Book of the Week: Last Train to Freedom by Deborah Swift #HistoricalFiction #WWII #TransSiberian #RecommendedReading

Last train to freedom

Survivors of War

by Deborah Swift

1940. As Soviet forces storm Lithuania, Zofia and her brother Jacek must flee to survive.

A lifeline appears when Japanese consul Sugihara offers them visas on one condition: they must deliver a parcel to Tokyo. Inside lies intelligence on Nazi atrocities, evidence so explosive that Nazi and Soviet agents will stop at nothing to possess it.

Pursued across Siberia on the Trans-Siberian Express, Zofia faces danger at every turn, racing to expose the truth as Japan edges closer to allying with the Nazis. With the fate of countless lives hanging in the balance, can she complete her mission before time runs out?

Praise for Last Train to Freedom:

'Taut, compelling and beautifully written – I loved it!'

~ Daisy Wood

'... an enthralling attention getter, page-turner until the last page.'

~ Paul B, 5* Amazon Review

'Deborah Swift’s impeccable research is impressive, as it is with all of her novels, and brings the period and location alive. The reader is not only gripped by the danger facing Zofia, but also learns about an interesting period of history, about which this reader had known very little.

Highly recommended.'

~ Lizzie James, 5* Amazon Review

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Book of the Month: Marianne – A Sense and Sensibility Sequel by Alice McVeigh #LiteraryFiction #HistoricalFiction #RecommendedReading

Marianne

(A Sense and Sensibility Sequel)

 By Alice McVeigh

When Marianne – still beautiful, still impulsive and not yet twenty-one – returns to London, she is rich, with a house in Mayfair and an estate in Dorsetshire. Despite her resolve to remain single, she finds herself besieged with admirers, including the dangerously attractive Willoughby and the charming and irreverent Crawford.

Then Marianne’s younger sister Margaret arrives. Margaret’s passion for romance leads to unexpected complications. As Marianne attempts to navigate the social whirl of Regency London, she finds her resolution tested and her feelings torn – between the pull of the past and the allure of the present.

Praise for Marianne:

“McVeigh has skilfully captured the heart of Jane Austen’s unique writing style, making it plausible to believe that the book could have been penned by Austen herself rather than by McVeigh. Her adherence to Austen’s intricate character development, witty social commentary, and thematic elegance is so remarkable that readers may find themselves immersed in a narrative that feels both familiar and fresh. The seamless blending of McVeigh’s voice with Austen’s literary techniques invites readers to reflect on the enduring relevance of Austen’s insights into human nature and societal norms, further enhancing the richness of the reading experience.”

~ The Coffee Pot Book Club, 5* Editorial Review

“A deeply felt and pitch-perfect continuation that lets its title character finally come into her own.”

~ Kirkus Review

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This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Alice McVeigh

McVeigh was originally published by Hachette. Her two most recent novels – Darcy and Pride and Perjury – made the last seven in the UK Selfies Book Awards (out of all the novels published in 2024 and 2025). Her novels have been described as "pitch-perfect" (Publishers Weekly) and possessing a "brilliant command of Austen's diction and tone" (Kirkus Reviews). In Marianne - because of Marianne's character - McVeigh's wit and social satire have assumed a more romantic cast.

 McVeigh is also a professional London cellist, having performed all over the world with the BBC Symphony and the Royal Philharmonic – these inspired her Orion / Hachette novels about the backstage life of a fictional symphony orchestra.

A keen but terrible tennis player, she has long been married to Professor Simon McVeigh, with whom she shares a daughter at Harvard and a home in Kent.

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