Interesting insights into values and lives of courtesans in London of centuries ago .. dependencies on protection and low value placed on independent women making their way on looks and wile. Angelica is one of the best. Mr Hancock is a kind simple merchant who happens to fall into ownership of a cursed relic of sorts, a mermaid . He organises entertainments, meets Angelica and they get together .. a bit unlikely but a n adolescent gets involved, and times are changing. Intriguing and slow moving but characteristics are full on of sometimes belaboured. Never quite believed chemistry entirely but very interesting effort.

The Story is set in London in the 1700s and the style of writing gives you the feel of the times. The Setting is one of opposites, women are either Saints or sinners, and to be judged by Society and treated as such. Our Heroine goes from being one of the sinners to becoming a nearly respectable woman thanks to her meeting with Mr Hancock. He is a sad Soul who finds new life with Anjelica, after the unusual find of a mermaid brings them together. The actual point of finding another mermaid and subsequent chapters dwelling on it don't really go anywhere and I am not sure of the purpose of it, as it doesn't add to the story, which has enough in it without it. Sometimes ponderous, but an interesting look at society in those days.

This was a tricksy story, as it managed to be both really great & easy to read, and yet also trudgingly slow and annoying! I read nothing about it beforehand, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I though the historical side of things was done well, and the style of writing suited, for the most part, the period of time being depicted. The appearance of the mermaid was a little odd, but I went with it, but what I struggled with more was the lurching between character plots. For quite a large part of the book I wasn't sure whose story this was, nor who I was meant to care about. Mrs Hanock was not my favourite character initially, but she grew on me through the story. Mr Hanock I liked a lot, but then for a while he seemingly disappeared from the story!
Sometimes the side stories of other characters seemed to become the focus, and so it became frustrating when their stories remained incomplete.
The story also veers more towards fantasy towards the end, but in a rather unsatisfactory way.

There were times when I was struggling to read this, but then others when I really wanted to see what happened next. For me, it was good not great.

I was extremely excited to read this book, so I jumped at the chance to read it.
This story is based in the 18th Century. We follow Mr Hancock as he attempts to make a breakthrough and make money from a rare find. The flip side of the story follows a young girl who attempts to find a better life for herself.
I enjoyed the historical fiction component of this novel, as it was very vivid and interesting. I also enjoyed the magical side of it. This book is very descriptive, and you can find yourself immersed in the characters world fully.

I really enjoyed the hope this book brings. A book I would definitely recommend.

First of all, I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't think I've ever read a book that was so thoroughly not for me in my life. I really struggled to get through the pages - it took me well over a month to read, even though I've been known to read books of equal length in two days flat - and I just never warmed to it at all.

I'll start with the good points, just to get them out of the way - firstly, the author's writing style is admittedly lovely, and does a very good job of evoking the era, the places and the characters depicted. However, even the writing rang a bit hollow to me at times - it was a bit like a courtesan's glamour, all frothy, pretty little turns of phrase which cleverly disguised the lack of any underlying substance.

The premise of the whole book is based around the relationship that kindles between one of London's most famous courtesans and a staid middle-aged merchant, and the mermaid that unexpectedly enters the latter's possession. A note to any fans of fantasy (like me) who are tempted to pick this book up because the mention of a mermaid intrigues you: don't. The mermaid barely features, and the elements of magical realism are severely underused in general; they only really have an effect on the last 20% or so of the book, and barely at that, fizzling into nothing in the last few pages.

I also found it almost impossible to connect with any of the characters in this novel. While I was pleased by how many of the characters were women, I'm utterly sick of fiction in which women are constantly at each other's throats. Meanwhile, the two main characters' romance was surprisingly tolerable, and one quiet scene between them early in their relationship was actually one of my favourite scenes in the whole novel, but I found both of the characters themselves unbearably insipid. The narrative also dipped into the side characters' stories fairly often, almost randomly, and in most cases without any satisfying resolution. I actually found several of the side characters more interesting than the main characters - Sukie and Polly were probably my favourites, and I hated how neither of them got any real narrative resolution. In fact, the entire plot just kind of ambled along with no real drive or cohesion throughout the whole book.

Finally, the book seemed to be trying to make a point about women's place in society, but utterly unable to actually figure out what that point might be, and it was even clumsier when trying to comment on historical race relations, which made a couple of scenes downright uncomfortable to read. All in all, not my cup of tea at all, and not a book I'll be recommending.

I'm really sorry but for once I gave up on a book - I tried on several occasions but just couldn't get past the first 50 pages

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book however I would like to decline the offer,. I would rather not read a book that is not to my taste and give it an unfairly negative review

I loved the cover and the concept of this book, but alas, I just did not get on with it. I am not scared of stopping to read a book if I do not like it, as I have plenty of others I want / need to read, but I did give this a good try.
Sorry.....

Just couldn’t get hooked into this one. Maritime, it seems, is just not me.

The manners and mores of the 18th century were here but with the insight into the seedier side of life. The Mermaid changed fortunes and lives. Mr Hancock ginally found a purpose and Mrs Hancock respectability. Angelica seems to be spoilt and capricious but in adversity it is her strength of character that saves them all.
With a language form we are today unused to the comedy and pathos of these 18C lives came through including a nod to changing social attitudes regarding slavery and prostitution. I enjoyed this story more as it developed.

I was super excited about this book because - okay - I love mermaids. Who doesn't, though? And for about the first half of the book, I was intrigued enough to enjoy the story and the characters. But the more I read, the less I enjoyed it, the less I was intrigued by it, the less I wanted to keep reading.

Don't get me wrong. There is so much to praise about this book. Starting with the wonderful prose and ending with the crafting of some very interesting characters.

But if I'm honest, after putting this book down, I felt a little cheated. Because what the title and blurb of the book promised wasn't at all what I got from it. The mermaid and mrs. hancock don't even come into play until about 70 or 80% into the novel - nor does the 'destructive powers mermaids are said to possess.' A disappointment all in all.

This is a wonderfully atmospheric historical fiction set at the end of the 18th century.

The widower, Mr Hancock, unexpectedly acquires a mermaid, and what he decides to do with this find leads him to meet the high class whore, Angelica Neal. As the novel progresses I found myself cheering on the characters of Mr Hancock (a little dull, but incredibly kind hearted and generous of spirit) and Angelica (a little capricious and gullible, but wonderfully childlike and kind hearted underneath her bravado) and wishing them the happy ending that they deserved.

The book cleverly touches on the role of women in society and the hypocrisies of the same society, slavery is mentioned, the scientific world and the desire of society for new treasures and goods from overseas. All themes that are woven into the story and add to the clearly well researched novel.

I do have to say that the book is slow paced, and at times brings in characters and events that I felt detracted from the main story (Polly and her escape). I was tempted to not continue after the first quarter, but I am so glad that I did as overall the book is a wonderfully immersive experience and an escape from the frantic nature of modern life.

Thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

A wonderful tale that delighted me throughout. Set in Georgian England in 1785, the stories of Mr Hancock and Angelica are drawn irresistibly together and chances are it would be a road to disaster. The period is brilliantly portrayed and I loved the brothel house scenes which made me laugh. There is hope, despair, fortitude and magic so delicately and enjoyably woven together that I didn't want it to end. An amazing debut, this is a writer to look out for.

A fantastic novel that is steeped in folklore and magic. Set in the 18th century the book is very evocative of the age. You can almost smell the streets and whorehouses of Bristol. The characters are very Dickensian in that they seem almost characatures.
The novel also has a moral tale to tell in that what you wish for is not always worth the cost of attaining it.

The year is 1785 and widower John Hancock finds himself the owner of what appears to be a dead mermaid. The artefact proves the talk of the town and gains John access to a whole new circle of society. A society that includes the alluring courtesan, Angelica Neal. 18th century London is brought vividly to life in this enchanting debut novel.

Enchanting and entertaining. This is a tale of reinvention and wonder set in Georgian-era London - a time of discovery, industry, hedonism, and major shifts in society - and the pursuit of an ancient and mysterious mermaid.

Excellent for lovers of historical fiction, magical realism and quality literature. I cannot think of an obvious comparison, but I believe readers who enjoyed stories like Night Circus, Jonathon Strange, and The Passion would also enjoy Mrs Hancock.

If you loved Golden Hill, this is your next read! Set in a bustling, mercantile London in the C18th, it mixes the prosaic with the magical, embodied here in the mermaid brought back from a trading sea voyage. At the heart of the book is the shipowner Jonah Hancock and his unlikely but charming romance with courtesan Angelica Neal, who has recently lost her protector. How these two come together in marriage is the main thrust of the plot but what really makes this book is the material details and lavish language.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my advance e-copy in return for an honest review.

I loved The Miniaturist, so when I read that this novel was being compared favourably to The Miniaturist I was thrilled.

However, I was disappointed. The language is lovely and a lot of time is spent on finer details; perhaps a bit to descriptive at times as it flows along slowly/ In fact so slowly that I eventually realised that I really didn’t care what happened to anyone. This was a sad realisation as I was over half way through the book, but it for me it was too late. I had lost interest.

It’s a well-researched historical novel and the author really knows about the period, and social gatherings that she writes about, but as a historical romance, or rags to riches story it just did nothing for me.

Its not a bad novel, it just wasn’t for me so three stars.

Immerse yourself in the story of London at the end of the 18th century. Find the place where everything seems possible, where, at one point, you may be at the bottom of the social ladder, and already in the next one, town could be under your feet. What can happen when you are in a city like that while one of the most mystical creatures, a subject of so many unexplained legends, is in your hands!?

Late one evening, while someone knocks on his door, Mr Hancock, a humble merchant and a widower, surely doesn't know that his life is about to change. There is the captain of the ship, whose return he has been waiting for a long time, with some news that could be Hancock's ticket for a better life. Although seemingly crazy, the captain's decision to sell his valuable ship to buy a mermaid, could really change his life. But of course, only if he decides to do something about it.

There is a thin line that separates the world of imagination from the reality, that's what this novel teaches us. Sometimes, all it takes is one little miracle for our lives to go in a new direction. A mermaid was that wonder, needed to change the fate of a few people, but also to make the paths cross for the two people who would never have met otherwise. The first person is, of course, Mr Hancock, and the second is the most famous London courtesan, Angelica Neal. The development of this unexpected romance will lead us though many unpredictable paths, if we follow them to the end of the novel.

It's been a great, imaginative and interesting book that I literally couldn't put down and out of my hands. In the last few days I had literally moved into the book, and lived there with those characters. The atmosphere was perfect, but the countless details and descriptions also helped me to go deep into the story. Yes, maybe you'll find a few minor flaws, like I did, but I will not even mention them because I believe they really do not affect the overall impression, and it is very likely you won't even notice them to the very end, when you'll be forced to say goodbye to this book.

If you love those historic settings and life stories mixed in with a bit of mystique and some interesting, but unusual romances, this is the book for you. The only thing you need is a little patience because the book will not be published till January 2018. Still, it will be worth to wait, believe me…

A wonderful historical novel full of fun, emotions and magic. The characters are fantastic and will stay with me a long time. There is also obviously a huge amount of historical research as the period feels right. Love it! Will be recommending it far and wide for 2018.