The Elopement by Tracy Rees

 

                                       

Hardback: 417 pages

Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction 

Publisher: Macmillan 2022

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: Thursday, the middle of February. It was cold and dark, the wind and rain battering the attic roof. A most begrudging sort of day.

Setting: London 1897

Review Quote: A beautiful book. Powerful and captivating, the story will transport you to another time and place, plunging you headlong into the lives of its characters' - Hazel Prior, author of Away with the Penguins

Favourite Quote: Brown bread ice cream is wonderful but it is simply not enough.

My Opinion:  Until I started reading ‘The Elopement’ I had no idea it was a sequel to ‘The Rose Garden’ with some familiar characters making a reappearance. The story stands alone though as Tracy Rees makes sure the reader is filled in on the back story where necessary.

The story is narrated from the viewpoints of the three female protagonists in alternating chapters. Olive Westallen, a wealthy spinster running a successful charitable foundation and as an adoptive single parent, a very independent woman. Rowena Blythe is a young lady, approaching twenty-four whose place in society means her parents are anxious for her to marry well and soon. Finally Pansy Tilney a housemaid in service, for the last seven years to the Blythe family. There is so much more to this novel than the historical romance I was expecting and was taken by surprise, in a good way, in the direction the storyline took. These young women were rebelling against the constraints of a females role in society in Victorian England. The introduction of two real life women of the period, Eliza Orme and Cornelia Sorabji into the novel added an excellent historical reference. Hence enabling the author to share with the reader the positive changes of the period for women wanting to work in the legal profession. 

This was an engaging read highlighting the social differences of the era and how Olive, Rowena and Pansy despite everything came together as friends. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction. 

Including 'The Elopement' I have so far read four of Tracy Rees's novels.  In 2016 I read Florence Grace, it was a further five years before I picked up  The Rose Garden  to read, then last autumn I read The Little House by The Sea on My Kindle during a long flight. 

Previous Reviews: Florence Grace   The Rose Garden    The Little House By The Sea

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A wealthy heiress . . .

1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well.

An unsuitable match . . .
Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before – wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness.

A scandal in society . . .
Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

Author Profile:         

                                                                                        

                                                           Courtesy of Goodreads

Tracy Rees was the winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition and the Love Stories Best Historical Read award and was shortlisted for the RNA Epic Romantic Novel of the Year. 

Tracy was born in Swansea. She studied languages at Jesus College, Cambridge, then moved to London where she worked in medical publishing for years. She then did a second degree, in psychology, at London Metropolitan University before training and working as a counsellor for people with cancer and their families. She has also been a waitress, bartender, shop assistant, estate agent, classroom assistant, university lecturer and workshop leader.

Tracy and her partner divide their time between the Gower Peninsula of Wales and London.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

 Amazon Author Page    Twitter - Tracy Rees  Goodreads Author Page

The Little House by the Sea by Tracy Rees

                                                     

Ebook: 277 pages

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction 

Publisher: Bookouture  August 2022

Source: My Kindle Library

First Sentences: 'Kitty, it's time to go now? It's 6.30 - we're closing the office. Kitty!'

Setting: South Wales coast

Review Quote: ‘A glorious feel-good read… Brilliant… I fell in love… completely adorable… Beautiful setting, vivid characters, great blend of Welsh culture thrown in the mix.’ Bobs and Books,

My Opinion:  

Including 'The Little House by the Sea' I have so far only read three of Tracy Rees's novels.  Back in 2016 I read Florence Grace, it was a further five years before I picked up The Rose Garden to which I gave a five star review to on Goodreads.  Also I am very much looking forward reading The Elopement published earlier this month. 'The Little House by the Sea' really appealed to me when I was looking for titles to download to My Kindle ready for my recent travels.

Indeed this story provided me with a perfect read during my thirteen hour flight. Kitty the protagonist lives with her partner and spends lot of her time dreaming about their perfect future. It is somewhat of a shock for her when her dreams unexpectedly collapse. Trying to come to terms with the fact that life is not going the way she had been planning, she takes herself off to South Wales to try and recover.

As one I believe expects from this genre the storyline is fairly predictable however written in Tracy Rees engaging style it is an endearing read.  Throughly recommend if you are looking for escapism.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Bluebells bob in the salty sea wind and the cottage gate swings open to reveal the inky-blue cove. It’s exactly how Kitty always pictured it… except in her head, she wasn’t standing here alone.

Kitty Roberts spends her days searching for the perfect home for two… until her boyfriend dumps her. Devastated, she flees to a tiny seaside village called Pennystrand, where she spent golden summers as a child, before her family fell apart.

At first, Kitty’s dramatic escape proves to be exactly what she needs – golden sunsets over warm, sandy beaches, lovably eccentric new neighbours and even a blush-inducing run-in with Cory Hudson, a floppy-haired local surfer with a heart-stopping smile.

But just as Kitty feels herself beginning to heal, Cory reveals that his time in Pennystrand is nearly up. What’s more, some strange reactions to Kitty in town make her wonder if her connection to this place might go deeper than she thought.

What is this tranquil little village hiding? It seems there’s a secret in Kitty’s past that is about to turn her life on its head once more… Is she ready for the truth? And will it bring her and Cory closer together, or drive them apart?

A page-turning story full of unexpected twists and turns. It will make you smile, laugh and wish you could visit Pennystrand! Absolutely perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Heidi Swain and Carole Matthews.

Author Profile:         

                                                                                        

                                                           Courtesy of Goodreads

Tracy Rees was the winner of the Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller competition and the Love Stories Best Historical Read award and was shortlisted for the RNA Epic Romantic Novel of the Year. She is the author of five bestselling historical novels and her first contemporary novel is to be published in May 2021.

Tracy was born in Swansea. She studied languages at Jesus College, Cambridge, then moved to London where she worked in medical publishing for years. She then did a second degree, in psychology, at London Metropolitan University before training and working as a counsellor for people with cancer and their families. She has also been a waitress, bartender, shop assistant, estate agent, classroom assistant, university lecturer and workshop leader.

Tracy and her partner divide their time between the Gower Peninsula of Wales and London.

Photographs, Trailer and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Amazon Author Page.  Twitter - Tracy Rees.  Goodreads Author Page

Florence Grace by Tracy Rees

Paperback: 535pages.                                                                                                 
Genre: Historical Romantic Fiction
Publisher: Quercus, June 2016
Source: Lovereading Reader Review Panel
First Sentence: The Damn pony had bolted again.
Favourite Quote: Love is a strange and mystical force. It leads you down avenues you would never otherwise tread. It is always-always -about so much more than the coming together of two people.
Review Quote: Florence is such a strong, intriguing character and the plot is so clever, real and truthful.  The whole book feels so very wise, as if it contains half the answers to life (Joanna Courtney, author of the The Chosen Queen).
My Opinion: When I was recently offered the opportunity to read and review this title, despite never having read the authors previous novel, it sounded interesting so I jumped at the opportunity. So I have now discovered another writer of historical romantic fiction that I can turn to when I am in the mood for this genre.  
The heroine of the novel is a spirited young Cornish girl who one day finds herself unexpectedly part of a wealthy London family and she is thrown into a complete change of lifestyle. Not an easy or happy transition for her, but true to character Florence survives, to find out how you will just have to read for yourself. 
An enjoyable relaxing read that left me feeling contented, just what I needed. Recommended to anyone that enjoys finding a story to loose themselves in away from the stresses of the modern world. 



Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

Florrie Buckley is an orphan, living on the wind-blasted moors of Cornwall. It's a hard existence but Florrie is content; she runs wild in the mysterious landscape. She thinks her destiny is set in stone.

But when Florrie is fourteen, she inherits a never-imagined secret. She is related to a wealthy and notorious London family, the Graces. Overnight, Florrie's life changes and she moves from country to city, from poverty to wealth.

Cut off from everyone she has ever known, Florrie struggles to learn the rules of this strange new world. And then she must try to fathom her destructive pull towards the enigmatic and troubled Turlington Grace, a man with many dark secrets of his own.



Author Profile

Tracy Rees was the winner of the Richard and Judy 'Search for a Bestseller' Competition and her first book, Amy Snow, was a Richard and Judy and Kindle bestseller. A Cambridge graduate, she had a successful eight-year career in nonfiction publishing and a second career practising and teaching humanistic counselling before becoming a writer. She lives in Wales.


Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Amazon Author Profile      Tracy Rees - Twitter Profile