The Peacock Bottle

A very good, engaging and entertaining historical novel.
It's well written, the characters are fleshed out, the historical background well researched.
It's a page turner that keeps you hooked till the last page.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review 
What a intriguing  read was totally  captivated from  the beginning  held my attention  till the end can highly recommend

This book is a great romp through the 1800's, with two narratives set 50 years apart sharing the same house.  The house is named Alice Howe, which I found confusing as I first thought this was a person and narrative.  Regardless I have been enchanted by this read.  

The first narrative set in 1893 is Amelia who has inherited the house after the tragic demise of her father in a fire which left both herself and her stepmother homeless.  The house at this time has been abandoned and in a state of disrepair.  We follow them as they attempt to make the house presentable while dealing with loss and depression from losing a loved one, a home and possessions.  Amelia finds a hidden garden on the estate and sets about trying to tame it in order to surprise her stepmother.  This part of the story is reminiscent of a cherished childhood classic, “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett and it is in this garden that Amelia finds a blue peacock perfume bottle buried in the dirt.

The Second narrative, set in 1840 with the house at its prime, follows sisters Daisy and Mary Jane in a Jane Austin like story (which is nicely tied up by the author having Amelia in the future reading her classics!).  Daisy is consumed with her new found ambition of making perfume while Mary Jane is an avid painter.  This story line deals with love, romance, sisterly bond but also death and grief.    

The author does a superb job at telling both stories succinctly and engagingly while having incidents and details travel through time to connect the two worlds.  I greatly enjoyed this book and read it within two days however, I did feel the ending was rushed which is why i have given this book four stars instead of five.  That being said the last sentence of the book left me with shivers!

A big thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for this ARC, #ThePeacockBottle, all opinions expressed are my own.

Intriguing Victorian time story with ups and downs of family life. Strong delightful characters. A well-written book, I liked reading, it's a pleasure to review. I received an advanced reader's copy of this book, am voluntarily leaving a review.

Two interesting tales that take place in the same house but two different generations.  Each story is from the viewpoint of a teenage girl. Each chapter changes between the generations.  I am typically not a fan of this type of writing.  But in this case it works.  I liked the book, didn't love it, but I liked it.

I was sent an early copy of this book for my independent honest review so thank you.
This is an historical piece aimed at the Young Adult market,however I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult reading it.
It is beautifully written and the pacing kept me interested all the way through.
It is written in two split timelines both in the historical setting of an old estate house. In it's heyday it was in beautiful condition and well loved,however latterly has been  left to deteriorate. When the new owners move in they have to work hard to make it habitable.  An old perfume bottle is the key to both narratives which were seamlessly joined. Something for me is an important part of this book working as a whole.
I thought the characters from both periods were very well written and believable, although not always well behaved. There is a feeling that all the girls mature throughout,hence it being appropriate for young adults.
This was a very enjoyable book and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys  historical fiction,especially  with a family drama element to it.
I cannot wait to read more from this author.

This story has been written in two time periods.  There is the story of the house's original family occupants mixed with the current family occupants.  Pay attention as you read or you'll confuse yourself.

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

The story begins with a house fire that takes the life of the husband.  The stepmother and child survive and find the child has inherited another house.  They move and find the house has been vacant for a while.  There's a lot of cleaning and fix up to do.  They work on it day by day.  The daughter found a secret garden and she's attempting to clean that up, too.  They also meet two cousins they didn't know they had.

In between this tale comes an older story of how the family became what they are.  There is a sad part in this tale, too.  The historical account is very well done and was even more attention grabbing than the current tale.

But stepmom and daughter have some more obstacles to get over before the book ends.

This is a fascinating character study that was a good read.

Really enjoyed this book. It kept me interested all the way through. I would definitely recommend to a fellow reader. I like the cover as well.

a book about a Family especially a young girl living in victorian times. That is one Time like an d the other time line goes back 60 years an d tells the Story of the people who  lived in thus house before. Written with a lot of emotion.I liked it Vera much.