#BlogTour: Spirited by Julie Cohen @julie_cohen @orionbooks @Leanne_Oliver1 @RandomTTours #Spirited #JulieCohen #RandomThingsTours #historicalfiction #5Stars

Book Synopsis:

Viola has an impossible talent. Searching for meaning in her grief, she uses her photography to feel closer to her late father, taking solace from the skills he taught her – and to keep her distance from her husband. But her pictures seem to capture things invisible to the eye . . .

Henriette is a celebrated spirit medium, carrying nothing but her secrets with her as she travels the country. When she meets Viola, a powerful connection is sparked between them – but Victorian society is no place for reckless women.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, invisible threads join Viola and Henriette to another woman who lives in secrecy, hiding her dangerous act of rebellion in plain sight.

Faith. Courage. Love. What will they risk for freedom?

Spirited is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below.

My Review:

I’m a big fan of historical fiction especially if it involves photography or spirituality so this book instantly appealed to me. Once again the author has written a truly wonderful, engaging read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Firstly the author has obviously done her research as she really brings the 1800s to life in this book. I loved all of the fantastic historical detail about what society was like back then along with societies attitudes toward certain things. It was really interesting to see them all come into play throughout the story and to see how the characters dealt with them. The history of photography was also very fascinating and I liked learning more about the spiritual beliefs back then which seemed to contrast with the strict religious beliefs of the time.

The story is told in two timelines one following Violet as she follows her passion for photography the other following Jonah and what happened during his time in India. I must admit to liking Violets story a little more due to the subject matter but Jonah’s story of life in India was still very interesting. I liked following the two stories to see what would happen to the characters and how the two storylines would merge.

Although initially a bit of a slow burner I did have an inkling l would like this book from the first few pages, as I instantly warmed to Violet. The pace in the book slowly increases and I soon found myself completely absorbed into the story and the characters lives. I was sorry to finish the book and leave everything behind.

Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Leanne from Orion for my copy of this book. If you like Sarah Waters I think you’ll like this book as I felt they were similar.

About The Author:

Julie Cohen grew up in the western mountains of Maine and studied English at Brown University and Cambridge University before pursuing a research degree in nineteenth century fairies. After a career as a secondary school English teacher, she became a novelist. Her award-winning novels have sold over a million copies worldwide. DEAR THING and TOGETHER were both selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. Julie runs an oversubscribed literary consultancy which has helped many writers go on to be published. She is a Vice President of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, founder of the RNA Rainbow Chapter for LGBTQ+ authors, and a Patron of literacy charity ABC To Read. You can find Julie on Twitter: @julie_cohen or you can visit her website: http://www.julie-cohen.com.