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The Governess, by Wendy Holden
Marion Crawford thinks her dream is to teach in the slums but instead she finds herself as governess to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Can she shape the future of the monarchy and make the social difference she believes possible…?
The Governess is an historical novel set around the Royal Family during the 1930s and 40s.
Marion has good intentions and initially wants to teach the poorest in society. However she is then convinced that she can help the nation in a different way by shaping the future of the aristocracy so they in turn can make a difference to the poor. She then comes to the notice of the Royal Family and begins a career at the palace, getting a front row seat for the dramatic historic twists that hanged the monarchy forever.
I felt very sorry for Marion as she puts her whole life on hold to support the Royals during the abdication crisis, WW2 and beyond. Her marriage is unhappy and childless and she wasted her best years on her royal charges. In light of modern revelations about royal private lives, the reaction to her ‘betrayal’ is an overreaction and I felt desperately sorry for the way she is treated. However the ending focuses on the love and affection that endured her whole life.
I felt immersed in Marion’s life and think the author has researched well the characters and historical era. The audio narration was enjoyable to listen to and helped to bring the plot and characters to life.
The Governess is a very enjoyable historical novel and perfect for royalty fans.
Book blurb
Sunday Times bestselling author Wendy Holden brings to life the unknown childhood years of one of the world’s most iconic figures, Queen Elizabeth II, and reveals the little-known governess who made Britain’s queen into the monarch we know today.
In 1933, twenty-two-year-old Marion Crawford accepts the role of a lifetime, tutoring their Royal Highnesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose. Her one stipulation to their parents the Duke and Duchess of York is that she bring some doses of normalcy into the sheltered and privileged lives of the two young princesses.
At Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, and Balmoral, Marion defies oppressive court protocol to take the girls on tube trains, swimming at public baths, and on joyful Christmas shopping trips at Woolworth’s. From her ringside seat at the heart of the British monarchy she witnesses the upheaval of the Abdication and the glamour and drama of the 1937 Coronation.
During the war, as Hitler’s Heinkels fly over Windsor, she shelters her charges in the castle dungeons (not far from where the Crown Jewels are hidden in a biscuit tin). Afterwards, she is there when Elizabeth first sets eyes on Philip. But being beloved governess and confidante to the Windsor family has come at a cost. She puts her private life on hold until released from royal service following Princess Elizabeth’s marriage in 1947.
In a majestic story of love, sacrifice, and allegiance, bestselling novelist Holden shines a captivating light into the years before Queen Elizabeth II took the throne, as immortalized on the popular television series The Crown.
The Crying Girls, by Wendy Dranfield
A mutilated body is found lacking head and hands to prevent identification. A mother begs Detective Madison Harper to find her missing baby. But Madison has her own worries as her fiance vanishes in the middle of the night…
The Crying Girls is the 8th book in the Detective Madison Harper series. There are a few plot threads that follow on from the last book (which I have somehow missed 🙁 ) so I would advise reading the books in order.
Madison is deluged with crime cases to investigate but her focus is affected by Nate’s disappearance. Events in the last book have taken their toll on his mental health and he needs space so steals away in the middle of the night, not even taking his beloved dog Brody with him. Madison’s son Owen also has something major to announce which also takes her by surprise and adds to her emotional turmoil.
Most of the book is written in the present day to show Madsion and her investigation. However, there are some chapters from the perspective of a teenager held captive. It soon becomes clear from that timeline that this plot thread goes back many years. I guessed the connection between the two timelines around the halfway point and then enjoyed seeing how Madison worked it out. However there were other twists that I had no clue in advance!
The style of writing is easy to read and the chapters are quite short meaning that the plot develops quickly. There are some gruesome passages about the forensic details of the bodies: these are presented objectively but the characters have a natural reaction against their findings.
The Crying Girls is a tense and enjoyable crime thriller with some great twists.
The Crying Girls by Wendy Dranfield
Buy link: https://geni.us/B0CW1MXVXZsocial
About the book:
Dawn breaks over the mountains. Not a single part of the girl’s once-beautiful body is free from pain. She prays she’ll slip into a blissful unconsciousness, but the sound of an engine rouses her. Her swollen eyes struggle to focus as she raises a bruised arm and waves from the long grass. A decision that will cost her much more than her innocent little life…
With her partner missing, Detective Madison Harper has her work cut out for her juggling the discovery of a body in the murky shallows of Lost Creek and a distraught mother searching for her missing baby boy. She barely has time to eat or sleep. But someone in this small town has lost a loved one, and a child’s life could be in danger. Madison’s sense of duty drives her on, poring over cold case files and interviewing inhabitants of the trailer park near where the headless body was found.
Without a face to identify, or teeth to match to dental records, the decapitated victim is almost impossible to name. Then the postmortem reveals a single red rose stem forced down his throat. What monster would do such a thing? What message were they trying to send? It feels like a dead end until Madison returns home to find the photo of a distressed-looking girl on her windshield. Written on the back is a message that grips her with ice-cold fear: Sofia. Day 1.
Now hunting for a missing child, a murderer and a missing girl, Madison is pushed to her limit. As terror chokes the close-knit community, she vows that no more innocent lives will be lost on her watch. But as these cases connect, and she comes face to face with the twisted individual at the heart of it all, will there be anyone left to save?
A totally addictive and twist-packed crime thriller guaranteed to get your heart racing! Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.
About the author:
Wendy is the bestselling author of the Detective Madison Harper series and the Dean Matheson series, as well as two standalone thrillers: The Birthday Party and The Night She Vanished.
She is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer. Some of her books have been shortlisted for various writing competitions and awards, including the International Thriller Writer Awards.
You can find more information on her website.
Follow Wendy on Amazon for new book alerts (click the Follow button next to her profile pic).
The only social media Wendy uses is her Facebook author page: Wendy Dranfield Author.