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The Ruby Ring
A spellbinding timeslip story of two young women, each with a secret. A ring unites them, a century divides them. An international bestseller, set in a seaside town in Devon in Victorian times and the present day.
After a whirlwind romance, Laura Marchmont marries the charming Charles Haywood. Leaving her old life behind, she struggles to fit into Charles’s world, and to be accepted by his young daughters from his first marriage. Laura also hides a terrible secret from her new husband, which casts a shadow over her life. Then, she discovers the story of a young girl who lived more than a century before. Laura is compelled to uncover the fate of Mary Rose.
1886. When Mary Rose Marchmont’s widowed father remarries it signals the end of her childhood. A series of tragic events leads Mary Rose to be accused of a shocking crime, after which her life will never be the same again.
A moving family story of history, romance and secrets.
Grace Macdonald is a pen name of the hugely popular romantic fiction author Sophie King.
After a whirlwind romance, Laura Marchmont marries the charming Charles Haywood. Leaving her old life behind, she struggles to fit into Charles’s world, and to be accepted by his young daughters from his first marriage. Laura also hides a terrible secret from her new husband, which casts a shadow over her life. Then, she discovers the story of a young girl who lived more than a century before. Laura is compelled to uncover the fate of Mary Rose.
1886. When Mary Rose Marchmont’s widowed father remarries it signals the end of her childhood. A series of tragic events leads Mary Rose to be accused of a shocking crime, after which her life will never be the same again.
A moving family story of history, romance and secrets.
Grace Macdonald is a pen name of the hugely popular romantic fiction author Sophie King.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2016
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17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 7, 2016
3.5*
When I was offered the chance to review The Ruby Ring, the description sounded so very enticing and it immediately appealed. I love timeslip stories and I wasn't disappointed with this one.
Nearly 150 years separate Laura Marchmont and her ancestor Mary Rose Marchmont but they share more than just blood - both women have their secrets to bear and wrongs which must be righted.
Told in separating parts, the lives of Mary Rose and Laura come to show startling similarities with family jealousies and secrets - with one of them subject to the most awful betrayal. As the title suggests, a ruby ring is at the heart of the story and whether or not you believe in myths and legends, this is relevant to the story.
This was a very interesting and well written novel with some excellent characterisation and vivid description. Before moving onto the next person's narrative, the end of the chapter would end on a cliffhanger and in the case of Mary Rose I was desperate to know what happened next. There were times when my heart broke for Mary Rose and although I initially liked Laura, her selfishness and 'what about me' attitude did start to grate. For someone that was so careful in her attitude to relationships and marriage, she broke her own rules and married Charles after barely knowing him.
Woven into the story were facets of history, for example, the work of Elizabeth Fry, the English prison reformer. Personally I found the 19th Century story surrounding Mary Rose the strongest and the most interesting. The author has clearly done a lot of research which is mirrored in the story and I found the research undertaken by Laura into her family's history fascinating. There were times when I felt the story slowed and sometimes became a little repetitive but overall this didn't spoil my enjoyment.
If you're a fan of historical fiction and/or timeslip novels I'm sure you would find this an enjoyable read.
When I was offered the chance to review The Ruby Ring, the description sounded so very enticing and it immediately appealed. I love timeslip stories and I wasn't disappointed with this one.
Nearly 150 years separate Laura Marchmont and her ancestor Mary Rose Marchmont but they share more than just blood - both women have their secrets to bear and wrongs which must be righted.
Told in separating parts, the lives of Mary Rose and Laura come to show startling similarities with family jealousies and secrets - with one of them subject to the most awful betrayal. As the title suggests, a ruby ring is at the heart of the story and whether or not you believe in myths and legends, this is relevant to the story.
This was a very interesting and well written novel with some excellent characterisation and vivid description. Before moving onto the next person's narrative, the end of the chapter would end on a cliffhanger and in the case of Mary Rose I was desperate to know what happened next. There were times when my heart broke for Mary Rose and although I initially liked Laura, her selfishness and 'what about me' attitude did start to grate. For someone that was so careful in her attitude to relationships and marriage, she broke her own rules and married Charles after barely knowing him.
Woven into the story were facets of history, for example, the work of Elizabeth Fry, the English prison reformer. Personally I found the 19th Century story surrounding Mary Rose the strongest and the most interesting. The author has clearly done a lot of research which is mirrored in the story and I found the research undertaken by Laura into her family's history fascinating. There were times when I felt the story slowed and sometimes became a little repetitive but overall this didn't spoil my enjoyment.
If you're a fan of historical fiction and/or timeslip novels I'm sure you would find this an enjoyable read.
June 1, 2016
http://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/2016/0...
I really enjoyed the format of the alternating timelines as both our heroines lives almost mirror each other.
We're introduced first to Mary Rose as an 11 year old whose dying mother gives her the family ring and the legend. 1866 is a time of innocence for Mary Rose but she is about to lose that security when the scheming Mademoiselle Laville comes into their lives. We're left on a cliffhanger before Part 2 with Laura in present day. There's intrigue surrounding Laura as she is recognised at her goddaughter's christening, but says she's not that person and immediately phones her mum for advice. Through her work as a botanical illustrator she meets Charles Haywood at an exhibition and after a whirlwind romance, 35 year old Laura moves in with him and his often visiting daughters. There's more intrigue surrounding Laura and I guessed at different scenarios ... but I wasn't correct!
As both their stories unfold, there is conflict for Mary Rose from her stepmother and Laura from her step children. I loved the links between them of their creativity and the coincidences. Mary Ann grows into a strong woman who does much for others in her enforced environment - I found myself so angry and frustrated on her behalf. Her father so disappointed me throughout those 20 years. And when Laura in the present day makes judgements from her own weaknesses, I wanted to shout in her face that she knew nothing (yes, I was emotionally invested in Mary Rose). For me, Laura was a weak character scared of her own shadow and for the majority of the time, a negative attitude to everything which wearied me. However, I did feel for her trying to get to know Charles' daughters and I identified with a mother's love. I also understood that what happened as a teen could colour her life but oh! she grated on me ... especially compared with Mary Rose and her indomitable character in adverse conditions. There are moments of kindness in the darkest times too which reinforces that humanity does have its lighter side.
The settings in both timelines felt real. My favourite was the 1800s with the invention of the bicycle and the opening of the train line at Seamouth. The clothes they wore, family life and the community fascinated me. There is a definite difference to how each timeline feels.
The Ruby Ring is a story about the power of society, the divisions in families and redemption. I've felt emotions alongside our characters and had to keep turning those pages to find out not only where the story was taking me but also if innocence wins in the end. Do both of our leads get their HEA? As Grace Macdonald said in her guest post "not telling" :)
I would like to thank the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the format of the alternating timelines as both our heroines lives almost mirror each other.
We're introduced first to Mary Rose as an 11 year old whose dying mother gives her the family ring and the legend. 1866 is a time of innocence for Mary Rose but she is about to lose that security when the scheming Mademoiselle Laville comes into their lives. We're left on a cliffhanger before Part 2 with Laura in present day. There's intrigue surrounding Laura as she is recognised at her goddaughter's christening, but says she's not that person and immediately phones her mum for advice. Through her work as a botanical illustrator she meets Charles Haywood at an exhibition and after a whirlwind romance, 35 year old Laura moves in with him and his often visiting daughters. There's more intrigue surrounding Laura and I guessed at different scenarios ... but I wasn't correct!
As both their stories unfold, there is conflict for Mary Rose from her stepmother and Laura from her step children. I loved the links between them of their creativity and the coincidences. Mary Ann grows into a strong woman who does much for others in her enforced environment - I found myself so angry and frustrated on her behalf. Her father so disappointed me throughout those 20 years. And when Laura in the present day makes judgements from her own weaknesses, I wanted to shout in her face that she knew nothing (yes, I was emotionally invested in Mary Rose). For me, Laura was a weak character scared of her own shadow and for the majority of the time, a negative attitude to everything which wearied me. However, I did feel for her trying to get to know Charles' daughters and I identified with a mother's love. I also understood that what happened as a teen could colour her life but oh! she grated on me ... especially compared with Mary Rose and her indomitable character in adverse conditions. There are moments of kindness in the darkest times too which reinforces that humanity does have its lighter side.
The settings in both timelines felt real. My favourite was the 1800s with the invention of the bicycle and the opening of the train line at Seamouth. The clothes they wore, family life and the community fascinated me. There is a definite difference to how each timeline feels.
The Ruby Ring is a story about the power of society, the divisions in families and redemption. I've felt emotions alongside our characters and had to keep turning those pages to find out not only where the story was taking me but also if innocence wins in the end. Do both of our leads get their HEA? As Grace Macdonald said in her guest post "not telling" :)
I would like to thank the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2016
Review first posted on my blog 'A Spoonful of Happy Endings': http://spoonfulofhappyendings.blogspo...
Laura Marchmont was never sure whether she would be able to find real love, until she meets Charles Haywood. It's love at first sight between the two of them and they get married quite quickly, not wanting to waste any time. But Laura has some trouble dealing with the two daughters from Charles' previous marriage, while also dealing with a big secret from her past she knows she has to share with Charles. When she unexpectedly stumbles upon the story of a girl named Mary Rose Marchmont, who lived around the 1880s, Laura is immediately intrigued and as she unravels Mary Rose's story she discovers the two of them actually have quite a lot of common...
'The Ruby Ring' is a novel by women's fiction author Sophie King under the pen name of Grace Macdonald, and a book that's slightly different from most of Sophie's other work. It's a historical timeslip novel, focusing on two young female characters who are both struggling with keeping secrets. On the one hand we have Laura Marchmont in the modern day and age, and Mary Rose Marchmont in Victorian times. I was really curious to learn more about both Laura and Mary Rose, and loved the similarities between their two stories. The book consists of several collections of chapters set in different times and told from either Laura or Mary Rose's point of view. I was intrigued by both characters, even though I did personally slightly prefer Mary Rose's story.
Just like the author's other novels, the story is quite fast-paced and written in an easy and comfortable writing style. It is quite a long read with over 400 pages in print, and I did feel like it could have been a bit shorter, to make it a more compact read. I really admire the fact that the author decided to step out of her regular genre and added this historical aspect to her latest book. It's not my favourite one of her reads, but still definitely an enjoyable one! 'The Ruby Ring' is a captivating, interesting and well-told timeslip novel focusing on two women living in different times; another entertaining read by author Sophie King!
Laura Marchmont was never sure whether she would be able to find real love, until she meets Charles Haywood. It's love at first sight between the two of them and they get married quite quickly, not wanting to waste any time. But Laura has some trouble dealing with the two daughters from Charles' previous marriage, while also dealing with a big secret from her past she knows she has to share with Charles. When she unexpectedly stumbles upon the story of a girl named Mary Rose Marchmont, who lived around the 1880s, Laura is immediately intrigued and as she unravels Mary Rose's story she discovers the two of them actually have quite a lot of common...
'The Ruby Ring' is a novel by women's fiction author Sophie King under the pen name of Grace Macdonald, and a book that's slightly different from most of Sophie's other work. It's a historical timeslip novel, focusing on two young female characters who are both struggling with keeping secrets. On the one hand we have Laura Marchmont in the modern day and age, and Mary Rose Marchmont in Victorian times. I was really curious to learn more about both Laura and Mary Rose, and loved the similarities between their two stories. The book consists of several collections of chapters set in different times and told from either Laura or Mary Rose's point of view. I was intrigued by both characters, even though I did personally slightly prefer Mary Rose's story.
Just like the author's other novels, the story is quite fast-paced and written in an easy and comfortable writing style. It is quite a long read with over 400 pages in print, and I did feel like it could have been a bit shorter, to make it a more compact read. I really admire the fact that the author decided to step out of her regular genre and added this historical aspect to her latest book. It's not my favourite one of her reads, but still definitely an enjoyable one! 'The Ruby Ring' is a captivating, interesting and well-told timeslip novel focusing on two women living in different times; another entertaining read by author Sophie King!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews