The Original by Priya Parmar

                                                    

Ebook:   384 pages                                                                         

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Publisher:  June 2026, Allison and Busby

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentence: LOS ANGELES: We don't take cowards here.

Review Quote: ‘'Dreamlike . a glimpse into the petri dish of 1930s Hollywood . an immersive portrayal' The Times

My Opinion: 

I always enjoy a novel that is based on true characters, so I definitely wanted to read this novel by Priya Parmar. She is an author I have been reading since 2011 when I was fortunate to be sent a copy of her debut novel  Exit The Actress.

With 'The Original' the author takes us behind the scenes in the life of the 1930's actress Katherine Hepburn. In fact not just her life, as although she is the main protagonist of the story it also features many famous names of The Golden Age of Hollywood. What a complicated lifestyle it was with everyone appearing to be fighting personal struggles.

Throughly enjoyed this very well researched novel that brings alive a screen icon from a very different era to the one we live in now. What a complex woman and a fascinating fictional story that feels like a biographical memoir.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

 

Précis Courtesy of Amazon:

Katharine Hepburn was a legend. This is the novel of how she became one.

After the devastating loss of her beloved brother, young Katharine Hepburn determines that she will be famous and never let anyone hurt her again. Leaving behind her East Coast marriage and patrician family, she arrives in 1930s Hollywood determined to live on her own terms.

But the studio system has rules, and Kate - brilliant, bisexual and fiercely independent - refuses to follow them.

Moving through a glittering world of power and ambition alongside figures like David and Irene Selznick, Cary Grant, John Ford and Howard Hughes, she forges her own path. Kate faces an impossible choice: become the star Hollywood demands, or risk everything to be the woman she always was.

Blending meticulous research with incandescent imagination, Priya Parmar delivers an emotionally charged portrait of an icon who refused to be anything but original.

Previous Review:  Exit The Actress

Author Profile:

                                                                                

                                                Photo and Bio Courtesy of Amazon 

Priya Parmar is the author of the novels Exit the Actress and Vanessa and Her Sister, a New York Times Notable Book, as well as co-author of the musical Sylvia (London Old Vic) nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Original Musical. Her latest novel, The Original, was published in June 2026. She lives between London and Connecticut with her family and four rescue dogs.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Profile Page.    Goodreads Profile.    Official Author Website

Facebook Reel on The Original.      Instagram Profile

The Secret Society of Librarians by Kate Thompson

                                                   

Hardback:  464 pages                                                                                                

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII

Publisher:  12th March 2026 Hodder and Stoughton

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: During the third annual meeting of the Secret Society of Librarians, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared war on Nazi Germany.

Review Quote: Kate Thompson conveys the power of books and librarianship -- The Library Journal

My Opinion:  

As a bibliophile and bookworm how could I not choose this book to read when I spotted it on the shelves on a recent visit to the local library.

'The Secret Society of Librarians is particularly interesting as it was inspired by true events. A group of women have formed a society and when WWII breaks out, for the love of books, they decide against all odds to take libraries, books to the people. They strongly believed that reading helped sustain people during those difficult days. The story is told in two parallel timelines through the eyes of two members of the group. Joyce who remains in London throughout the Blitz and her friend Dorotha who finds herself suffering under Nazi rule in Poland.

WWII is a period in history that still to this day impacts on those survivors fortunate enough to still be alive in the 21C. If you love history, books and tales of survival and fortitude this comes recommended.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Two women, torn apart by war. One shared belief in the power of books...

London, 1939. When war breaks out on librarian Joyce Kindred's doorstep and a call for help rings out across the libraries of London, she's determined to act. Joyce knows only the world of books can offer safety and comfort to her neighbourhood - and she will make sure no one is left behind.

Joyce sets up a mobile library scheme, but soon her acts of resistance go beyond sharing books. She shelters a young Jewish refugee, Adela - and it's not long before she discovers Adela has a secret that could turn their world upside down again...

Occupied Poland, 1942. Dorotha knows any chance of her escaping the barbed wire fences and cruelty of the Łódź ghetto dwindles by the day. Reading isn't just an act of it's the only thing left in her life over which she has any control. And so she shares books under the cover of darkness, creating a secret library away from her captors - that is, until even that last ray of hope is taken from her...

Joyce and Dorotha were once librarians, ordinary women, and best friends. The war has forced them into acts of unimaginable bravery - but will they ever find each other again?

Based on astonishing real events, this absolutely heart-breaking page-turner brings to life the remarkable untold story of two women during WW2.



Author Profile

                                         
                                                               

                                           Courtesy of Goodreads                                       

Kate Thompson was born in London and worked as a journalist for twenty years on women's magazines and national newspapers. She now lives in Sunbury with her husband, two sons and two rescue dogs. After ghost writing five memoirs, Kate moved into fiction. 

Kate's first non-fiction social history documenting the forgotten histories of East End matriarchy, The Stepney Doorstep Society, was published in 2018 by Penguin. She is passionate about capturing lost voices and untold social histories. 

Today Kate works as a journalist, author and library campaigner. Her most recent books, The Little Wartime Library (2022) and The Wartime Book Club (2023) by Hodder & Stoughton focus on two remarkable libraries in wartime. Her 100 libraries project, celebrates the richness and complexity of librarians work and the vital role of libraries in our communities. 

Kate is also proud to have worked in collaboration with one of Britain's oldest Holocaust survivors, Renee Salt, to research and write, A mother's Promise (UK) Do Not Cry When I Die (US and Canada) published on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads -Author Profile.     Author - Official Website.    

Kate Thompson - Amazon Profile.   Instagram Profile.      Facebook Author Page

My Friend's Husband by Rupa Mahadevan

 

Ebook:   336 pages                                                                         

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Crime Thriller, Mystery, 

Publisher:  June 11th  2026, Joffe Books,

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences: Prologue: Caller: Help me ...please, someone.... They....I'm scared.....please please.....

Review Quote: ‘I really enjoyed this book. It had plenty of suspense and twists to keep you wanting to read on.’ Anita W.

My Opinion: 

'My Friend's Husband' is a dual timeline domestic thriller and the first book I have read by this author.

A young woman Roshni has been kidnapped and the story centres around the to main suspects, Clara, her friend and Roshni's husband Steve. The question is will Roshni be found alive or not?

A dark and intense story with plenty of betrayals and secrets that will appeal to fans of the genre.

Thanks to NetGalley, Joffe books and Rupa Mahadevan for the opportunity to read and review.

 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

My best friend is missing. And the police think I did it. But her perfect husband is lying.

I’ve spent most of my life getting things wrong. Bad choices. Bad luck. Bad timing.

Roshni was my fresh start. She gave me a job. A room. A second chance.

Now she’s gone.

The day she vanished, she managed one desperate 999 call.
“Someone’s taken me. I’m in the boot of a car. Please—”

Then the line went dead.

I was the last person to see her alive. Now the police are closing in.

But they’re looking at the wrong suspect.

Because Steve — the devoted, devastated husband — isn’t who he claims to be.

A brilliantly twisty page-turner packed with nail-biting tension.

Author Profile:

                                         

                                          Photo and Bio Courtesy of Amazon 

Rupa Mahadevan is a passionate storyteller of character led and page turning thrillers that keep you guessing till the last chapter. Her books aim to be an alluring mixture of crime and culture.

She grew up on the south-eastern coast of India and has called the south-eastern coast of Scotland home for over fifteen years. she currently lives in Edinburgh with her husband and two children. When she is not grappling with Excel in her day job, she loves to read and dream up stories of her own.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads - Author Page.    Amazon Author Page

The Tea Planter's Secret by Clare Flynn (The Ceylon Series Bk 2)

                                                        

Ebook:  365 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Storm Publishing May 2026

Source:  NetGalley

First Sentences: The baby was howling again. Her wailing was like a cheese grater dragging across Stella's skin.

Setting: Ceylon in 1908 (now known as Sri Lanka)

Review Quote: “Vivid and atmospheric… full of emotion, secrets, and resilience.” Reader Review,

My Opinion: 

The first title in The Ceylon Series 'The Star of Ceylon' was my introduction to the author Clare Flynn. I found her narrative about the British in Ceylon in the early years of the 20C a pleasurable and informative read.

Therefore I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review 'The Tea Planter's Secret'. The characters were familiar and it was delightful to catch up with the main protagonists, Stella and Norton, Winnie and Paul and Cynthia and Ronald. The relationships are all complex and the narratives in this sequel are strong and emotional. I was once again transported to Colonial Ceylon and immersed in the beauty of the country as well as the social tensions of the country and the protagonists of the novel. Already looking forward to the final book in the series as the ending leaves the reader with hints of changes ahead for Stella, Winnie and Cynthia.

Although it works as a stand alone novel, reading the first in the series beforehand will enhance your understanding of the characters behaviour. Recommended as an atmospheric series for fans of historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review. 

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Ceylon, 1908: Stella Baxter returns to the island paradise that once promised her everything — haunted by her father’s death and the brutal assault that left her with a baby she cannot love.

Norton is waiting for her in Colombo. He rescued her from scandal, he sees her worth, and his steady presence offers something Stella had given up a chance to heal. At last she can turn to the work that still binds her to her father — preserving his precious academic legacy.

But the arrival of the scandalous Cynthia — abandoned by her lover and desperate to salvage her reputation — ignites forbidden desires within Norton’s own family. As secrets unravel and the respectable façade of British Ceylon begins to crack, the fragile new life Stella has built is caught in the fallout.

Soon the mistakes of the past resurface, and Stella must fight to protect not only her father’s legacy but her own future.

Previous Review:  The Star of Ceylon (The Ceylon Series Book 1)

Author Profile:

                                                 

                                          Photo and Bio Courtesy of Goodreads 

Clare Flynn is the author of twenty historical novels and a collection of short stories. She is the 2020 winner of the UK Selfies Adult Fiction prize for her best-selling novel The Pearl of Penang, was shortlisted for the RNA Industry Awards Indie Champion of the Year for 2021 and won the award in 2022. 

Clare lives in Eastbourne. on the south coast of the UK. She is a fluent Italian speaker and loves spending time in Italy. In her spare time she likes to quilt, paint and travel often and widely as possible.

Clare Flynn is an active member of The Romantic Novelists Association, The Alliance of Independent Authors and The Society of Authors.

You can read her full and interesting biography on her website

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Clare Flynn - Author Website.   Goodreads Profile.   Amazon Profile.   Instagram Profile

 Storm Publishing - Profile.    Facebook Profile