The Notorious Virtues by Alwyn Hamilton
Get ready to enter the dark and glittering world of The Notorious Virtues, where magic reigns, rebellion swirls, and you can’t trust anyone… not even your own family.
Meet Nora, heiress to the Holtzfall fortune… until a few weeks ago, when her mother was murdered. Now, the Holtzfall trials to determine the next heiress are back on. With total power over the family’s magical wealth on the line, the competition is cutthroat – and her cousins are out for blood.
Enter Lotte, an orphan raised in a convent. Cursed with a gift she’s never understood, she had no idea she was a Holtzfall – until now. Thrown into this decadent and dangerous new world, Lotte has to figure out who she can trust, fast, in order to find out the truth of who she is.
Like Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ The Inheritance Games meets the Brothers Grimm, The Notorious Virtues mixes all the danger and treachery of the darkest fairytales with an electric Art Deco inspired world. Fast-paced, action-packed, and full of intrigue, I absolutely devoured this book – the first in a new duology! – and can’t wait to return to this enchanted world. But remember, whatever you do, don’t go into the woods… – Liv
Enlightenment by Sarah Perry
Journalist Thomas Hart and young Grace Macauley were united by faith and friendship. Torn apart by unrequited love, they remain in each other’s orbits. The discovery of a hidden diary ignites a passion in Thomas to unlock a scientific mystery and to uncover the story of Maria Vaduva, whose ghost now haunts his every waking moment, drifting past him in her velvet gown, dropping seed pearls from the hem.
A tale of lost love, stars and comets. An ethereal, beautiful book for fans of Diane Setterfield. – Sue
The Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold
From the genius behind The Five comes a gripping slice of murder and intrigue, following the life and notorious death of Belle Elmore, an Edwardian music hall singer. For the months years which followed Elmore’s death in 1910, the narrative was focused on her husband – his career, his relationships, and his beliefs. But here Rubenhold shifts the focus back where it belongs: to the women at the centre of the story.
This propulsive tale straddles London and the United States, and covers everything from grisly medical practices to glamorous on-stage antics. Rubenhold paints a picture of two societies in the throes of cultural change, with rigid Victorian class systems a thing of the past and upward mobility within reach of those willing to reinvent themselves. The cultural history is immaculately presented to the reader, but rest assured, by the time you get to the courtroom drama, this unputdownable tale will have you squealing “just one more chapter!” to anyone who dares interrupt you.
In a bookshop you’ll often hear a joking remark that you shouldn’t judge a beautiful book by its cover but… Luckily whilst the designers have created a gorgeous object in Story of a Murder, Hallie Rubenhold has filled its pages with pure gold. The perfect read for fans of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. – Lottie