Blog tour: The Bookseller's Secret

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Welcome to the blog tour for The Bookseller’s Secret by Michelle Gable!

More about the book…

In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she's given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics.

Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war. Between the shop's brisk business and the literary salons she hosts for her eccentric friends, Nancy's life seems on the upswing. But when a mysterious French officer insists that she has a story to tell, Nancy must decide if picking up the pen again and revealing all is worth the price she might be forced to pay.

Eighty years later, Heywood Hill is abuzz with the hunt for a lost wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford. For one woman desperately in need of a change, the search will reveal not only a new side to Nancy, but an even more surprising link between the past and present...

More about the author…

Michelle Gable is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I'll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended The College of William & Mary, where she majored in accounting, and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, with her husband and two daughters. Find her at michellegable.com or on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @MGableWriter.

My impressions…

Was it a page-turner? Yes, this was a very quick read. The dual timeline narrative helped keep things interesting and fresh, encouraging me to read ‘just one more chapter’ each time I picked the book up.

Did the book meet my expectations? I only knew Nancy Mitford by name before reading this book so I started it with an open mind and eager to learn. I do feel that I’ve learnt about parts of her life so I am happy and inspired to read further. I enjoyed the sections of the book that are set in the present but I must admit that I couldn’t stand Katie. To be honest, I didn’t find many of the ‘present day’ characters very likeable at all. I still wanted to find out what happened to them too, but I was definitely more engaged when reading about the past.

Three words to describe it. Intriguing. Evocative. Historical.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it is one of the first things that attracted me to the book!

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, but I’ve had a good browse and added them all to my wish list!

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