Padme's Library: Wild Bells by Charlie Cochrane

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Wild Bells by Charlie Cochrane

Summary:
The Shade on a Fine Day
Curate William Church may set the hearts of the parish's young ladies aflame, but he doesn't want their affection or presents, no matter how much they want to give them to him. He has his sights set elsewhere, for a love he's not allowed to indulge. One night, eight for dinner at the Canon's table means the potential arrival of a ghost. But what message will the spirit bring and which of the young men around the table is it for?

The Angel in the Window
Two officers, one ship, one common enemy.

Alexander Porterfield may be one of the rising stars of the British navy, but his relationship with his first lieutenant, Tom Anderson, makes him vulnerable. To blackmail, to anxieties about exposure—and to losing Tom, either in battle or to another ship. When danger comes more from the English than the French, where should a man turn?

I absolutely love historicals and I love Charlie Cochrane's historicals so when Wild Bells showed up on my Kindle, I devoured it like a starving man wandering the desert when he comes across a lone watering hole, unfortunately I just now got around to posting my review. History can be a very wicked place and lets be honest, the past has not been kind to the LGBT community so I always find them as a helpful reminder that even though we as a society have a long way yet to go toward acceptance and equality, we've also come a long way too. I always love when historical authors remind us of the severity of what they faced but I love it even more when its not used as a teaching lesson. Charlie Cochrane has never written a lesson, if you walk away learning something then all the better, but that is not the goal. She sets out to write a loving intriguing story that fits the time and that is what she has done once again with Wild Bells.

The Shade on a Fine Day is a wonderful blend of paranormal, history, and romance. The Angel in the Window takes you to the sea with an interesting mix of history and romance. Together they made me smile, laugh, go awww, with a little bit of worry, all of which had me captivated from beginning to end. Charlie Cochrane's historicals may not have explicit passion compared to many authors but that doesn't mean the passion isn't there and trust me, explicit or not, Wild Bells left me breathless.

RATING:

Author Bio:

As Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice - like managing a rugby team - she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical romances/mysteries, but she's making an increasing number of forays into the modern day. She's even been known to write about gay werewolves - albeit highly respectable ones.

Her Cambridge Fellows series of Edwardian romantic mysteries were instrumental in seeing her named Speak Its Name Author of the Year 2009. She’s a member of both the Romantic Novelists’ Association and International Thriller Writers Inc.

Happily married, with a house full of daughters, Charlie tries to juggle writing with the rest of a busy life. She loves reading, theatre, good food and watching sport. Her ideal day would be a morning walking along a beach, an afternoon spent watching rugby and a church service in the evening.