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Latest Reviews

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Wow. The Moors Murderers was a book that I read within just a few sittings, due to how the author, Chris Cook told the story. It's very apparent that the author took meticulous notes and wrote such an informative story about the killing spree that Ian Brady and Myra Hindley terrorized children with. The story was absolutely shocking about how awful the crimes were of these two people. It was chilling to see the photos and read the eye witness accounts of the chase of the police to catch these murderers. Excellent read."

NetGalley, April Hannum

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars How could I not love a simple but well planned and beautifully illustrated fun book about Harry Houdini?! I think it is marvelous and plan to send a copy to family who no longer live in Wisconsin. The illustrations by Laura Catalan are clear, imaginative, colorful, and delightful. Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!"

NetGalley, Jan Tangen

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars This is a must for any true crime fans! This bumper book of unsolved murders is both chilling and intriguing. The way the book is laid out makes it's so easy to read. Each story is short yet packed with information. All very well written. It's intriguing how so many murder have gone unsolved, especially with techniques evolving every day. What's shocking is in some cases how evidence has been misplaced or simply disappeared. I've read this over a longer time than I would normally simply because Its was easy to pick up when you have a few short minutes to read and this is perfect as each story or a 2 to 4 pages long, not only that each story got me thinking and I didn't just want to move onto the next straight away. Fantastic book and hopefully with bring closure to some of these victims murders."

NetGalley, Jen Brown

"This book was great and so informative on the topic of the titanic. I loved learning more and would definitely recommend for anyone wanting to dive into the subject matter more."

NetGalley, Claire Ramsay

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Pen & Sword have an incredible range of non-fiction books that absolutely scream off the shelves to a history lover such as I and oh my crikey, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr is catnip if you have a love of Tudor history. Often, we learn our facts and that is that. We know Henry VIII had 6 wives and that to skirt around conventions at the time, thought it prudent to dispose of his wives and move on to one he liked more. What a delightful fella, imagine being known more for your exploits than your achievements. I digress; Katherine Parr survived Henry the VIII (win) but little known is that she only survived for a further 18 months. I had never even considered what happened to her afterwards, that is, until this book (thank you very, very much to Pen & Sword for the unexpected gifted copy, it made my day!) I was utterly thrilled to delve into this little known part of Tudor history and it is no understatement when I say I devoured it. June Woolerton presents compelling evidence and writes in a way that is both concise, yet engaging, bringing the story to life. The uncovering of the crypt in the midst of a tea party and the associated correspondence and article hooked me into the book and kept me there until I was finished. This book is a timely reminder of how many women were trailblazers and world-changers in their day, but were written out of history due to their gender. I for one am very glad that we have experts such as June Woolerton who also have the skill to present history in a way that is accessible to all, so that the story can be told authentically and retained for posterity. A great read and highly recommended."

NetGalley, Ink Reads

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Ingenious Britain - 101 Innovations that Changed the World by Steven A T Williams is a delightfully enlightening read about Britain's dynamic and sometimes not so dynamic contributions to the modern world. Williams presents the facts in an engaging and affable way, almost as if you are chatting with a friend and this is exactly the right tone for a book of this nature. It goes beyond trivia and into the realm of interesting information, exploring each innovation, how it came to be, who created it, why they did so and the impact it had. Such as the first factory was built in Derby by John Lombe over 300 years ago and the building is still there today. Another example is the invention of the friction match, whereby a London Chemist, Samuel Jones, expanded on the work by French chemist Jean Chancel into self-combusting chemicals and made an invention that endures to this day. The layout makes for easy reference, each section full of fascinating innovations. A wonderful book for lovers of trivia, but more so, for lovers of history Very well written, I absolutely loved this book."

NetGalley, Ink Reads

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Utterly, utterly fascinating and very well written, this new take on the Profumo affair based on facts, not hyperbole is a must-read."

NetGalley, Ink Reads

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars I love everything Tudor so was thrilled to be able to read this. It was wonderful to read about a lesser Tudor - I felt that I learned loads. Wonderfully researched and written."

NetGalley, Maria Martignetti

"Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Women's Lives in the Tudor Era by Amy McElroy is a fascinating account of a largely silent sector of Tudor society which although varied by status, still followed themes of a womans place being in the home and subserviently to men, even in royalty. McElroy's account goes beyond the traditional roles and takes a deep dive into access to education, growing up and getting married. Could you imagine being denied education because of your gender? being put to work at the age of 6 or 7? This was the grim reality of girls in the Tudor era and this was not the only issue. The role of Tudor wives (where essentially women were used as chattell and bargaining tools across the classes) raises the point of the age of marriage and it is noted, that in 1571, Juan Luis Vives advised that an age of 18 would be the earliest for marriage, when up to that point, girls as young as 12 and 14 were being forced into matrimony, The book also explores the role of motherhood and how the household was run and the dichotomy of the gender roles within while celebrating the role of the mother in the essential mechanism of running a home. Even Widowhood was feared, for it was almost impossible for a woman to survive due to rarely having the ability to earn an income unless it had been learned prior to or during marriage (which in itself was rare). There is also a very intriguing section on the wills of widows and what happened to all their worldly belongings, if even they had any left at the time of their passing. A very interesting book and an entertaining quick read. Absolutely recommended."

NetGalley, Ink Reads

"This is an interesting read! I am very much interested in crusader and Templar history so this read was very intriguing and informative to me. There is LOTS of information so there’s much to learn! It was well researched and starts you off from its earliest start until the present time. I really enjoyed the read!"

NetGalley, Angela Aldridge