Tales of Christmas Past

by Donna Huber

Historical fiction is one of our favorite genres and so of course we have some historical Christmas stories to recommend. 

Whether you want holiday romances, merry & murder, or delightfully frightful, we have you covered with our 25 Days of Christmas Reading (plus free ebooks, audiobook recommendations, and festive treat recipes).

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5 Historical Fiction Stories Featuring Tough, Tenacious Women

by Susan Roberts

This must be the week for historical fiction as Donna reviewed a WWII homefront novel on Monday, and yesterday, MK had reviews for a novel set in 18th century Japan and one of the novels I'm also reviewing today. 

I have reviews of five new historical fiction novels - one is about Queen Elizabeth and her first Christmas as Queen , one takes place during World War I and the other three all take place during World War II.  The one thing that all five books have in common is that they feature tough and tenacious women who made a major difference in their worlds.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

4 Books You Don't Want To Miss

by Susan Roberts

There are always so many great books coming out that it can be easy to miss one or two of the really good ones. Make sure you have these books on your reading list.

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The Next Ship Home: A Novel of Ellis Island by Heather Webb ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Ellis Island, 1902: Two women band together to hold America to its promise: "Give me your tired, your poor...your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free."

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

3 Books about Grace Kelly

by Susan Roberts

Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American film actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early- to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956.  There are several popular books that have been published in the last year about Grace Kelly and about her wedding dress.  Here are reviews of three that I recently read.

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Each scent holds a mystery, its own story. That was the first lesson Papa taught me. "To be a parfumeur is to be a detective, Sophie," he'd say, bent in deep concentration over the mixing tube with a dropper of perfume oil. He would mix the solvent and sniff, mix and sniff, until he was satisfied. Only then would he soak a mouillette, a narrow strip of paper, and hand it to me. "What do you see?" he'd ask. (p 4)

Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution by Kate Quinn, et al. ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A breathtaking, epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—seven unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history: the French Revolution.

Review: Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb #TLCBookTours and #LastChristmasInParis

by Susan Roberts


In August, 1914, England was at war and many men joined up to fight the Germans in a war that they believed would be over by Christmas.  Left behind in England were the families of the soldiers who were proud of their men for going off to war.  Four years later, the war still raged on and instead of joy and hope, the families in England and the soldiers themselves were full of despair and depression.  Last Christmas in Paris provides an up close look at the families and the soldiers during this 'war to end all wars'.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

October 2017; William Morrow; 978-0062562685
ebook, audio, print (400 pages); historical fiction

Last Christmas in Paris, written by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb, is told almost entirely by letters.  Most of the letters are between Evie and Thomas, her brother's best friend, but there are also letters between Evie and her brother Will, Evie and her best friend Alice and a few others.

As the novel begins, Evie, Alice, Will and Thomas have plans to spend Christmas in Paris after the war is over but as the years and the war drags on those plans get left behind. The happy young people at the beginning are soon worn out with the constant bad news from the front and they realize that this war will take a toll on them both physically and mentally.

Thomas longs to get home due to issues with his father's business and Evie yearns for a way that she can do more to help the war effort than by knitting gloves. As the letters between Evie and Thomas continue, they grow closer to each other and begin to fall in love.

Will their love be able to overcome all that is going on in their worlds?

Last Christmas in Paris is a fantastic book. By using letters, the reader could learn more about the personalities of the letter writers, their feeling with what was going on and their hope for their futures. I loved getting to know these characters and learning more about WWI.  Be prepared, there will be tears so have Kleenex close to you.

Buy Last Christmas in Paris at Amazon

About the Authors

Photo by Deasy Photographic

HAZEL GAYNOR is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of A Memory of Violets and The Girl Who Came Home, for which she received the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award. Her third novel The Girl from the Savoy was an Irish Times and Globe & Mail Canada bestseller, and was shortlisted for the BGE Irish Book Awards Popular Fiction Book of the Year.
Hazel was selected by US Library Journal as one of ‘Ten Big Breakout Authors’ for 2015 and her work has been translated into several languages.

Originally from Yorkshire, England, Hazel now lives in Ireland.
Find out more about Hazel at her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

HEATHER WEBB writes historical fiction for Penguin, including her novels Becoming Josephine and Rodin’s Lover.

As a former military brat, Heather naturally grew up obsessed with travel, culture, and languages. She put her degrees to good use teaching high school French for nearly a decade before channeling these passions into fiction. When not writing, she flexes her foodie skills or looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world.
Heather is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

Find out more about Heather at her website and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.


Also available at HarperCollins and Barnes & Noble

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling.  She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with  her on Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter.

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