Lucy Hutchinson’s Life and Family | Talk in Nottingham June 27th

Find out more about the extraordinary woman behind the memoirs. I’m so excited to be speaking in Nottingham on June 27th at the
Lucy Hutchinson Conference
Family Ties: How Lucy Hutchinson’s Royalist Family Impacted her Puritan Reality
Lucy Hutchinson was born into a life of power and privilege at the Queen’s House in the Tower of London. In her formative years she lived the highly advantaged life of a young girl whose father, Sir Allen Apsley, was a trusted advisor to King Charles I. Her station came as result of her mother’s aristocratic connections – Lucy St.John was born into an ancient English family proud of its royal ancestors, and Hutchinson’s aunt, Barbara St.John Villiers, leveraged the patronage of her brother-in-law, the Duke of Buckingham, to facilitate Apsley’s purchase of the office of Lieutenant of the Tower. By the time Lucy married Colonel John Hutchinson, civil war was imminent. But, despite Lucy embracing Colonel Hutchinson’s parliamentary views, and ultimately his role as a regicide, she maintained loving ties with her Royalist brother Allen, and favourite cousin Anne Wilmot, Countess of Rochester. And, throughout the interregnum and the subsequent restoration of the monarchy, Lucy Hutchinson accepted assistance from her influential Royalist relatives to secure a death sentence pardon for her husband, the king-killer. In this presentation, Elizabeth St.John explores Lucy Hutchinson’s powerful Royalist family connections, and how the St.John, Wilmot and Villiers families impacted Lucy’s life—ultimately securing the fate of the Memoirs.

The Admiral’s Wife by M.K. Tod | Enjoy an Excerpt | Read my 5 Star Review.

Today I’m thrilled to feature my friend M.K. Tod’s newest release, The Admiral’s Wife. Enjoy an excerpt of this riveting and immersive historical fiction dual timeline, set in Hong Kong in the early 1900s and 2016. It’s fabulous. And here’s my Five Star review, too. My favourite book from Mary (so far!).

The Admiral’s Wife | New Release and Excerpt | Absorbing and Beautiful Historical Fiction by M.K. Tod


“Beautifully crafted. Unforgettably scenic.”
I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully-crafted novel that is so lovingly written I was immediately enthralled with the setting and the characters. In fact I was so immersed, I had to read this almost non-stop over a long weekend. Not only does Ms Tod introduce memorable and relatable women in both past and present times, she takes us on an unforgettably scenic journey through historical and contemporary Hong Kong, which I found absolutely fascinating. The descriptions of the sights, sounds, and ambience of this intriguing city capture its allure, and I loved exploring the streets, markets and businesses, as well as gaining an understanding of the social scene and unique customs for both European and Asian cultures.
Ms Tod is an accomplished dual-timeline author and The Admiral’s Wife proves her craft in a whole new level of expertise. Both stories are wonderfully balanced and harmonious, weaving past and present to produce an incredibly satisfying conclusion. Present-day Patricia and historical Isabel are women who rise to challenges, live their own personal truths and have to make life-changing decisions that threaten all they hold dear. They are brave, strong and passionate, but not at all perfect. As they struggled against both internal and external threats to their happiness, I found myself wondering what I would do in their place. The Admiral’s Wife kept me turning pages long into the night and first thing the following morning, and as I finally reached the ending, I didn’t want to stop. Highly recommend.

Excited to share an excerpt from Sea of Shadows, Amy Maroney’s best-selling new novel

I loved this historical fiction adventure romance, and a couple of weeks ago shared my five star review here. Today, I’m excited to welcome Amy Maroney to my website to share with us an excerpt from her beautiful novel. So, take a deep breath, relax and be transported to the mysterious and alluring Greek Isles.

Enjoy an Excerpt | Sea of Shadows | Fabulous Historical Adventure Romance from Amy Maroney