Who knows what goes on behind closed doors. But what if the closed doors you are behind are the ones you have always known and yet you still don’t know what is going on.
Charlotte Nicholl, is left to deal wit the estate of her father. Unmarried and with a house in Mid Victorian Glasgow, it is not considered seemly to be living alone and with a fortune to consider. Expect the fortune has come from some rather interesting images, hidden behind a closed door in Charlotte’s home. A home that is now all hers.
Ellory Mann, is at the beginning of her life but rather down on her luck in society. But she is skilled and is in at the beginning of something which will change everything. Photography.
When Charlotte and Ellory meet, it seems that they can be a force for good for each other and they can help survive the societal norms and the ever changing presence of women in a man’s world.
The settings of both Edinburgh and Glasgow are fascinating and the author as she always does, brings everything to life. The colour of the mid 1800s is thoroughly researched and jumps off the page. You can imagine the scandal, the gossip about everything mentioned and all the things that are not in this book. The added bonus of real life people such as Frederick Douglass who shows a different plight but one similar to our main female protagonists. All of it added together makes for an interesting and fascinating novel.
If you want good historical fiction with strong female protagonists then you cannot go wrong with this or any of Sara Sheridan’s work. Excellent and I learnt so much as well as being transported away with the story.
Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
The Secrets of Blythswood Square is out now.
The Book Jotter 
I definitely want to read this one after loving her previous series.