Blog Tour: The House in Quill Court by Charlotte Betts


Today I'm delighted to be part of the Blog Tour for Charlotte Betts' latest book. From the multi-award-winning author of The Apothecary’s Daughter, The House in Quill Court is a gorgeously evocative Regency novel bursting with historical flavour and characters you won’t forget. If you love Philippa Gregory and Joanne Harris, you will adore Charlotte Betts.

Title: The House in Quill Court
Author: Charlotte Betts
Published: August 25th 2016 by Piatkus

Blurb: 1813. Venetia Lovell lives by the sea in Kent with her pretty, frivolous mother and idle younger brother. Venetia’s father, Theo, is an interior decorator to the rich and frequently travels away from home, leaving his sensible and artistic daughter to look after the family. Venetia designs paper hangings and she and her father often daydream about having an imaginary shop where they would display the highest quality furniture, fabrics and art to his clients.

When a handsome but antagonistic stranger, Jack Chamberlaine, arrives at the Lovell’s cottage just before Christmas bringing terrible news, Venetia’s world is turned upside-down and the family have no option but to move to London, to the House in Quill Court and begin a new life. Here, Venetia’s courage and creativity are tested to breaking point, and she discovers a love far greater than she could have ever imagined...


Review: Charlotte Betts is one of my favourite historical fiction authors so I was over the moon to get a review copy of her latest work. Plus, I always enjoy reading about the regency era, so this book had all the ingredients to be a great read. And it did not disappoint at all. The House in Quill Court is a highly entertaining fast-paced story that resolves around Venetia Lovell and her family.

Venetia is a joy to read. Bright, determined and brave, she completely steals the story. At the beginning of the book, her family receives some terrible news and they all have to leave their lovely home in the coast to move to London and try to gain an income. They find obstacle after obstacle and soon their whole life is threatened. 

This story completely captured me. There was so much going on! I found it really interesting to see two worlds collide: Charlotte Betts not only talked about the rich people with their elegant townhouses and their need for exclusive artifacts but also about the filthy alleys where the poor lived only a few metres away. Back then, as we see in the story, it was very easy to be a criminal, with no real police to control them, and many suffered under the hands of the most ruthless and ambitious characters. 

This book has it all, rich in history and details, full of action and with complex and interesting characters. It surprised me more than once and I found it a really exciting read. Highly recommended from me. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

I would like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

About the author: 

Charlotte Betts began her working life as a fashion designer in London. A career followed in interior design, property management and lettings. Always a bookworm, Charlotte discovered her passion for writing after her three children and two step-children grew up. 

Her debut novel, The Apothecary’s Daughter, won the YouWriteOn Book of the Year Award in 2010 and the Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers, was shortlisted for the Best Historical Read at the Festival of Romance in 2011 and won the coveted Romantic Novelists' Association's Historical Romantic Novel RoNA award in 2013. Her second novel, The Painter’s Apprentice was also shortlisted for the Best Historical Read at the Festival of Romance in 2012 and the RoNA award in 2014. The Spice Merchant’s Wife won the Festival of Romance's Best Historical Read award in 2013. 
Charlotte lives with her husband in a cottage in the woods on the Hampshire/Berkshire border.


I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Charlotte Betts about her latest book. Read all about it here.

                 

A booklover from Barcelona currently living in Munich, who enjoys reading, baking, travelling and crafting.

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2 comentaris

  1. Irma26 August 2016 at 09:41

    Love the review :)

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    Replies
    1. Alba Forcadell26 August 2016 at 14:23

      Thanks Irma! As you can see, I really enjoyed it! I hope you do too :) x

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