The Spitfire Girl - Out Now!

 

The Spitfire Girl

The Spitfire Girl: published 27th September 2023 by Bookouture. Available in ebook, paperback and on Audible. Buy it here.

England, 1941. ‘I’m sorry. Freddy’s plane went down.’ Her knees buckle. ‘No,’ she whispers. But the next words break through her despair. ‘There is a chance we can rescue him. And you are the only one who can.’ She didn’t wait to answer. She would do anything to get Freddy home.

Sally has always been happiest flying her stunt plane, thrilling audiences across the world, with her oldest friend and dearest love Freddy. Until the war tears everything apart.

When she is approached by the Ministry of Defence, Sally jumps at the chance to be part of a classified project. Seeing the new, improved Spitfire plane, her jaw drops. She’s been chosen to run test flights and get it battle ready. This could turn the tide of war. But she can’t tell a soul, not even Freddy.

Even though she’s making sure the plane is safe for Royal Air Force pilots like her darling Freddy, her heart breaks as the secret weighs on their relationship. And as she tries to close the distance between them, disaster strikes. Freddy has been lost over Nazi-occupied France. And he was in the top-secret Spitfire.

Stunned, Sally can’t believe he took the plane on its first mission. But with Nazis on the hunt, time is running out. Sally must risk everything to stop the plane from falling into enemy hands and rescue her beloved Freddy. Will she find Freddy and bring him safely back to Bramble Heath, or will they be parted forever?

A totally unputdownable and emotional historical novel, perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Nadine Dorries and Rosie Clarke.

What readers are saying about Ellie Curzon

‘Must-read… Wow and wow… The twists and turns in the story will come as a surprise and keep you hooked… Loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Writing at its absolute best. A thoroughly enjoyable read… Beautiful… A lovely romance and an amazing ending – what’s not to love… It was so good and I wanted it to go on forever. 5 stars? Worth so many more.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A rip-roaringly good read… I thoroughly enjoyed it… I’d love to see this as a film or TV drama… Absolutely spiffing. Highly recommended.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘“Awwww” moments that hit me with the “feels”… I would hugely recommend this.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Brilliant read… Marvellous… Couldn’t put the book down!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I read this in two sittings. A great insight into what life was like during those dark days of the war… Warmed my heart.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A page-turner. I found it hard to put down… Was sorry it had to end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I was hooked from page one… A can’t-put-down book… I’d highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Brilliant… A lovely heart-warming saga.’ Goodreads reviewer

The Ration Book Baby

 

Available in ebook and on Audible. Buy it now at Amazon – published 25th July 2023 by Bookouture!

England, 1940. Opening the box with trembling hands, she couldn’t believe it – a tiny baby lay inside. She gently lifted the newborn as it started to cry. Cradling the little one to her chest, she searched the darkness for any sign of whoever left it here. And as she rocked the child, something fluttered to the ground… a ration book.

Nurse Annie Russell anxiously listens to the terrifying sounds of planes and gunfire overhead, worried about what the morning will bring for the patients in her care. The boys from the local airfield fly up in the skies each night, risking their lives to protect the people of Bramble Heath village, but they can’t stop every bombshell. Until a knock at the door makes her jump.

Awaiting Annie on the doorstep is a hatbox. Peeking under the lid, she gasps – inside is a whimpering newborn, round cheeks glistening with tears. The poor little thing may be all alone, but someone must truly love the baby… Tucked into a hand-knitted blanket, there’s a precious ration book, vital for food supplies in these darkest of days.

Her heart breaking, Anniedoes everything she can to care for her tiny charge. But, without a ration book, she knows that the frightened young mother could also be in dire need of help too. Then social services bring devastating news. If Annie can’t find the helpless child’s family soon, the authorities will have to take the little one away.

As the Nazi threat grows, more and more of the brave pilots at the local airbase don’t come home. Is one of the fallen the child’s father? And with her only clue leading nowhere, can Annie find the answers she needs, and reunite the innocent baby with its parents before it is too late?

A totally unputdownable and emotional historical novel that will have you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Martha Hall Kelly and Before We Were Yours.

What readers are saying about Ellie Curzon

‘Must-read… Wow and wow… The twist and turns in the story will come as a surprise and keep you hooked… Loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Writing at its absolute best. A thoroughly enjoyable read… Beautiful… A lovely romance and an amazing ending – what’s not to love… It was so good and I wanted it to go on forever. 5 stars? Worth so many more.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘A rip-roaringly good read… I thoroughly enjoyed it… I’d love to see this as a film or TV drama… Absolutely spiffing. Highly recommended. Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘“Awwww” moments that hit me with the “feels”… I would hugely recommend this.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Brilliant read… Marvellous… Couldn’t put the book down!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I read this in two sittings. A great insight into what life was like during those dark days of the war… Warmed my heart.’ Goodreads reviewer

‘A page-turner. I found it hard to put down… Was sorry it had to end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘I was hooked from page one… A can’t-put-down book… I’d highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Brilliant… A lovely heart-warming saga.’ Goodreads reviewer

I'm delighted to welcome Michael Ramscar, for a story George III...

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‘George III’s Illnesses and His Doctors’, by Michael Ramscar

The profile of Queen Charlotte has been raised in the last year by the popularity of both Bridgerton and the eponymous Netflix series, but while these are immensely enjoyable historical fiction accounts, the real story of Queen Charlotte and George III was a moving one of romance, and ultimately of tragedy.

The marriage was an arranged one, with George choosing his bride from a ‘shopping list’ of German princesses. Ironically, Charlotte wasn’t even his first choice, yet the union became a love match and a highly successful partnership, which only began to fray at the edges in 1788/9 when the king first suffered from mental illness. The nature of their relationship is shown in Gillray’s cartoon ‘The Constant Couple’ of 1786 which is an affectionate and gentle satire which emphasises the closeness of the relationship and illustrates how the couple had essentially become the embodiment of the nation.

In the recently published book ‘George III’s Illnesses and His Doctors’, the impact of the King’s illness on his family and on the wider society of the UK is traced. Queen Charlotte was understandably distressed by the illness, and by some of the ‘treatment’ which the King received at the hands of his doctors, treatment which was brutal and inhumane but which was the norm at the time for those diagnosed to be insane. Eventually, in desperation, she gave consent for two of the king’s sons to turn to a ‘quack’ practitioner called James Lucett, who claimed to have a ‘cure’ for insanity which did not rely upon the endless round of restraint and isolation, purging and bleeding practised by the ‘specialist’ doctors who were treating him. 

The book follows the relationship of the royals with Lucett, and the setting up of expe

riments to test his claims, which was in effect the first therapeutic trial in the history of psychiatry. Unfortunately for both Lucett and for the poor king, the ‘cure’ proved to be only temporary, although it did give immediate relief to some very difficult patients, and in the end it was not used on George. He continued to suffer the ministrations of his doctors and eventually languished in strict isolation in Windsor Castle for his final years, losing his grip on any kind of reality and unable to recognise even his beloved wife Charlotte.

‘George III’s Illnesses and His Doctors’ is based on contemporary archive material and sets out the story of this human tragedy and the very profound effect that the king’s illness and Lucett’s subsequent career had on the development of modern psychiatry. Simply because of fact that he was the king, George’s illness drove a re-think about what was acceptable treatment for the insane; he could not simply be locked up in Bedlam and ignored as so many other poor lunatics were. Lucett was undoubtedly a scoundrel and a quack, with no formal medical qualifications to his name, but in his subsequent career he pioneered a much more humane treatment of the insane. He set up private asylums where the patients, free from chains or straightjackets, were treated with dignity and occupations such as gardening were encouraged to help them to recover their sanity. He had some success in these ventures and patients did recover their reason under this humane regime free from the cruelty and degradation of the orthodox practice of trying to intimidate patients back to health. Lucett was an extraordinary person to have been in the forefront of psychiatric reform – he spent time in a debtor’s prison and his chequered career involved some hair-raising episodes of fraud and corruption - but he was ultimately a force for good.

The parallel accounts of George III and of Lucett provide a fascinating story of what happened to the king, how it affected his relationship with Queen Charlotte, and the impact that it subsequently had upon the treatment of mental illness. This account may not have quite the popular appeal of a gorgeously costumed TV series, but it tells of the profound effect that these two men had on an incredibly important part of medicine which is highlighted in our current preoccupation with our mental health.

Dr Alexander Morison’s bath for treating the insane. Available in his book Cases of Mental Disease, with Practical Observations on the Medical Treatment. 1828. Although no picture of the equipment which Lucett and Dr Tardy used to treat Mr Morgan exists this illustration matches the description given by Tardy to the Medical and Physical Journal in July 1813. The fact that Morison was the medical inspector of Lucett’s private asylum in 1815 provides an ironic linkage as well as demonstrating that Lucett’s way of treating insane patients had been taken up by one eminent and qualified practitioner 15 years later. (Image courtesy of the Wellcome Trust Collection. Public Domain Mark).

A picture of Dr William Hallaran’s spinning chair. It was used to treat the insane and similar equipment was suggested for use on George III. Its purpose was to disrupt manic episodes in the hope that this would aid recovery. In practice it induced violent vomiting and evacuations which had little useful therapeutic value. Picture available in Hallaran’s book on Cure for Insanity of 1810. (Wellcome Trust Collection. Public Domain Mark).

George III’s Illnesses and His Doctors: A Study In Early Psychiatry, by Michael Ramscar. 

Available now from Pen & Sword Books.

The Real Bridgerton is OUT NOW

I'm absiolutely thrilled to announce that my new book, The Real Bridgerton, is out now. It's available online and in bookstores, and will be released in the US and for ebooks on 3rd June. Find out more and buy it here, or wherever you get your books!

As millions of viewers across the globe thrill to the assembly room exploits of the Bridgerton family and wait with bated breath for Lady Whistledown’s latest despatch from Almack’s, scandal has never been so delicious. In a world where appearances were everything and gossip was currency, everyone had their price.

From a divorce case that hinged on a public demonstration of masturbation to the irresistible exploits of the New Female Coterie, via the Prince Regent’s dropped drawers and Lady Hamilton’s diaphanous unmentionables, The Real Bridgerton pulls back the sheets on the eighteenth century’s most outrageous scandals. Within these pages Lord Byron meets his match, the richest commoner in England falls for a swindler with a heart of stone, and forbidden love between half-siblings leaves a wife and her children reeling.

Behind the headlines and the breathless whispers in Regency ballrooms were real people living real lives in a tumultuous, unforgiving era. The fall from the very pinnacle of society to the gutter could be as quick as it was brutal. If you thought that Bridgerton was as shocking as the Georgians got, it’s time to think again.