In my world, the measure of a good book is one that you miss in the days and weeks since completing it. I’ve refrained from posting my review thus far because I felt I owed it to the story to let it sit with me before attempting to wrangle my thoughts and feelings into cohesive sentences.

I’ve read and enjoyed a few of Fiona McIntosh’s books, though her last one didn’t speak to me. However, where The Sugar Palace wasn’t able to reach me, The Fallen Woman has made up for it in spades. And diamonds. And pearls. (Yes, the allusion is intentional…)

This story, with its rich characters and plots, and complex human idiosyncrasies, was compelling and evoked a range of emotions. Protagonists and Antagonists have featured since storytelling first began, but The Fallen Woman brought them to life in such a way that could only be described as Austen-esque. They are set in similar eras but, I don’t know, I couldn’t help comparing the Savilles to the Bennetts. The Atwoods to the Darcys and the Clarences to Binghams. And ghastly Off-page male characters to Mr Wickham. Maybe I read too much into it. Maybe I’m a stark-raving mad Austen fan. Or maybe The Fallen Woman elicited the same feelings in me that my beloved Pride and Prejudice does.

My only complaint, of you can call it such, was that in McIntosh’s previous books, the research and facts blended effortlessly with the narrative. In this one, it was delivered a little drily. And after a while it became a little tedious, almost text-book like. Is it the churn and burn of multiple books per year? A change in life’s circumstances? The length of the author’s career? Who knows. Certainly not me.
All I can say is that the over-written research didn’t blend as well as it has in the past and it affected my enjoyment.

My thanks to Fiona McIntosh, Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley for an arc of this book. And my apologies for not returning my review sooner.

This story relates to a woman who thought she could get what she wanted. But her sister is the one stepped up and took in her stride.

Jane is raising her sisters baby and leaves London with him. She is living with her son and a older gentleman until a man arrives and unsettles her. Jane tries to continue with normalcy, however events take place whereby her sister is back to cause more trouble.

Fiona has written a book that tests the time frame of woman and how they were to raised and live.

Jane is plain according to her mother and sister but she is kind, funny, artistic and loyal. And an easy target for the worst form of intimidation and manipulation, so selflessly takes on her own sisters baby, to save the family reputation. This means Jane will be tarred with the term and perception of being a "fallen women".
On one hand I want to call this story delightful but the whole premise is rather nasty, and while Jane has made a happy and rewarding life for herself, you sense this won't last. Just as in real life, bad family, remain bad family and users and abusers rarely change their spots. Jane's life is turned upside side again with the reappearance of her sister Charlotte. At one point she feels like she has lost everyone she has ever loved...Harry, William and Guy.
The binding feature of "The Fallen Woman", is an apple. Who knew they could be so fascinating! And one special apple is what brings our potential love birds together. What follows is a saga of soaring joy, jealousy, misunderstandings and bad communication. One of those books where you want the characters just to hurry up and get together....how they should be. Wouldn't be a very long book if that happened so easily.
Set across London, Salisbury and the English countryside, in a time when money had influence, Jane's mother and sister will do everything to maintain their status. But Jane will show that truth and love are always an ace card.
This is my first read of Fiona McIntosh and I loved the settings, the subtle romance and the botanical background. The simplicity of giving an apple to the newly crowned king, underpinning the message that true love and respect does not need to be flashy and over the top.
Thanks to Penguin Random House Australia, Fiona McIntosh and NetGalley for my copy

This is another awesome story from fabulous story teller Fiona McIntosh, a story of love and romance but with heartache entwined throughout, come along and meet the wonderful characters and feel their emotions, this one is set in the early 1900’s and is a brilliant read.

Jane Saville is a botanical artist who was very close to her father, but he has passed now and when her scheming mother and sister come up with a plan to save her older sister, Charlotte and the family name from ruin, Jane is sent to the country here, soon she is happy with her adoptive family in Salisbury although life is not always easy with her unwarranted reputation.

Guy Attwood, comes from a wealthy family but his true love is apples. Yes he searches for rare apples and works with Kew Gardens, at the moment he is searching for a very rare apple that he hopes to find and present to the new King George V on his coronation.

When Jane and Guy meet unexpectedly with the help of a little boy Harry, their lives will change, Jane has never felt this way before but soon Jane’s family returns to cause lots of problems, jealousy and nastiness pull them apart, but Jane is determined that she will stand up to whatever is thrown her way and put her life back in order.

I loved this one from start to finish, I loved Guy and Jane they both showed strength and character when their worlds are torn apart but neither gave up and Harry oh what a fabulous character, this one is set in the most beautiful of settings, it is heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time and I do highly recommend, I am a big fan of MS McIntosh’s stories she never disappoints.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for my copy to read and review

Book Review ✨

The Fallen Women by Fiona McIntosh

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

💬 “I wouldn’t have chosen this life for myself, but now I can’t imagine life any other way.”

💬 “It’s amazing that you could have had any dazzling women in the world, and you choose the broken one.” She sighed softly.
“The broken one will leave all the others you wish for me in her wake through her composure, intelligence, creativity and wit. I promise you, she is dazzling but she’s just never been allowed to shine.”

A beautiful, romantic, heart-breaking, history filled story, highlighting the importance of fighting for your family, following your passions, harnessing strength in the dark times, nurturing human connection and allowing yourself to be vulnerable in the face of love.

I attended Fiona’s recent author talk for this book and it has made me love this story even more - the amount of research this woman does for her stories is truly inspiring and she has a real gift and she truly is a born story teller.

For this story, Fiona delved into the history and art of water colour botanical painting, apples, the Cathedral City of Salisbury and the English Countryside and it gives us such a detailed story and you are taken on a journey as you flick through the pages.

The story of Jane and what her manipulative mother and sister have forced her to do is heartbreaking - forcing her into a life of poverty, isolation and shame, but overtime we see the beauty of this situation and I found myself falling in love with her life, her character and the home that she found and the people she called her family, especially William - what a beautiful man and his parts in the story bought me to tears.

Guy with his passion for apple hunting, I found extremely interesting and how his a Jane’s stories were interwoven was just perfect.

Fiona has easily become one of my favourite Authors and I have many more books to read from her collection - The Champagne War is what I plan to pick up next.

Thank-you Fiona, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for this Digital ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Botanical artist, Jane Saville, had spent the past seven years isolated from her family; from the mother and sister who'd not cared for her feelings and basically ordered her to do as they said. Now, Jane was happy in Salisbury with her small adopted family, never dreaming of the trauma that lay ahead.

Guy Attwood was aware he had little time left to pursue his dreams, as he was set to take over the reins of the family business in a month's time. His parents had given him much leeway but time was running out. Guy was searching for a long lost apple which he then planned to rename and give to his good friend, the soon to be coronated George V. When Guy met Jane, unexpectedly and fortuitously, lives changed and futures were rearranged. Jane would need every ounce of strength she'd ever possessed, and then some, as she channelled her beloved father and the memories that evoked...

The Fallen Woman is yet again another brilliant historical novel by prolific Australian author Fiona McIntosh, which I enjoyed very much. Some wonderful characters - William, Harry, and more - and some nasty pieces of work(!) filled the pages. And while this one feels a lot different to the author's usual fare, it also is exceptional in the way it's written, with the vivid descriptions allowing me to visualize Jane's artistry, the countryside and the characters' activities. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House AU for my digital ARC to read and review.

Fiona McIntosh can really do no wrong and I am so excited to be given the opportunity to read her latest release (October 1). The Fallen Woman is ‘set in the picturesque English countryside .. is a heart-wrenching story about a woman who finds that in her darkest hour she can harness her greatest strength.’

In nineteenth century Victorian England, Jane finds herself banished to the countryside for the wrong reasons and forced to live a life that protects her family from public shame. Here she meets Guy, an heir to a fortune, who searches for an endangered apple species. What then ensues is a tale of twists and turns filled with misunderstandings and jealousy, duty and redemption. I can’t wait to follow Jane as she seeks to right a wrong.

‘This may be about family, but are you considering what your suggestion will do to my name? To my wellbeing? To my future?’

Fiona McIntosh has written another captivating historical novel, full of interesting historical details the story draws you in.

Jane Saville is a watercolour botanical artist, she has an older sister Charlotte who's her mother’s favourite and she will do anything to protect her and she decides to send Jane to Wiltshire to ensure her sister makes a good match and get her out of their way. Jane works as a housekeeper for a kindly older gentleman at Cathedral Close, but other than her employer she doesn’t have any friends and people openly talk about her in public.

Despite being the heir to one of the richest families in England, Guy Attwood is a pomologist or a scientist at the Royal Kew Gardens who specializes in the study of plants and the cultivation of fruit trees. Guy is the champion of the humble apple, and he’s hunting for a rare one. Guy's a close friend of King George V, and want's the apple to be a gift to him and rename it after the new sovereign at his upcoming coronation.

Guy and Jane meet, two people who understand each other and could talk for hours and not get bored. Guy is being pressured to get married and produce offspring and Jane has her responsibilities and job, and she questions why he would be interested in a plain Jane like her. Their budding new friendship and possible romance is rocked by jealousy and greed, misunderstandings and others selfishness, duty and family, treachery and secrets and lies.

I received a copy of The Fallen Woman from Penguin Random House Australia and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I've been a big fan of Fiona McIntosh’s historical fiction since I read the Nightingale ten years ago and she has the gift of writing stories that make me feel a connection to the characters and the fascinating subjects she uses as a bases for her novels and their locations.

Set in the London, the Cathedral City of Salisbury and the English countryside, Ms. McIntosh takes you on a heart-warming literary journey and she's visited these places herself and it shows. You will cheer on and want the best outcome for Guy, Jane, young Harry and William’s characters and dislike a couple of others and how they treat Jane.

A homage to England and all things British, friendship and found families, righting wrongs and most of all finding love and an elusive apple and five big stars from me and I highly recommend.

A sweet, romantic book with so much interesting information on apples and their history. It sounds odd, but it is fascinating, as are the other historical facts included in the story. Lovers of historical romances will enjoy this book and the fascinating characters created by this talented author.