The House of Lost Whispers by Jenni Keer

 

"Few people noticed anything amiss as it lasted the tiniest fraction of a second. A jolt in our physical existence. A juddering of time..."

"I create joy in my daydreams because I've experienced sorrow in my life." As she said those words, she realised how true they were. Her fantasies had never been more important, carried more weight, than after she'd been orphaned".

"It was ridiculous really; a building couldn't care for you, and yet every time she stepped inside, she felt connected to something greater, something beyond its hexagonal walls".

The House of Lost Whispers by Jenny Keer is an emotional, heartfelt story, a mix of historical fiction, romance and a speculative fiction.

Blurb:

The House of Lost Whispers

On 15th April 1912, RMS Titanic sank and 1500 people lost their lives. But what if it stayed afloat?

When the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic leaves thirteeen-year-old Olivia Davenport orphaned, she's sent to live with her guardians, the Fairchilds, in their huge Jacobean mansion - Merriford Manor. But the Fairchilds have more to worry about than a grieving young girl - with war in Europe imminent and four sons to protect.

Olivia feels alone and friendless. That is, until she hears a voice from behind the wall in her tower bedroom. A voice from a man called Seth. At first, she thinks he's a ghost. But it soon becomes clear that he lives in an overlapping world that is just a shudder in time away from her own. A world where the Titanic never sank... And everything since has been just slightly... different.

All Olivia wants is to find a way into his reality. And not just to see the faces of her beloved parents once again. But also to meet Seth. Who might be the love of her life.

An utterly unforgettable reading group historical novel, that is part romance, part gripping mystery, and part completely heartbreaking First World War historical fiction. Perfect for fans of Titanic, In Memoriam and Lucinda Riley.

The House of Lost Whispers is a strange tale of parallel worlds, one of them as we know it, and another, happening in the alternate reality, where the Titanic had never sank, yet the major catastrophic events of the XXth C still occurred.

Olivia Davenport becomes an orphan at a tender age of 13, having lost both her parents on the doomed Titanic trip across the Atlantic. Bereft and distressed, she finds herself under the guardianship of the Fairchilds, who were good friends of her late parents.

The Jacobean estate of Merrifield Manor is sprawling, with its beautiful grounds, picturesque gardens and two towers.

The Fairchilds are the typical aristocratic family of their time, they don't know how to express their feelings, they are not even used to hug their own children, brought up by nannies and sent off to schools to be educated. Olivia has been brought up differently, she misses the human touch, being hugged and comforted. She also has an over-vivid imagination.

In many ways, Olivia resembles Anne of Green Gables, with the same often exasperating idealism and ingenuity, and a total lack of boundaries or any understanding of when to stop with her fanciful ideas. On the one hand, play-acting her fantasies is her escapism and way of coping with the enormous grief, on the other, you realise that she's been like that even before she lost her parents. Olivia is very naive, being cossetted and indulged all her life by her loving family, and doesn't fathom the consequences of inventing foolish lies of romantic origins. In many ways, she is vexing and annoying.

The Fairchilds try their best to be kind to her, even allowing her to indulge in her romantic notions of staying in a tower. Olivia feels adrift and rather isolated. There are four sons in the family, and only the youngest, Benji, becomes her adoring acolyte, folowing her like a puppy.

Everything would change one night, when Olivia happens to hear a mysterious voice, emanating from behind the wall of her tower bedroom. At first, she believes she's being pranked, or perhaps it is a ghost... Or could it be that Seth "was here to help her navigate her unimaginable grief... This disembodied voice was her very own creation, manufactured to help her step into this new phase of life. He was here to help and then he, too, would simply disappear".

It takes them a long time to figure out that theirs voices come from the parallel realities. 

One heartbeat from her own, there is an alternate world, where the Titanic never sank, where her parents are still alive.

"It was only natural that she would want to believe that her parents hadn't perished in the icy North Atlantic Ocean but that would mean that Seth was a real person - and what? There was another version of this world somewhere in the universe, much like the world that Alice had stepped into through the looking glass..."

Sparks fly, there is an undeniable connection between Olivia and Seth. Is there a way to bridge the chasm between their two parallel worlds? As their relationship develops across the divide, and the bond deepens, defying the restrictions of time and space, the looming shadows of the First World War threaten both their realities. 

The story weaves together the threads of real history with the elements of the supernatural, and a poignant romance, presenting a mesmerising version of the world that might have happened.

I loved the concept of the parallel worlds, touching each other via the tower wall and never intersecting. At the same time, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending (which I'm not going to spoil). 

The House of Lost Whispers is a captivating, thought-provoking story which celebrates life's possibilities. A novel of loss and grief, love and hope, emotional resilience and second chances.

Potential triggers: murder, war deaths, scenes of sexual nature (only mentioning it because some of my readers prefer the so called clean romance; they are not exactly graphic, but some people might be uncomfortable with reading them).

This post is part of the blog tour for The House of Lost Whispers.

Many thanks to Jenny Keer, The Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/HouseLostWhispers

Author Bio –

Jenni Keer lives in the glorious Suffolk countryside with her four grown up children, three demanding cats, but just the one husband. She is often frustrated by their inability to appreciate that when she's staring into space, she's actually working, and that watching television counts as research. Much younger in her head than she is on paper, she adores any excuse for fancy-dress and is part of a disco formation dance team.

Keer has written two contemporary rom coms and five quirky historicals, with two more due out in 2025.

The best-selling No. 23 Burlington Square (her 1920s sliding doors mystery) has now sold over 100,000 copies.

 

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: @jenni.keer

Twitter: @JenniKeer

Instagram: @JenniKeer

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/JenniKeerNews

Bookbub profile: @jennikeer

Hope in the Valleys by Francesca Capaldi #BlogTour

"I wouldn't be so sure, Mama. I think the war might be the catalyst by which things change forever for women. From next year, some of us will be able to vote". 

Hope in the Valleys by Francesca Capaldi is a romantic saga set during the WWI.

This is the third book in the series. It does read as a standalone, however, you might have an advantage if you've followed the story from the first book. It took me a while to understand who is who, and what their relationship to each other is. There is a lot of characters, and it was a bit confusing to start with.

The story is set in a mining village of Dorcalon in the Rhymney Valley. It begins in August 1917, when WWI is taking its heavy toll. Every day brings more tragic news of sons and fathers killed on the battlefields on the continent. 

Elizabeth Meredith, daughter of mine manager Herbert, lives with her parents, and enjoys a privileged status in the village. Yet her life is not as free as she would like to. There are certain social standards and expectations she feels obliged to adhere to, there is a pressure from both the society and her parents, that she has to marry.

Elizabeth is 27, and her mother Margaret is desperate to see her married. She blames her daughter, and insists that she should make herself more attractive and interesting to catch a husband. "Don't raise your eyes like that, madam! Twenty-seven you are now. Soon no man will look twice at you."

To help with the war effort, Elizabeth is working on the village allotments, growing produce for the locals. Working outdoors gives her a chance to escape the tense atmosphere at home. Things have not been going well between her parents, and with her brother Tom at the front, her mother is constantly worried.

Margaret is not thrilled that Elizabeth is involved in the allotments' business. For her this job is below their social status. She has adopted a pseudo-English accent, enjoys being the lady of the big house and taking part in the activities of the Dorcalon Social Committee. She has dedicated her life to going up in the world and creating a perfect family.

Snobbish Margaret resents the fact that her daughter is mingling with those who she thinks are lower her in status.

Gwilym Owen is a miner, and a fellow organiser of the allotments. Growing vegetables at the cooperative for a year and a half has brought them together. Gwyilym is well-read, speaks clearly and puts his points over well, so it doesn't come  as a surpise when he's chosen to be the union rep.

The constraints of the class system are such, that he doesn't feel comfortable to be near the manager's daughter. He is not sure whether Elizabeth is a spy for her father, or whether she is one of those middle-class socialists.

There is a certain chemistry between the two, but both are afraid of breaking the norm. As Gwilym tells Elizabeth when she suggests they go to the movies together, "It's a bit of an awkward situation, me being the union representative and you the manager's daughter".

Elizabeth is not looking for romance, but she can't help falling in love with Gwilym. Their relationship is a secret from both families, yet it brings her so much joy. If only there were future for them...

When their romance is discovered, Elizabeth is forced to choose between the man she loves and her family who find this relationship unacceptable. To escape the pressure, she signs up as a VAD nurse and is soon sent to the frontline in France to help the troops. She is heartbroken, but sees no other way out. In a letter to Gwilym she confesses that the stress of leading a double life was tearing her apart. "We would both have ended up without the support of our families, and maybe you would have grown to resent me".

Elizabeth is a warm-hearted and compassionate young woman. Both her brother Tom and she are stuck between two worlds.

Separated by the perils of the Great War and the constraints of the society, is there a chance for Elizabeth and Gwilym to be reunited?

Hope in the Valleys offers a multi-layered storyline, with several minor sub-plots organically woven into the main romance plot. You are immersed into the rigid society, where the social circles do not merge, and there's social snobbery and distrust on both sides.

The mining community is re-awakening, and you get the sense of the changes the war has caused.

The war has brought many changes in the social strata of the society. While men are fighting abroad, women take on their jobs. In the village we see women going off to work at the munitions factory. 

 Parallel to Elizabeth's tale, there is Gwen's storyline. Working in the munitions factory, she gets good wages, but the work is dangerous, and her health deteriorates. The TNT turns her skin yellow, she becomes one of the so called Canary Girls. The side effects are more than purely cosmetic, but life-threatening. Yet there is a pride in what Gwen is doing, contributing to the war effort and also bringing home good wages. She is aware that the situation is likely to come to an end, once the war is over.

The inclusion of Welsh words in the text gives a cultural flavour but also presents a mild problem for readers who are not acquainted with the language. I had an e-copy, and don't know if the paperback edition is published differently, but I would have liked footnotes with the translation of the Welsh words when they first appear in the story. 

Hope in the Valleys is an engaging, moving and heart-warming story. This uplifting saga, set against an emotionally charged backdrop, is brimming over with the in-depth period detail. There is a dramatic historic background, warm main characters, and a compelling plot.

Purchase Links

AMZ: https://amzn.to/3aWYsl7

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3BQtzuF

Apple: https://apple.co/3aNTiIg

This post is part of the blog tour for Hope in the Valleys.

Many thanks to Francesca Capaldi and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Author Bio – Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child, largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was good at improvised story telling. A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into a career in 2006. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Each month she writes a competition post for the Romantic Novelists' Association blog.
@FCapaldiBurgess

The Warring Heart by Ros Rendle

 

"You need to find yourself another suitor, and fast," Papa said, before taking another mouthful of food. "Mm, this is good. Yes, another fella will take you out of yourself and stop all the idle chatter of empty-headed housewives." He glanced at his own wife and decided to say no more.

Pretoria knew full well he considered women to be uncomplicated creatures who could be jollied through a crisis with a new hat... or a new suitor."

Young Pretoria Redfern, the main character of the period romance The Warring Heart by Ros Rendle, is crushed and inconsolable. The man she loves deserts her, and the gossip mill is in full swing. Simon Rashbrooke, the man who broke her heart, is already married but living apart from his wife. "It might be 1914 and the world is indeed changing, but this is disgraceful behaviour".

The local gossips are having a field day, enjoying the juicy bits of scandal. Her father's advice is to find a new suitor to stop the idle chatter. As a man of his generation, he has a very old-fashioned and patronising view on what women want and need.

Pretoria only recently turns nineteen and believes Simon to be the love of her life. She thinks her life is ruined, and to deflect gossip and save her face after such a public embarrassment, she agrees to marry the first man who proposes to her.

Nathaniel Moore, a local land-owning farmer, is much older than Pretoria. He has noticed her beauty a while ago and was watching her all summer, "hearing of her antics with the wretched Simon Rashbrooke. With hard-won patience, he had quelled his own longings. She was young and needed this experience. He would wait. He must hold back".

His proposal sounds pragmatic and lacking in romance, as he tries to hide his true feelings. If anything, it is set up as a business proposal - this will be a marriage of convenience. "I think you are an extremely beautiful girl who would fill the position charmingly." "You make it sound like a job interview," Pretoria said, athough she was partially mollified by his compliment. "There are many kinds of love," Nathaniel said."

Pretoria knows this marriage will give her a position and protection from the nasty scandal. She also senses his affection and concern. Once married, Pretoria settles into her new life and gets to know her husband better. Her emotions are in turmoil: she is attracted to Nathaniel more and more, but also has a lingering infatuation with Simon. She is unsure about his feelings as well. 

Britain is at war with Germany, and Nathaniel feels duty-bound to serve his country. He could stay on the farm as his work on the land is important to the war effort, but he feels guilty sitting in the comfort of his home. Nathaniel enlists and leaves for the front line across the Channel.

Pretoria is not in love with her husband, but she misses his company, affection and kindness. She longs for his safe return. Their correspondence is vital to both of them.

While Nathaniel is fighting in France, Pretoria's past catches up with her. She receives a request which she cannot refuse. If her secret is discovered, it would fuel the long-forgotten scandal.

Will Nathaniel survive the war? Will Pretoria be able to share her secret with him, will it put a strain on their relationship? Will she spend the rest of her life with a man who could offer her no more than friendly kindness?

The Warring Heart is what the Americans would call a clean romance. There are some amorous scenes but none too graphic, thus the book fits into this category. The book blends emotional drama with authentic period details. It has a real feel for time, morals and ideas. The author's grasp of the social mores of the time is spot on. 

The war scenes tell a tragic tale of devastation, loss and grief, but also hope.

Full of drama, romance and the true meaning of love.

Many thanks to Ros Rendle and Sapere Books for my e-copy of the book!