The last few months have been REALLY challenging for me. I started a new job with a lot more responsibility and I have barely had time to sit down and collect my thoughts let alone read. I have been reading a lot of quick historical romances, especially throughout the summer and early fall. But let’s be real—the late Sumer and early fall are a nightmare for school administrators and teachers. So while I have been trying to find time to read here and there, I haven’t found a lot of time to share reviews on all the books I read but I have been staring reviews on the books I have enjoyed and felt deserved some special attention.
I am hoping now that we are getting into the late fall and into early winter, I will have a lot more time to share reviews on all my reads again! This blog has been such a great outlet for me especially during the different seasons of life. Not to mention I have discovered a TON of great new authors and books through my reviews! That’s how I found this lovely series by Susie Murphy! I have been reading this series since it was first released in 2018 plus over the years I have gotten to know Susie and she is a wonderful person as well as writer!
Every November I know that Susie will have a new installment to the A Matter of Class series and it’s one of the book series I look forward to and try to make adjustments to my schedules I can read her books! This summer and fall I have been scaling back on my reviews so I could focus on my new position at work, but I kept November mostly open so I could have time to read the next installment of her saga—-because yes at this point it’s gone from series to sage for me!
Summary
An extraordinary bequest alters their fate…
In the winter of 1846, Cormac and Bridget receive two letters that will change their lives forever. Lord Bewley has died and left Bewley Hall to Cormac, while potato blight has struck the Oakleigh Estate, driving the tenants to appeal to Bridget for help. With their world turned upside down, they decide to leave America and cross the Atlantic to meet the challenges of their pressing responsibilities.
As for their daughter Emily, she faces a choice of her own: will she go with her family or stay in America for her art…and for Rory?
Heading towards new horizons, they must all strive to re-establish themselves while hampered by distrust and prejudice on multiple fronts. When separation once again plunges a member of the family into grave danger, will they be able to distinguish friend from foe?
A Class Inherited is the sixth book in Susie Murphy’s historical fiction series A Matter of Class. The story will continue in the seventh book, A Class Divided. (Summary from Goodreads)
Review
When I read the first book in this series—or saga—I thought we might hit 3, maybe 4 books and then wrap up. But here we are on book 6 and they aren’t short quick reads either! Most usually run between 500-600 pages so you are definitely getting a STORY! This one was a little shorter at about 350 pages but that doesn’t mean that it is skimping on the story by any means. I love that this series and characters have continued on in new and different ways throughout the books, and looking back I would have been sad to see things end in 3-4 books. I am so glad the author continued on and continues to tell this saga. This is definitely a series that you need to read in order though. Don’t just grab this book and hope to understand and enjoy the book, you will miss out on a lot of the story threads and character relationships.
I love coming back to see how Cormac and Bridget’s lives have evolved and changed since the first book. In the first book we meet these two young lovers and now they are a seasoned couple with a family of their own and I couldn’t help reading this book and reflecting back on how much has changed since the first book. And not only with the characters themselves but with the author’s writing! I have watched Susie evolve from new early to now a seasoned writer and her writing gets better and better with every book! She has a get prose and a lovely storytelling style. In this book especially, I was drawn into the story right away and the first 10 or so chapters really sucked me in!
This was sort of the book I had been waiting for, while I have loved seeing how Cormac and Bridget get on in America and see their lives take shape with their kids etc, this book brings them back across the pond to England and Ireland once they receive some unexpected news. When I read that in the summary I was like YES this is what I have been waiting for! I really enjoyed my time in this book even though it was shorter than some of the others in the series! I know there is another book forthcoming (YEAH!) but in some ways I felt like the series seemed to be wrapping up. Historical fiction is really my jam and I love reading more historical fiction SAGAS that are like Outlander that really take their time telling to story and letting the readers experience a lot with characters that they are invested in. That’s what this book and series do—-you fall in love with the characters and get invested in their lives and rather than wrap it up in 3 books, the author let’s you really explore the story and character arch. This book read fairly quick for me, especially with the beginning hooking me early on! If love sweeping historical fiction this book is for you! Don’t miss this series!
Book Info and Rating
Format 349 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 20, 2023
Free review copy provided by author, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: historical fiction
The Lit Bitch 