A World Away by Pauline Francis

A World Away tells the story of love, separation and being different.

The book is set in Queen Elizabeth the First's era, it starts off with colonists moving to the USA and trying to start their own colony there.They also try to befriend the natives living there. However their plan doesn't go so well and they end up capturing a young girl called Nadie.

So the colonists make the journey back to England and Nadie soon finds herself living with a priest and his sister in Plymouth. The people living there have never seen a black person before and they are at first wary of her, apart from the young blacksmith of the town, Tom.

Tom and Nadie fall in love but it is impossible for them to have a relationship her being black and because she refused to be baptised (believing in her own gods) mean that she could not be married to him.

But then Nadie has the opportunity to go back to her own land and people, she longs to go but she cannot leave Tom, so Tom agrees to come with her. Nadie is at first disrespected by her people for leaving them (not that she had any choice in the matter) but they agree to take her again but not her loved one.

Will Tom and Nadie ever be able to find love?

A World Away is a brilliant novel and a wonderful, gripping story. I give it an eight out of ten!

Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

OK, sorry that I haven't blogged for ages, again! Recently I have been in love with any Georgette Heyer books; they are light, airy, witty and lovely (if you like historical romances you will love her books). Devil's Cub is probably my favourite yet!

Devil's Cub is the story of the reckless, dashing and young Marquis of Vidal, who is even wilder than his father was. But when he gets into his latest scandal his father makes it clear that he must leave the country. 

So Vidal asks the beautiful but stupid Sophia Challoner if she will run away with him to Paris, however, Sophia's sister, Mary, gets wind of the plot and when the note arrives for Sophia to run Mary goes instead as she is determined for her sister not to end up in ruin. Things don't quite go accordingly to plan as when the Marquis discoverers who Mary really is he drags her of to Paris in her sister's place.

Once in Paris Vidal realises that Mary is not the stupid girl that her sister is but a wise girl who will stand up for herself. The Marquis cannot bring himself to ruin such a girl and so informs her that they must marry. Mary has slowly fallen in love with the Marquis and decides she can't spoil his happiness by marrying him.

Will the Marquis ever fall in love with Mary? This is an excellent and extremely interesting story which is why I am giving it a ten out of ten!