Review - The Housekeepers by Alex Hay

 

 

 Title: The Housekeepers

Author: Alex Hay

Pages: 365

Publisher: Headline

Release Date: 4th July 2023

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

On the night of London's grandest ball, a bold group of women launches a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society.

Mrs. King is no ordinary housekeeper. Born into a world of con artists and thieves, she’s made herself respectable, running the grandest home in Mayfair. The place is packed with treasures, a glittering symbol of wealth and power, but dark secrets lurk in the shadows. When Mrs. King is suddenly dismissed from her position, she recruits an eclectic group of women to join her in revenge: A black-market queen out to settle her scores; an actress desperate for a magnificent part; a seamstress dreaming of a better life; and Mrs. King’s predecessor, with her own desire for vengeance.

 

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My Review: 

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Headline and NetGalley*

Mrs King is the housekeeper of an imposing house in Mayfair.

When Mrs King is dismissed, she puts together a plan to get her revenge through a bold plan with the help of several other women.

The premise of this book intrigued me, partly due to the historical setting of the early 1900's.

There were several protagonists with Mrs King being the main one. They were all quite different, but I found them all to be likeable and I felt sorry for them all for various reasons.

The setting of the early 1900's was interesting, as was the de Vries house, which sounded like a real monstrosity.

The plot was enjoyable overall, but I did find my attention drifting a little towards the middle before the heist began. The heist itself was incredibly bold, and I could understand Mrs King's motivation.

The writing style was easy to follow and I would consider reading another book by this author.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. 

 

 

Review - King Alfred’s Daughter by David Stokes

 

 

Title: King Alfred’s Daughter

Author: David Stokes

Pages: 348

 Publisher: The Book Guild

Release Date: 22nd March 2023

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

King Alfred is dead and the achievements that made him great are in jeopardy. Rebels challenge the succession of his son Edward to the Wessex throne, and his old ally in Mercia is sick. The Vikings in the Danelaw sense the time has come to complete their conquest of England. It falls on Alfred’s firstborn, his daughter, Æthelflæd, to unite the Anglo-Saxons. Reluctantly, she takes up the challenge. But can a woman rebuild ruined towns and lead men into battle against hardened Viking warriors? And can Æthelflæd fulfil her father’s dream of uniting England? Based on contemporary sources and archaeological evidence, King Alfred’s Daughter is rich in drama, family conflict and historical achievement. 

 

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My Review:

 *I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to The Book Guild and NetGalley*

When King Alfred, Æthelflæd's father, dies, her brother takes his place on the throne.

There are some who do not support Edward's rule, and as their enemies in the Danelaw stir, Æthelflæd finds herself drawn into the conflict.

I first heard of Æthelflæd when I visited some local ruins and saw her name on an information board, so when I then, not very long after, came across a fiction book about her life, I was interested to read it.

Æthelflæd was a relatable and likeable protagonist. She didn't always get on with her brother, had been sent away from home to marry, and cared a lot about her people.

The setting of the late 800's to early 900's England was interesting, especially when Æthelflæd described her plans for places that were local to me and I have visited.

The plot was enjoyable overall, but the pacing was a little off in places and there were some unexpected time jumps.

The novel is written from Æthelflæd's perspective as a memoir, which I liked for the most part.

I am hoping that the novel being called 'King Alfred's Daughter' and not something like 'Lady of the Mercians' was intentional given that the point of the novel is to bring Æthelflæd to people's attention, and not to write her off as just someone's daughter.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

 

 

Review - One For My Enemy by Olivie Blake

 

 

 Title: One For My Enemy

Author: Olivie Blake

Pages: 413

Publisher: Tor Books

Release Date: 14th June 2022

 

Blurb from Goodreads:

From New York Times bestselling author of The Atlas Six comes a tale of two rival witch families in modern day New York City, fighting to maintain control of their respective criminal ventures.

On one side of the conflict are the Antonova sisters, each one beautiful, cunning, and ruthless, and their mother, the elusive supplier of premium intoxicants known only as Baba Yaga. On the other side, the influential Fedorov brothers serve their father, the crime boss known as Koschei the Deathless, whose community extortion ventures dominate the shadows of magical Manhattan.

After twelve years of tenuous coexistence, a change in one family’s interests causes a rift in the existing stalemate. When bad blood brings both families to the precipice of disaster, fate intervenes with a chance encounter, and in the aftershocks of a resurrected conflict, everyone must choose a side. As each of the siblings struggles to stake their claim, fraying loyalties threaten to rot each side from the inside out.

If, that is, the enmity between empires doesn’t destroy them first.

 

 

 

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My Review:

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley*

There are two magical families in New York who have been at war for over a decade.

The seven Antonova sisters are led by their mother, who is known as Baba Yaga.

The head of the Fedorovs is called Koschei the Deathless and he has three sons.

The enmity between the families is reignited, and loyalties are tested.

Which family will come out on top?

Having read a few of the author's other books and being disappointed, I was a little wary to pick up this one. However, the blurb intrigued me, and I thought I would give it a go.

There are several protagonists, and while Sasha was probably my favourite, I didn't feel that I connected with any of them. This made it hard to care about what happened to them.

I wasn't a big fan of the romance - it was way too instalovey for me, as I prefer a slow burn.

There wasn't much world-building, and I don't recall the magic system ever being explained.

I enjoyed the plot to begin with, but as it went on, I found myself losing interest and I ended up being glad when the novel finished. I wasn't invested in what happened, and I thought the novel could have been made shorter. It felt like a lot of things happened, but also at the same time that not much happened. Some of the events were a bit random to me, and I didn't understand the motivations of some of the things that happened.

I'm not a big fan of the writing style, and it will take a lot of persuasion for me to pick up another book by this author, as I think perhaps they're just not for me.

I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was a mixed read.