The Ashes of London | 
pickI read the second in the series first and enjoyed it more than this, but would still recommend this. The author has woven his historical research into the narrative incredibly well without making it obvious, so it‘s very atmospheric. I‘m ambivalent about the character of Cat Lovett and can‘t warm to her, but perhaps we‘re not meant to!
pickHistorical mystery! This one has lots of intrigue, sympathetic characters, and a hefty dose of malice, set against the backdrop of a burnt and distraught London. I really enjoyed the way the plot unfolded and the historical detail felt pretty authentic.
panI had such high hopes for this book, but I didn't like it at all! It was a chore to read, I hated the characters and it didn't bring the history alive for me. Stick to C. J. Sansom!
so-soSo I really liked the mystery and suspense plot lines in this - but I really didn't like part of Cat's story - and I know it's going to be a problem for some other reader so Spoiler alert, but in the interest of not letting people in for stuff they don't want - there is an on page rape in this, which is over quickly but which forms part of Cat's motivation going forward. I will read the sequel to see what happens and if people can start there.
pickIt's 1666 & the Great Fire of London is wrecking havoc on the city. In the aftermath, in the the rubble of St. Paul's, a man is found but unlike the many folks who succumbed to flame this one has lost his life to a knife. This pulls many threads together to weave an intriguing tapestry of a mystery, mixing all levels of society, & highlighting the remaining discord between the those who supported Cromwell & the reinstalled monarchy of Charles II.
Great ebook sale today. I really liked this one.
Starting day two of #24B4Monday by trying to finish Ashes of London. Currently at 10 hrs 23 mins for the Readathon and 86% through this book.
#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush #day6 I really like the old fashioned covers and this one hits the ❤️
This is really good #historicalfiction. #bookclub
There is no #RoadToNowhere when #LondonCalling
In other words, if its set in London, it automatically goes onto my TBR. 😀
#WanderingJune @BarbaraBB @Cinfhen
pickI loved this book and read it fast! First in a trilogy, set in London around 1666. It starts with a Great Fire of London and continues with murder and intrique, spies, Kings and treason. #books #bookcover #historicalfiction
1. A Room With A View
2. Marvel
3. South America, only continent I haven't visited yet!
4. Crime
5. English, German, Spanish and a bit of Italian
#premondayvibes @pepsicola
2.
This is my #tbr for April. I am nearly finished with the tagged book. I will start A Gathering of Shadows after. I am looking forward to the others too. #books #bookspines #lovetoread
1. The tagged book
2. By far The Kingdom of Copper, loved it!
3. Tricky one, the tagged book and The Book of Dust
#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain
#BookMail Pt8 & 9 I was eying this series for awhile so when I saw it on sale, I snapped up the first two in the series. Set during & after the Great Fire Of London in 1666. When the fire sweeps through St Pauls Cathedral, a mummified body is found in what was supposed to be an empty crypt. The mans body has been mutilated and his thumbs are tied behind his back. James Marwood, government informant, is charged with chasing down the killer.
#MarchIntoThe70s #day3 #LondonCalling Sorry I‘m a bit late today, the hubby dragged me out of the house to drive up the coast. It was good to get some fresh air, but I‘m exhausted. There were so many I could‘ve used for this prompt, but the song is about an apocalyptic London & the Great Fire Of London in 1666 that burnt the entire medieval part of London was definitely apocalyptic. It would have been terrifying with only buckets to fight with.
pickA good find in the Library. Reminded me a bit of Shardlake series. Cannot wait to read the other books in this series
so-soA pleasant read that never entirely gripped me. The time period (the Restoration) and the setting (London in the aftermath of the Great Fire) promised much but didn't deliver with the gusto I expected. There is a LOT of very dry descriptions of the ruins and the narrative's locations which begin to drag. The big scene towards the end was derailed for me by the endless tedious and hard to envisage descriptions of St Paul's Cathedral. Cont. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Tonight's read. Just starting with this one but so far it seems extremely 'readable'.
Thanks to #netgalley for this book 🙂
Restocking our Little Library - I so love how almost every day this library is emptied and restocked by our community. #quietsunday
pickThe first book I‘ve finished in what feels like a long while! I feel like I‘m over my slump now!
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would; the plot wasn‘t particularly fast-paced but I enjoyed the speed and I looked forward to finding out what was going to happen next. It wasn‘t mind-blowing but it was really enjoyable! And the historical context (set during the great fire of London) is fascinating!!😍🎉
(Picture taken at Waterloo station😊)
I‘ve had such a wonderful few days recuperating at the beach with @MummaBear and feeling much better having got some reading done!
I am enjoying this one so far; loving the history of it and excited to see where it goes! Hopefully this is my reading slump over! 😊
P.S. Thanks for holding my book for me @MummaBear whilst I take a picture 😂
A few days off work so I‘ve come down to see @MummaBear and she is helping me out of my reading slump by buying me new books! 😍
Some good stories and strong female leads! I‘m looking forward to some fun, engaging reading now!
I will be starting with The Ashes of London; a murder mystery set during the fire of London, and then moving onto Wars of the Roses!
Thank you @MummaBear ❤️❤️❤️
pickNot bad. Good characters and will more than likely read the next in the series. ⭐⭐⭐
Decided to go with The Ashes of London! But first I had to buy it for my Kobo. The library copy was a little crusty. 😜
Back out on the patio enjoying another lovely evening! (Now I'll be able to read when it gets dark since I'll just have to turn on my Glo light) 😊
Now....what to read next dilemma. I had pulled the three books on the bottom to read next. But a bookish friend said she was starting to read Ashes of London. It sounds like something I would love - chunky historical mystery.
So now I just don't know....what to read, what to read...🤔🤔 So sorry, Ashes of London is cut off but it's the tagged book. 😉
pickI don‘t read much mystery but I thought this was good. I mostly liked the historical aspect of it.
1. 1-2 times per week.
2. Mitchell Library in Glasgow, for genealogical purposes. Other choices would be the one in Alexandria and the one from Beauty and the Beast.
3. Ashes of London, Little Fires Everywhere, The Abbot‘s Tale
4. Not certain. When I was young, we lived in a small town and the library didn‘t have cards. The librarian, Mrs Custer, knew everyone anyway. At some point, they did give out little cards with your name.
#trivialthursday
pickThis was such an interesting read. The great fire of London is a well known piece of history and this story uses that to add to the story. The plot is complex at times but well written. You are easily drawn into the characters and the need to know how their story will turn out.
pickEnjoyable historical fiction/mystery. Found the time period of post-Cromwell London fascinating. And I learned while I was reading this one that the sequel has just been published so will be adding that to my TBR.
so-soJust finished this book and I feel a bit dissapointed 😕. I expected to really love this historical crime novel, but for me something was missing. The period is interesting, the book well written, for me there was just was no suspense. Three people are murdered, but somehow the hunt for their killer was not really part of this book...
When I was in London this last summer, this book was recommended to me from an amazing bookseller at Daunt Books. I loved it. It was everything I love in a historical fiction- great atmosphere and setting, strong characters interspersed with some historically relevant people and a good story. Highly recommended and especially for the discounted price! Don‘t forget to search for it from your Smile.amazon.com account so a % can go to charity. 😉
pickQuite an enjoyable historical fiction. Advertised as slightly more of a mystery, but I didn't find it a whodunnit. It was definitely obvious what direction it was taking. Still a great read, with lots of awesome historical detail and a delightful view of London at this time. Going to have to look at other books by this author.
Visited the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and Globe Theatre today. The visit to St Paul's reminded me of this very good book (gift from my Christmas secret Santa @LeahBergen ).
bailedI just couldn't get into this one right now. I liked the premise but didn't connect with the characters at all.
The Ashes of London is about the Fire of 1666 that almost destroyed London. A lot of the city burned down, so only a fraction of it was left. It‘s my favourite city in the world! I absolutely love everything about it. ❤️🇬🇧
#rockinmay (London Calling) - The Ashes of London
#bookstagram #bookblogger #london #historicalfiction #history
Only just started this but already I can tell it's going to be amazing. Seems to be written in a similar style to Alex Grecian books so I just know it's going to be a winner.
pickCouldn't put this one down. I love historical novels and this was no exception - fantastic descriptions of 17th century London and several plot lines that come together nicely for the finale.
A strong feminine lead too which is a bonus!
My reads for February were just ok. But I started this in February so I'm counting on it becoming my #bestofFebruary. #feistyfeb
"Foreigners had been attacked on the assumption that they had been responsible for the destruction of London, purely by virtue of their being foreign." Sound familiar?
bailedI had to bail on this. I didn't connect with any of the characters and I really didn't care where it was going. It was quite descriptive and I felt that I was being told, rather than shown what was happening. I like to be guided through a book, not dragged.
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Not usually my genre but I'm trying to widen my reading :) a murder mystery thriller set while the flames of the Great Fire of London burn... sounds exciting!
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