This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Debs Carr
It's 1688 and Beth Ambrose is an apprentice to Johannes, a brilliant artist with a tragic past who lives at her family home, Merryfields. Merryfields is a sanctuary for troubled souls on the outskirts of London, where her step-father Dr William Ambrose cares for his patients integrating them into his family life as much as possible. Together with Beth's mother, Suzannah, who runs the apothecary, they strive against financial difficulties to keep their sanctuary going.
Beth has sworn never to marry in order that she can pursue her dream to become the best artist possible. Her protected life at Merryfields is mostly calm and she is happy to spend her days painting having no wish to ever leave the confines of the walled property. However, when Noah Leyton, an architect, arrives in England from his home in Virginia to work under the supervision of Sir Christopher Wren, he brings a letter that will change Beth’s family unit forever. Beth takes an instant dislike against this newcomer who is causing her so much emotional anguish and when tragedy strikes she is offered work that will change everything she’s ever known. Over the course of a year she has experiences that she could never have before imagined.
This historical romance is so beautifully depicted that you can almost smell the ingredients in Beth's paints, the scents of the plants in the gardens around her and the kitchen aromas. This evocative story paints such a sensory picture that it was almost like watching a film, or even being there. I knew nothing about this period in history, but the fear and trepidation of the people living at such an uncertain time was brought to life through Beth’s eyes and her family’s involvement. I couldn't help feel their concern as they coped with the political and royal intrigue at such a strained time where the majority of the population are fighting to keep their protestant beliefs against a catholic king determined to revert the main religion back to papist rule.
9/10
Charlotte Bett's Website