An interesting enough read following Lily's story of finding herself after escaping an abusive marriage. Touches on themes of domestic violence and racism.

The first part of this story was quite depressing to me. Lily's husband was horrible and so controlling. But further along it got more interesting. Then I really didn't want to put it down. It does distract me when conversations are not written correctly, as I have a problem knowing who is speaking at times. Maybe that's not an issue for some readers. I really liked the book, and thank Netgalley for giving me the chance to read the ARC. I recommend!

The Trouble With Tigers
Roxane Dhand
2024
4.5 Stars


Thank you NetGalley and Publisher Orion Dash for my copy of The Trouble With Tigers by Roxane Dhand. I have not received any rewards or compensation for this review and therefore all views and opinions are of my own, the reviewer.

In summary: Set against English colonisation in India (early 1900’s)

This is my first book by Roxane Dhand.

Set in the historical colonial India, Lilly was married and with child which was becoming alienated from her due to her husband’s complete commandeering of her life. When her mother invites her to stay with her, Lilly decides this would be the respite she needs so she can regain her equilibrium enough to fight for her son. Lilly does something totally out of the ordinary; she runs away to the circus where Lilly grows both emotionally and mentally. Finding her voice she becomes emboldened as a woman which was unheard of during that era.
I enjoyed the story hooked in from the first chapter. I found the story progressed well and the main character Lilly well written. I felt the author highlighted the issue of parental alienation well and captured the imbalance of women’s rights and way of life well.
Thank you Roxane for a great story!

The Trouble With Tigers by Roxane Dhand tells the story of Lilly Myerson, a young mother from England, living in India with her controlling and abusive husband. After an invitation arrives to stay with her estranged mother, Lilly is forced to leave her son (Teddy) and move to the hills. The story follows Lilly’s escape from her husband as she joins the circus, and her journey to be reunited with her young son.
I really enjoyed reading this book and struggled to put it down, with rich descriptions of Indian landscapes, culture and circus lifestyle. There were many likeable, relatable and diverse characters, thanks to the detailed description and brilliant writing of the author.

This was an interesting story. This story takes place in 1902 India. I hadn't read any books taking place in this time period and I found it interesting.

The book is summarized as follows:
After her father died under mysterious circumstances, Lilly Myerson grew up in England raised by her grandparents. Married off at eighteen to a well-to-do but controlling Indian merchant, Lilly has never experienced adventure or romance.

But in 1902 as a new king is about to be crowned, Lilly's life is destined to change.

When her estranged mother invites her to spend the hot season in Nainital, Lilly's husband forces her to leave her beloved, five-year-old son Teddy behind. As Lilly discovers what lies outside her sheltered existence, she realises two things: she can't return to her carefully manicured life and she must rescue Teddy before his father turns him against her.

Fleeing to the circus, Lilly enters a breath-taking world of wonder, romance and peril. Tiffert's Circus is renowned for bareback riding, the iron jaw act, trained tigers and elephants. The more dangerous the acts, the more the audience adore them. But the greater danger to Lilly Myerson is her husband Royce...

I found the stories around life in India in 1902 really intriguing to read, and life in the circus as well. There were a lot of moving parts to the story, and it was a little challenging at times to follow everything. At times there were almost too many stories to follow, especially the story line with her mother. The loose ends were tied up in the end though.

I received an copy of this book from Netgalley.

This is a fascinating and culturally rich engaging tale from start to finish with numerous plot twists and exciting moves that kept me on the edge of my seat. I was completely immersed in the life of Lilly Myerson from her horrendous marital experience to her days in the ‘hills’ and then in the circus and beyond.

I don’t think I ever was so maddened and distraught by a character as I was with the ‘husband’ of this woman who sought such violence and control over his wife. And to think that Lilly’s mother is the one who put her in this position is even more disturbing. Yet we later learn the reasons behind her mother’s actions when her secrets are revealed. But the damage to her daughter runs deep. Because after her father dies, Lilly is abandoned by her mother and must grow up in England with her grandparents. Then at the age of eighteen, her mother marries her off to a manipulative harsh Indian merchant. It is a forced marriage she must endure in a foreign country. What follows are gruelling years of submission to this ruthless man, but Lilly’s one shining light is her five year old son.

But even this mother-child relationship is in danger. Lilly takes her son to the circus, without her husband’s permission and he severely punishes her: not only with physical violence but also separates her from her son. She is sent away for three months in Nainital to stay with her estranged mother. Although this trip is painful in that she is unable to see her child, it opens unexpected doors and establishes new friendships that help her build confidence and courage to take action with her life: to protect herself, achieve independence and to create a plan to reclaim her son before his father turns him against her. We meet some fascinating characters and learn more about Lilly and what she is able to do: skills that prove useful when she needs to draw upon them.

The circus is a big part of this story and we get an inside view, just as Lilly does when she becomes a part of it: a path she takes to hide from her husband’s wrath. With Lily on the inside, we learn about the animals and people behind this world of wonder. And the risks they take. It is a tough lifestyle but there is comraderie even for those in competition. Each one has a unique story of why they ran away and joined the circus. Lily’s reason is no worse and in fact gains her much sympathy from its members. Once they see her own dedication to their cause, they take her under their wings. She learns from them and becomes a stronger person. Her love and appreciation for the circus grows. And this bizarre facade protects her for as long as it can, until it cannot. And one day she must face her greatest danger of all. The difference from the past is she is now not alone.

One of my favourite characters at the circus is Belle the elephant: to see how Lilly and her interact is very moving. And how Belle protects Lilly from the peril she must face. It is a very special moment indeed and one that will stay in my mind a long time. And yes, although I have not mentioned Tigers, there are some in the story! They are one of the deadliest animals in the world and working with them is a real challenge as this story shows. But tigers aren’t the only deadly creatures in this world, some humans are, too.

This historical fiction novel is beautifully written with incredible detail – to the point I could imagine being in India and watching the circus performers. The characters were well drawn, each one extracting the appropriate emotion from us whether it be joy, sorrow, anger, frustration, relief. The Trouble with Tigers is a truly captivating story that Roxane should be very proud of as she has done a marvellous job. It offers a complete reading experience with breathtaking visuals, heart-piercing perils, warm friendship meetings and fierce unconditional love. I highly recommend this spell-binding novel. 5 Easy Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to publisher Orion Dash and Netgalley for my review copy.

This book is wonderfully written. It always makes me sad reading of abusive and controlling relationships and I was incredibly happy that Lilly decided to leave her husband and found the courage to find a better life for herself and work out how she could also save her son. He definitely needed saving from his father too.

I love how Lilly was forced into a trip and she embraced it as an adventure, regardless of her fears of leaving her son behind. She resided to putting herself out of her comfort zone and it benefitted her greatly.

It’s a real shame that women were/are married off, or even allowed to marry at such young ages. IMO we do not have the maturity, life experience, or have even developed our personalities and got to know ourselves enough yet, to make the very best choices for oneself. It is a rare occurrence when someone gets it right so young.

I like that Lilly was getting to know Noel and that Noel could see her pain, could see more to her story, than what she was originally sharing. I also liked the way she was building relationships with other characters who supported her on her healing journey, getting to know herself again and guiding her to feel more empowered to take the steps to get away from her abusive husband.

It was so beautiful seeing a woman and mother reclaiming her power. I did really enjoy this book, although it did lose me for a little bit in the middle of it. Perhaps I would have liked the middle of the book to have been a little shorter.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and all involved in allowing me to read this book for my honest review.

The title and gorgeous cover really drew me to this book. It did not disappoint on the inside either!! Great compelling storyline and lovely characters.

Excellent read,great characters in the book,gi ingredients the reader insight into the past and the British hireache in India for Euroasians,would love to read a sequel to the book,as ther is another story to read somewhere in the mist.

This cover and title got me intrigued… and I loved this!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review. It was deep in places and overall a four star read.

The cover of this book is what caught my eye, but the story itself is much heavier than the outside implies. The story was interesting yet I found I could only read it in shorts spurts because of the nature of the story. I also think Lilly’s husband is one of the worst fictional beings I’ve read; he deserved his comeuppance. Just to note a few topics mentioned: domestic abuse, racism, and cultural perceptions to name a few.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have always loved circus book and that alone drew me to this book at first. This is no Barnum & Bailey circus and the author has done a great job of researching how different the circus in India at the turn of the twentieth century was from its more famous American cousin. I learned a lot and had fun doing it. The relationship between Lilly, her protagonist, and the elephant is lovely. So much to love here. Highly recommended. I want to give away so man secrets but I won't because it's better if you red them for yourself. It's a long weekend. Just saying.

Dhand has the capacity to elicit genuine empathy for her heroines without becoming overly sentimental. Her latest book, set in India at the turn of the 20th century, showcases the feisty yet vulnerable Lilly as she endures a supremely unhappy marriage and eventually breaks away to join the circus. Torn by her predicament, she leaves behind a young son who is perhaps her prime motive for taking such drastic action - one which some mothers, at least, will understand. As ever, Dhand's research shows impeccable rigour as we are invited to follow Lilly's foray into a sordid world from which, as readers, we truly hope she will emerge to find peace of mind and, ultimately, some degree of happiness.

This is a fantastic third novel from Roxane Dhand, building on her collection of romance stories based in real historic moments. This story follows Lilly across India and to the circus as she battles to save herself and her son from possible the worst husband I have read! I really loved the detail of Lilly's journey with the fantastically described places and people. A delightful, page turner of a historical romance with bonus tigers, set in the early 1900s of India. Not to be missed!

I was drawn to this book by the front cover and it didn't disappont. IT is well written with a compelling storyline and well developed charcaters that I loved. I really enjoyed it.