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historical

Blog Tour & Review: The Woolgrower’s Companion by Joy Rhoades
Title: The Woolgrower’s Companion
Author: Joy Rhoades
Published: June 28th, 2018
Publisher: Vintage Books
Rating: ★★★★
Find the Author: Goodreads 

Disclosure: I received this ARC in exchange for an impartial review. As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

As the war draws to a close, one woman faces her greatest battle . . . 
Australia 1945. Until now Kate Dowd has led a sheltered life on Amiens, her family’s sprawling sheep station in northern New South Wales. The horrors of war have for the most part left her untouched. But with her father succumbing to wounds he’s borne since the Great War, the management of the farm is increasingly falling on Kate’s shoulders.
With only the sheep-rearing book The Woolgrower’s Companion to guide her, Kate rises to the challenge. However the arrival of two Italian POW labourers unsettles not only the other workers, but Kate too – especially when she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic Luca Canali.
Then she receives devastating news. The farm is near bankrupt and the bank is set to repossess. Given just eight weeks to pay the debt, Kate is now in a race to save everything she holds dear.
‘A heart-breaking tale beautifully told . . . This compelling story of war and love, of family and prejudice is magical’ Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help

First Thoughts…

I usually stray from any type of Historical Adult Fiction, but there was something about The Woolgrower’s Companion that enticed me from the get-go. It had this simplicity-meets-heartbreak kind of feel and I was so delighted when offered to be on Joy’s tour!

My Review…

Kate has always led more or less a sheltered life in Australia, on her family’s sheep farm. We’re introduced to her life in 1945, wavering the line of the second World War. Her father, a veteran of the first war, has been struggling. From the despair of his wife’s passing and from age, and now with the farm, it’s been difficult. So the responsibility falls to Kate, her only helping hand the sheep-rearing book called The Woolgrower’s Companion, hence the title.
She’s thrown into the grueling everyday tasks of taking charge, but when some Italian POW laborers arrive and she finds out her Father has been hiding things from her to do with the Farm, it all comes crashing down around her. So when she finds herself drawn to the Italian Luca, she doesn’t know how to deal with the newfound ways her life is changing. With the Farm almost bankrupt, it’s a race against time. She loves the Farm and everything it’s provided for her, but losing it is only a blink away.
Overall, The Woolgrower’s Companion really did surprise me. There was of course the beauty of the story, the landscape and the romance aspect. The plot – and some of the choices the characters chose – did keep me on edge and despite not agreeing with everything Kate chose or did, I couldn’t help but be hypnotized by the ways the story kept me reeled in and turning pages faster and faster. It’s heart-breaking and moving to-the-max and despite not being a huge Historical-Lit fan, I thoroughly devoured the book in just a few sittings. If you’re like me, and need a break from reality and a change of pace, The Woolgrower’s Companion will be the breath of fresh air you need. Truly such a beauty of a story! 4 stars.

I grew up in a small town in the bush in Queensland, Australia. I spent my time with my head in a book, or outdoors – climbing trees, playing in dry creek beds, or fishing for yabbies in the railway dam under the big sky. Some of my favourite memories were visiting my grandmother’s sheep farm in rural New South Wales where my father had grown up. She was a fifth generation grazier, a lover of history, and a great and gentle teller of stories. My childhood gave me two passions: a love of the Australian landscape and a fascination with words and stories.
I left the bush at 13 when I went to boarding school in Brisbane. I stayed on there to study law and literature at the University of Queensland. After, my work as a lawyer took me first to Sydney and then all over the world, to London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo and New York. But I always carried in my head a strong sense of my childhood: the people, the history, the light and the landscape. Those images have never left me and they would eventually become The Woolgrower’s Companion. It’s a story I’ve felt I had to tell.
I currently live in London with my husband and our two young children. But I miss the Australian sky.

Have you read The Woolgrower’s Companion?


Let me know in the comments, on twitter @LittleMemoirs or using the hashtag #TheWoolgrowersCompanion!



happy reading!

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Book Review // Blog Tour: “Despite The Falling Snow” by Shamim Sarif

Title: Despite The Falling Snow

Author: Shamim Sarif

Published: April 7th, 2016

Publisher: John Blake Publishing

Find the Author: Goodreads


I received this book for review! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

From the award winning literary novelist comes a breathtaking story of love and betrayal in Soviet Russia…

In 1950s Moscow, model communist Katya secretly spies for the Americans in the Cold War arms race. When she lands her biggest assignment, stealing secrets from rising government star Alexander, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with him.
Reconciling her beliefs with her love for Alexander means a choice – between continuing her secretive work or continuing under threat of blackmail. But Katya’s determination to live honestly with her husband comes too late – for he has unknowingly alerted the government to a leak, putting them both in danger of capture and death.
Decades later in the United States, Alexander has built a successful business empire. A kind, passionate man, he has managed to bury the tragic memories of his early life in Soviet Russia with his charismatic late wife, Katya.
But into his life come two women. One begins to open up the heart he has kept protected for so long. The other, his niece Lauren, is determined to uncover the truth about what really happened to Katya all those years ago.
The story’s journey back to 1950s Moscow takes us into a world of true love lost, and of friendships betrayed. For only by confronting the past can Alexander move on to his future.

Firstly, Despite The Falling Snow isn’t my usual type of read. I usually reach for YA and contemporary fluffy romance stories, but something about this book just sparkled and since I’ve started reading more Historical novels, I thought it would be a perfect twist in my reading patterns. 

We’re in 1950’s Moscow and I can picture the sight with the gentle and fitting way Shamim describes it. Model communist Katya, one of the main fixtures of the novel, spies for America during the Cold War arms race. She’s a bold, lively character who stood out the most. She’s intriguing and interesting, but complex at the same time which made her story all the more believable. 
Soon enough, she gets a big task that will ask a lot of her. She must steal secrets from ascending government stand-out; Alexander. But then she falls in love with him, for real, and things are no longer clean-cut. She’s faced with a choice between continuing her work and abandoning it with the risks and threats that came with it. Even death.
Flash-forward many years into the future and in Boston, Alexander has built himself to be the charismatic, business-minded founder of a huge empire. He’s managed to stray from his memories of Soviet Russia with Katya, but he hasn’t strayed from a complex life. Into it comes his niece and another woman, one who begins to mend the heart that is still tainted by the image of Katya and pained by his past. 
Despite The Falling Snow is a story about love lost, about tragedy and overcoming the flames that poured down on Alexander’s past. There’s a hint of mystery, swirled with romance and politics and the emotional ties that bind the characters in the past, present and future. I was pulled into the novel easily and it seemed so effortless that the novel seemed so real. Overall, Despite The Falling Snow is a brilliantly written novel with striking characters and believable, refreshing backdrop. I can see just how amazing this will be as a movie (coming soon!) and just how picturesque and compelling it will be on the big screen.  
Fans of Adult Contemporary fiction, Historical and Romance. Don’t forget: UK FILM RELEASE 15th APRIL! 

Shamim Sarif is an award winning novelist, screenwriter and film director. Her first novel The World Unseen won both the Pendleton May First Novel Award and Betty Trask Award. Shamim adapted the book for film herself, both writing the screenplay and directing the film, alongside her partner Hanan who produced the film which went on to win 23 awards internationally. Her second novel I Can’t Think Straight was also made into a film by Shamim winning 11 awards. 
In 2016 Altitude Films will release Despite The Falling Snow as a major motion picture staring Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) and Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible) with title song by Ella Henderson and score by Oscar winning composer Rachel Portman (Emma, Chocolate).
Shamim has spoken at TED events in London, Jerusalem and India. In 2008, Shamim received the AfterEllen Visibility Award as International Lesbian/Bi Woman of the Year. Shamim and her partner Hanan are founders of the Sarif-Kattan Foundation, focusing on empowering and educating women and children across the globe. Hanan works alongside Shamim producing all of the films that Shamim directs. Shamim and Hanan live in London with their two teenage sons. 
                       Don’t forget to check out the other tour dates below!

Have you read Despite The Falling Snow?


What did you think?


Let me know in the comments or @LittleMemoirs on twitter!


happy reading!

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Book Review: “Always Emily” by Michaela MacColl

Title: Always Emily

Author: Michaela MacColl
Genre: Young Adult – Historical Fiction / Mystery
Release Date: April 8th, 2014
Published by: Chronicle Books


I received this from Chronicle in exchange for an honest review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. 

Emily and Charlotte Brontë are about as opposite as two sisters can be. 


Charlotte is practical and cautious; Emily is headstrong and imaginative. But they do have one thing in common: a love of writing. 
This shared passion will lead them to be two of the first published female novelists and authors of several enduring works of classic literature. But they’re not there yet. 
First, they have to figure out if there is a connection between a string of local burglaries, rumors that a neighbor’s death may not have been accidental, and the appearance on the moors of a mysterious and handsome stranger. The girls have a lot of knots to untangle—before someone else gets killed.
Historical fiction, particularly YA is fairly new to me. I’m usually a Contemporary girl, or steadfast Paranormal fan, but recently the historical elements have been weaving themselves into my reading habits. I’m sure almost everyone has heard of the Brontë sisters in one way or another and even though this is the first time I was actually learning more about them, I was excited to get some classic fiction into my library. 

Charlotte and Emily couldn’t be more different, and that is definitely clear from the start. But one thing that is undeniably clear is how they became so known for their name and place in history.
A true romantic and hard-working girl, Charlotte is always thinking straight and toward her planned future. She follows the traditions and rules and aside from her love of writing, romance plays a huge part in her story, but the thing she wants the most was for Emily to feel at home at the Academy as she does. But Emily is different, she craves a wild adventure, seeks freedom and doesn’t want to be tied down to anyone or thing. She had a wandering mind and spirit that couldn’t be contained in any space or time. It’s no surprise she loved writing like her sister, but that was probably their only similarity personality or hobby wise. 
Charlotte wants Emily to be more observant and conventional to the times, but Emily wasn’t one to follow the rules. I could definitely see why the sisters are loved and how inspiring the scenes in their hometown conjured up their love for writing, especially on the moors that inspired some of their works.
Mysteries always hook my attention and Always Emily lived up to my love of them. I found myself turning page after page as the anticipation grew with the telling of the story. Adventure-seeking Emily and traditional-bound Charlotte are spun into the secrets and enigma, building to a novel that any Brontë fan will adore as they work together to piece the pieces of a mystery together. This was my first time reading about anything Brontë, and I’m definitely going to do more research and reading into the sisters that made a massive name in Literature and our novel-loving hearts. 



The climax of any mystery is always my favourite part. When all the details come together to have made the story possible just gives me that book-buzz.



Brontë fans of course, and Historical Fiction lovers will eat this up. And not to sound cover-obsessed, but it is gorgeous! By far one of the most beautiful I’ve read.


Have you read Always Emily?

What did you think? 

Tell me in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!
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Book Review: “The Winner’s Curse” by Marie Rutkoski

Title: The Winner’s Curse

Author: Marie Rutkoski
Genre: Young Adult – Historical Romance / Fantasy 
Release Date: July 3rd, 2014
Published by: Bloomsbury Childrens


I received this from Bloomsbury Childrens in exchange for an honest review. As always, my reviews are fair and non-bias. 





Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Historical fiction isn’t usually my go-to read, but there was something compelling about The Winner’s Curse. I had heard so many great things about the story and the romance and that it was a must read, so I was going in with high hopes. 
The high hopes I went into The Winner’s Curse with were met with exceeding enchantment and allure into the Historical backdrop and charismatic characters. Kestrel was especially interesting, although being set in the third person POV didn’t give me a full look into her thoughts and I wasn’t sure what that would mean until Arin was introduced and I saw why there was a different point of view situation where we could see into both of their worlds. Although they were both about to collide massively. 
Kestrel is the General’s daughter, and she has everything she could possibly want. She also had a question weighing on her shoulders; to join the military like her father or get married. But when she sees a slave auction in progress and the slave up for grabs being Arin, she sees something in him that she hasn’t quite seen in anyone else. Promising he can sing, she buys him even to the dismay of her best friend; Jess. Although the consequences that follow were something Kestrel couldn’t have pictured. She feels a connection with Arin, even if he is secretive and distant. But when they talk about music, especially Kestrel’s piano that she adores, they seem more matched than she ever thought. But it was becoming obvious that they had a certain connection and scandal hits the town, forcing them to be frightfully honest about how they saw each other. But Arin has ulterior motives, even if he is growing to hate being dishonest to Kestrel. His plans are wild and outrageous, but he’s not the one in control. He still tries to save Kestrel when the plan goes forward, and sends her world spiralling out of control into a one she doesn’t even recognize. One completely opposite to the life she has lived all her life. The roles get reversed. People get hurt. And still there is still a spark between them, even if Kestrel is filled with hate and Arin with slight remorse. 
The Winner’s Curse is unlike anything I’ve ever read – genius, enrapturing and with a hopelessly destined love. Filled with enamoring qualities and a world with stakes higher than ever, where the roles of rich and poor are tested like a game. An incredible – possibly even the best – Historical YA book I have ever read. A definite favourite this year.
I can’t wait for The Winner’s Crime, book two of the trilogy!



A game of bite and sting, anyone? (You’ll only understand if you’ve read The Winner’s Curse, which you SHOULD!) Speaking of, you can actually play it here on Marie’s website for the book. 

Historical YA fans, even stretching to the Fantasy lovers. It’s one of those books where even if you don’t normally read the genre, you’d love. 

Have you read The Winner’s Curse?


Tell me in the comments or on twitter!


happy reading!

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Book Review: “Prince of Shadows” by Rachel Caine


Title: Prince of Shadows

Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: Young Adult – Historical Fiction 
Release Date: February 4th, 2014
Also by the Author: The Morganville Vampires, Weather Warden, Outcast Season, Revivalist, Red Letter Days 
Published by: Allison & Busby


With thanks to Allison & Bubsy for the review copy of this novel! As always, my reviews are non-bias and fair.




A thrilling retelling of the star-crossed tale of Romeo and Juliet, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires series. 
In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.

Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…

…And will rewrite all their fates, forever..

When I heard Rachel (aka; one of my favourite authors EVER) was coming out with a Historical Fiction novel and that it was a novel of Romeo and Juliet, I was immediately anticipating it’s release and thanks to Allison & Busby, I got to read it. This is my first Historical fiction novel, believe it or not, so I was excited to see whether I liked the genre or not! 

All I know is, Rachel Caine has never written anything that wasn’t amazing, and Prince of Shadows goes down on that list of phenomenal novels as of now. 
All that I kept thinking all the way through was how brilliantly classic and believable Rachel had written the book, and how it weaved perfectly into Romeo and Juliet’s tale. Prince of Shadows ticked several boxes for me; romance, history told with enthrallment and not leaning toward something I’ve heard before, mystery and grace. We all know that the story of Romeo and Juliet is a tragic one, but set in the POV of Romeo’s older cousin, Benvolio, we see things in a whole new light, that even sheds some light on a romance that hadn’t been as tragic at all, but yet, hard to hold on to. 

 Benvolio is of course, the Prince of Shadows himself, and while thieving from House Capulet, he meets none other than Rosaline, who would soon take the role alongside him as the hopeful romance that we root for, whilst Romeo and Juliet take a back seat in the novel. And whilst Rosaline and Benvolio’s romance isn’t the main feature, it is subtle and is incredible in that way that their connection isn’t forced upon the readers. While he loves Rosaline, he shouldn’t, and should above all remain loyal to his House. It’s hard to say much without giving a lot away, but all I can say is that possibly, all along we had thought Romeo and Juliet were the star-crossed lovers, but maybe they weren’t the only ones. And their story might just have been as heartbreaking and hopeful. 

I read Romeo and Juliet a very long time ago, but reading Prince of Shadows has brought back that love for Shakespeare and especially a modern twist on a tale already told. Rachel did a flawless work of art on turning what was always a tragic love into unveiling another side to the story. 
Mesmerizing, captivating and classic, Prince of Shadows was a novel beyond the boundaries of brilliance. I can’t say how much I adored this take on a classic story and how much I am looking forward to diving into some other Historical novels with my new-found love for them. Rachel deserves nothing short of five stars for another addition to her long list of five-star novels in my eyes. 






Have you read Prince of Shadows?

What did you think? 

Tell me in the comments or at @LittleMemoirs on twitter!

happy reading!
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