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 In 1612 Lancaster, England, the hunt for witches has reached a fever pitch . . .

But in a time of suspicion and accusation, to be a woman may be the greatest risk of all.

Fleetwood Shuttleworth, the mistress of Pendle Hill’s Gawthorpe Hall, is with child. Anxious to produce an heir, she is distraught to find a letter from her physician that warns her husband she will not survive this pregnancy.

Devastated, Fleetwood wanders the estate grounds, where she catches a young woman poaching. Alice Gray claims she is a local midwife and promises to help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. But a witch-obsessed frenzy sweeps the countryside. Even woodland creatures or “familiars” are thought to be dark companions of the unholy. And Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

Time is running out. The witch trials are about to begin. With both their lives at stake, Fleetwood must prove Alice’s innocence. Only they know the truth.

Set against the real Pendle witch trials, this compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives of seventeenth-century women. Ultimately it raises the question: Was witch hunting really just women hunting?

I absolutely loved it! Completely devoured it in 1 day! I’ve always loved the stories that are based on the Pendall witch trials and this was so so good!
The characters and story kept me glued to they book.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Murder at Morrington Hall in Books

Nov 20, 2021 (Updated Nov 20, 2021)  
Murder at Morrington Hall
Murder at Morrington Hall
Clara McKenna | 2019 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Life Upheaval and Murder
American Stella Kendrick is thrilled to join her father on a trip to England in 1905 until she learns that he has arranged for her marriage to Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst. Before she can fully process this news, Stella and Lyndy find the body of the vicar who was supposed to marry them. What does this mean for their future? Can they figure out what is going on?

I might have passed by this series had I not won the first three in a contest earlier this year. I’m glad I did. The romance is a stronger part of the story than I would normally like, but I’m torn on that here since I really found it easy to root for Stella and Lyndy. The story is told from multiple points of view, and early on, it is the scenes from the local inspector’s point of view that really advanced the mystery. Ironically, I found myself wanting to get back to Stella and Lyndy when we got those scenes. There is a solid mystery here, and I appreciate how the clues were scattered throughout the story. While I loved Stella and Lyndy and some of the others, some of the characters fell into the love to hate category, which was actually fun. I definitely want to find out what is next for the lead characters, so I’ll be picking up the next book soon.
  
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ClareR (5681 KP) rated Think of Me in Books

May 8, 2022  
Think of Me
Think of Me
Frances Liardet | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I got very excited when I saw that this book was coming up. I’d read and loved We Must Be Brave, and I knew that I’d enjoy this too - I wasn’t disappointed.

It’s the story of James Acton and Yvette Haddad who meet during WW2 in Alexandria where Yvette lives. James is the best man for Yvette’s sisters husband-to-be, and they both fly Hurricanes in North Africa.

James is captured by the Germans when he is shot down, and spends the latter part of the war in a prison camp, and keeps in touch with Yvette throughout. After the war they marry, return to England, and James returns to his ministry as an Anglican priest.

They have a wonderful marriage, it seems to me, whilst James struggles with his memories of war, they both experience a personal loss - and their marriage changes.

This has a dual timeline, set during the war in Alexandria and in 1974. James lives as a widower whilst their son goes to University. It’s a big change for James, and so he decides to go one step further as he puts in for a transfer of parish. But this transfer brings a lot of memories back.

Frances Liardet writes a slow burning novel really well. She makes the ordinary extraordinary, and has written a novel that I became totally immersed in. I really didn’t want to put it down.