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Tracy
Rees

Tracy Rees's latest novel The Elopement is an elaborately imagined historical novel full of delight and temptation, spanning the luxury and poverty of late Victorian England.

Historical Fiction

The New
Historical Novel
From Tracy Rees

the elopement.jpg

Historical Fiction

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A wealthy heiress . . .1897. Rowena Blythe is wealthy, entitled and beautiful. As her twenty-fourth birthday
approaches, she’s expected to marry – and to marry well. An unsuitable match...Her parents commission a portrait of Rowena to help cement her reputation as a great society beauty. However, Bartek, the artist’s young assistant, is unlike any man Rowena has met before
– wild, romantic and Bohemian. While society at large awaits the announcement of Rowena’s
engagement, it is Bartek who captures Rowena’s heart along with her likeness. A scandal in society . . .Rowena knows her parents would never approve of Bartek, who in their eyes is nothing but a
penniless foreigner. As her feelings grow, she has no-one to turn to. Dare she risk everything for love?

‘I love everything about this unusual story… as easy to imagine as if you were watching a tv drama or film."; Amazon reviewer.
Abandoned on a bank of snow as a baby, Amy is taken in at nearby Hatville Court. But the masters and servants of the grand estate prove cold and unwelcoming. Amy's only friend and ally is the sparkling young heiress Aurelia Vennaway. So when Aurelia tragically dies young, Amy is devastated. But Aurelia leaves Amy one last gift. A bundle of letters with a coded key. A treasure hunt that only Amy can follow. A life-changing discovery awaits . . . if only she can unlock the secret.

"Possibly the most wonderful book I've ever read. A complete joy."; Amazon reviewer.

Florrie Buckley is an orphan, living on the wind-blasted moors of Cornwall. It's a hard existence
but Florrie is content; she runs wild in the mysterious landscape. But when Florrie is fourteen, she inherits a never-imagined secret. She is related to a wealthy and notorious London family,
the Graces. Overnight, Florrie's life changes and she moves from country to city, from poverty to
wealth. Cut off from everyone she has ever known, Florrie struggles to learn the rules of this strange new world. And then she must try to fathom her destructive pull towards the enigmatic and troubled Turlington Grace, a man with many dark secrets of his own.

‘Will probably have you booking a train ticket for Tenby… The sort of characters you would invite round for tea.’ Amazon Reviewer. 2014.

Nora has always taken success for granted, until her life begins to fall apart. Troubled by anxiety and nightmares, she finds herself drawn to the sweeping beaches of Tenby, where she rents a beautiful townhouse with a local girl and begins to settle into her new life. But Tenby hides a secret, and Nora will soon discover that this little town by the sea has the power to heal
even the most painful memories. 1950. Chloe visits Tenby every summer, spending the long, idyllic days on the beach. Every year is the same, until she meets a glamorous older boy and is instantly smitten. But the aftermath of their first date could haunt Chloe forever.

‘A joy to read and the drama rises by subtle, tiny increments until, at its climax, you have to remind yourself to breathe. These three women will stay with you for a long, long time.’
Amazon Reviewer.

Society girl Blue and her family lead a charmed life in their townhouse in 1920s Richmond. They’re as happy and as close as can be - on the surface at least. But Blue is less interested in
marriage than in her dreams of becoming a journalist in what is still very much a man’s world. And her stepmother Midge harbours a deep insecurity and guilt that no-one suspects. When a young, destitute woman arrives in their midst, on the run from her abusive husband, they are forced to confront the rifts beneath the surface. They welcome Delphine into their home and their
hearts, wanting only to help her. What they don't realise is that she will bring them together in ways they never thought possible...

‘Loved this story so much, I couldn't put it down, I read it within 24 hours… I wish
someone would produce a TV series of it.’ Amazon Reviewer.

Yorkshire, 1899. Josie has never questioned her life in a South Yorkshire mining village. But everything changes when she meets Tommy from a neighbouring village. Tommy has been destined for a life underground since the moment he was born but he has far bigger dreams for his future. United by their desire for a better life and by their fascination with the local gentry, Josie and Tommy become fast friends. Wealthy and glamorous, the Sedgewicks of Silvermoor
inhabit a world of money and privilege that is utterly forbidden to Tommy and Josie. Yet the pair become entangled with the grand family and discover a long-hidden secret. Will everything change as the new century dawns…?

‘Totally blown away by this book. Rees is a master storyteller with an enchanting style. Her detailed research, compelling characters and sprinkling of humour were absolutely genius.’ Amazon Reviewer.
Every house has its secrets . . . For twelve-year-old Ottilie Finch, London is an exciting
playground to explore. She is blissfully unaware of the cloud of scandal that forced her family to move to Hamstead from Durham. The only shadow over Otty’s days is her mother’s mysterious illness, which keeps her to her room. When young local girl Mabs is offered the chance to
become Mrs Finch’s companion, it saves her from a desperate life on the canals. Little does Mabs know that she is about to become tangled in the secrets that chased the Finches from their last home, and trapped in an impossible dilemma . . .

Want to read more? Tracy recommends
these lovely bookshops:

Victoria Bookshop

Contemporary

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‘Beautifully written, perfectly plotted and emotional, with fabulous characters and gorgeous descriptions... Absorbing, entertaining and incredibly satisfying. Amazon Reviewer.

Pennystrand is a picture-perfect seaside village edged by sandy coves, exactly the sort of place
Kitty always dreamed of moving to. She just didn’t expect to be doing it alone…

Thirty-year-old Kitty Roberts spends her days searching for the perfect home for two… until her
boyfriend leaves her for another woman. Devastated, Kitty flees to the tiny seaside village where she spent carefree summers as a child, before her family fell apart. At first, Kitty’s escape proves to be exactly what she needs – golden sunsets over warm, sandy beaches, lovably eccentric new neighbours and even a blush-inducing run-in with gorgeous Cory Hudson, a professional
surfer with a heart-stopping smile. Kitty finally feels herself beginning to heal.
But some surprising reactions to Kitty in town make her wonder if her connection to this place
might go deeper than she thought. It seems there’s a secret in her family’s past. Is it about to turn Kitty’s life on its head once more?

‘A new favourite author. Can’t wait for the next book.’ Amazon Reviewer.

In Hopley village snow is falling and twinkly lights are going up but thirty-year-old Holly Hanwell feels anything but Christmassy… After receiving some bombshell news, Holly’s planning a quiet Christmas in her cosy little house certain that love and romance are firmly behind her. Until she meets sexy newcomer Edward. He recently bought Christmas House, at the edge of
the village, but the renovations on the old house, on top of a new job and life as a single father,
are more than he’d bargained for. Sheltering from the cold in the local café, Edward and Holly
feel an undeniable spark between them, but Holly knows she needs to protect her already fragile heart and Edward’s life is complicated enough.
Holiday magic works in mysterious ways but as their feelings grow, their friendship is derailed by
the arrival of a glamorous figure from his past… Will their budding romance be over before it’s begun? Or will this be a Christmas to remember?

‘Absolutely loved reading this book! Sat drinking wine ignoring my husband because I just couldn’t put it down. Amazingly uplifting.’ Amazon Reviewer.

When tragedy destroyed her life, Gwen Stanley retreated to Hopley, a crumbling little village
deep in the heart of the English countryside. Two years later, Gwen is still utterly lost.

Until she discovers an old stone church at the edge of the village, forgotten by almost everyone. There she stumbles on a book full of local secrets and is instantly drawn into a quest to save the beautiful old church – and the village spirit.
When she’s unexpectedly joined by handsome local artist Jarvis, Gwen is caught off-guard. He seems just as fascinated by the book as she is… but why? Can she trust Jarvis’s motives? And are the butterflies she feels whenever they’re together because she’s one step closer to learning the book’s secrets… or might the little village church actually hold the key to healing Gwen’s poor, trampled heart?

Want to read more? Tracy recommends
these lovely bookshops:

Victoria Bookshop

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