Katherine, Anya Seton (1953)

Before reading this book, I had never heard of Katherine Swynford and her lifetime lover-turned-husband John of Gaunt, both ancestors of the Tudors, so I became eager to read it, especially after reading the positive reviews on Anya Seton’s accurate historical research. 

Katherine de Roet was a young girl who grew up in a convent because her father and mother had passed away during the Black Death and her sister was taken to live as a lady in waiting to Queen Philippa of Hanualt, queen of England, because their father was a knight of her retinue.  As Katherine became of a marrying age, fifteen, she too was sent to the court since she didn’t wish to become a nun. 

Scarlett, Alexandra Ripley (1990)

I know many people are against "Scarlett" since it wasn't written by Margaret Mitchell and it's obviously not of the same literary quality, however I think it's a good read anyway! We finally get closure, which is very important for me because I've always wanted to find out what happened to Scarlett and Rhett and if she managed to win him back or not. 

One of the biggest criticisms of the novel is that Scarlett didn't stay in Atlanta, that Ripley made her leave because it was just too difficult to deal with the reconstruction of the city/society and with the previous foes. Nonetheless, I think it was perfectly plausible that Scarlett didn't remain because she wasn't accepted by ANYONE anymore, the only person who had made her be part of it all was Melanie and she had died - not to mention that Rhett had left her too, which in the people's eyes was all her fault (and in a way it was). Scarlett had no one to turn to, no help nor emotional support, so it made sense she went on looking for it in Charleston where Rhett was. Actually, her journey to Charleston was brilliantly handled and it was very Scarlett-like how she tried to 'fit in' in with the 'creme de la creme' of the Charlestonians, but utterly failed.

Scarlett is one of those people who cannot conform to society and it was consistent here too. 

The Landower Legacy, Victoria Holt (1984)

This is the first book by Victoria Holt that I ever read, so I really didn’t know what to expect.  I had come across some interesting reviews and recommendations from readers who enjoyed gothic novels and historically accurate events in them, which I also consider a must, so I decided to give it a chance.  

First of all, I researched a bit on the author and I found out that ‘Victoria Holt’ was a pseudonym used by Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert to write novels which took place in the Victorian Era (which is probably why she chose the name Victoria).  She had other pseudonyms for other historical eras she wrote about, which I found to be also appealing and have since put in my ‘one-day-to-read’ list.  Anyway, down to the story.