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Penny Hampson

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

June 21st, 2020

This article first appeared last year on The Coffee Pot Book Club: I thought it was worth updating here because spying and espionage are very much a feature of my upcoming book in The Gentlemen Series ~ A BACHELOR’S PLEDGE. When we talk of espionage today, we think of James Bond action heroes, or perhaps […]

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A Lockdown Day Out

June 8th, 2020

Although I enjoy my daily lockdown walks, seeing the same scenery day after day gets more than a little tedious. After nearly three months I was itching to walk somewhere different. So when the rules were relaxed recently, I decided to see if there was anywhere not too far away from where I live that […]

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Fancy a Ride Round Britain?

May 26th, 2020

Then let’s accompany Colonel John Byng, Viscount Torrington (1743-1813) on one of his tours. I’ve written about this chap before, but I thought now — when we are unable to travel — would be a good time to have another look at his diaries detailing his trips round the country. On Saturday 2nd July 1785 […]

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Unmasking a Villain: Review of The Talisman Ring

May 20th, 2020

We’re still in lockdown, so I thought I’d review another of Georgette Heyer’s historical novels, in case you’re still seeking some comfort reading. Set in 1793, The Talisman Ring is an enjoyable mix of adventure and comedy. It’s another of Heyer’s stories that doesn’t conform to the typical idea of a romance. It’s also different […]

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The Imposter at the Toll-Gate

May 15th, 2020

Well here we are still in Lockdown, and still in need of comfort reading (well, I am anyway). Another Georgette Heyer book that I haven’t read for some time is The Toll-Gate. Now why did I ever think that all Heyer’s Regency tales were romances? This one, while containing a charming romance at its heart, […]

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When Love is a Game…

May 7th, 2020

Another Heyer book today – this time Faro’s Daughter, the story of tempestuous Deborah Grantham and the man who is out to ruin her plans, Max Ravenscar. If you enjoy sparkling, witty dialogue, you will enjoy this book, the verbal sparring between this pair is some of Heyer’s best work. If you’re puzzled about the […]

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Looking for Madcap Adventures With An Unlikely Hero?

May 2nd, 2020

I’m devouring Georgette Heyer’s books at the moment. They are definitely my go-to reads during stressful times, whisking me away to a world where the worst that can happen is that no-one asks the heroine for a dance at Almack’s Assembly Rooms. One book I’ve recently re-read is The Foundling – not a typical Heyer […]

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Looking for a hero? More Comfort Reading During #Lockdown

April 21st, 2020

Well, this is the second of my blogs about my comfort reading during Lockdown, and I’ve stayed with one of my favourite authors, Georgette Heyer. I decided that I could do no better than re-read some of her Regency historicals to discover if my opinion of her writing had changed in the intervening years. Yesterday […]

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Looking For Some Comfort Reading?

April 13th, 2020

For those of you feeling the stress right now, (and who isn’t in these challenging times?) I thought I’d review one of the books of an author who inspired me to start writing. I first discovered Georgette Heyer when I was a teenager. Her books were considered suitable reading for the pupils at the convent […]

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