The Secrets of Harbour House by Liz Fenwick

                                                

Paperback:  384 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Cornwall, Italy,

Publisher: HQ Sept 2025

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

Review Quote:  'Fascinating and complex… It’s beautifully researched and the life and landscape of the secret part of Cornwall around the Helford river gloriously evoked. What a pleasure to read!’ Rachel Hore

My Opinion:  

I have read quite a few of Liz Fenwick's novels and always find them to be an uplifting experience. 'The Secrets of Harbour House' is no exception to this as I was transported not only to Cornwall but also to my beloved Italy in this emotional dual timeline story.

The young female protagonist Kerensa returns to the family owned Auction house in Cornwall after the death of her father. When he died her father was working on cataloguing the contents of Harbour House and Kerensa soon finds herself immersed in the story behind a painting in the main hallway and how it is connected to the two women who last lived in the property.

Alternating between modern day Cornwall and Venice in the 1930's as fascism is taking hold on life in Italy. A mesmerising story with some deep hidden secrets to be discovered. Recommended to readers looking to immerse themselves in a captivating read.

Previous Reviews:  The Cornish House.  The Returning Tide   The River Between Us.   The Secret Shore

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

When Kerensa is sent by her father’s auction house to catalogue a neglected house overlooking the sea in Newlyn, Cornwall, it’s a welcome escape. Once the home of two female artists, Harbour House is a treasure trove, but one painting in particular catches Kerensa’s eye – a hypnotically sensual portrait of a beautiful young woman which dominates the hallway.

Captivated and intrigued, Kerensa finds herself piecing together the enigma of Bathsheba Kernow, a fiercely talented young artist who left St Ives almost a hundred years before, eager to escape a society that wouldn’t understand her, and her sweeping journey from the underbelly of Paris to the heady luxury of Venice, where a chance encounter would change her life for ever, drawing her into the most dangerous and forbidden of love affairs.

For Kerensa, still reeling with a grief of her own and facing an uncertain future in love, Harbour House will have secrets that will change her life too, and in ways she could never have imagined…

Author Profile:

                                      

Photo Courtesy of Goodreads 

Liz Fenwick was born in Massachusetts and after nine international moves - the final one lasting eight years in Dubai- she  now lives in Cornwall and London with her husband and two cats. She made her first trip to Cornwall in 1989, bought a home there seven years later. Apparently her heart is now forever in Cornwall, creating new stories.

Liz Fenwick describes herself as Novelist, wife, mother of three, slave to two cats and dreamer turned doer....

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Twitter - Liz Fenwick   Amazon Author Page  Official Author Website - Liz Fenwick 

Facebook Profile   Goodreads Author Profile

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