The Somme Legacy by M. J. Lee* is the second in the Janye Sinclair Genealogical Mysteries. I sometimes find that second books aren’t as good as the first. They can loose their appeal, storylines can become weak and characters become less believable. Not in the case of The Somme Legacy!
All products marked with * have been gifted to me for consideration. More information can be found in my full disclaimer.
If you haven’t already, make sure to check out my review of The Irish Inheritance, the first in the Jayne Sinclair novels.
The Somme Legacy tells the story of Rose Clarke and David Russell. Rose, a suffragette and haberdashers daughter, is a strong willed woman. David, is Lord Lappiter and Officer in the British Army. They’re from two different social classes, but both have strong beliefs and morals that they’re willing to fight for.
The question is, did the pair marry? Rose was adamant until the day she died that she married David in Gretna Green on the 25th April 1916. But without a marriage certificate and David not returning after the battle of Somme, it’s Rose’s word against that of David’s family. A family who want to protect their title and lifestyle.
Can genealogist Jayne Sinclair prove that Rose and David were married before the Lappiter estate falls to the crown? Can Jayne give Rose’s grandson and great grandson the piece of mind that they need? The only clues she has to go on are a locket tied with coloured ribbon and an old portrait of a young woman.
I really enjoyed The Somme Legacy. Even more so than The Irish Inheritance. English history really captivates me and M. J. Lee’s stories are interestingly told. I’ve said it before, but I love the way chapters switch between present day and the past. It keep me on my toes. Without giving anything away, the ending took me completely by surprise.
I found the suffragette element of the story to be told in a very respectful manor, particularly in terms of the force feeding that some of the women endured. The amount of detail given about this was just right. Unfortunately, it did cause me some difficulties with my PTSD. If you’ve read my post on the Oesophageal physiology tests that I recently had done, you’ll understand why. I’ve spoken about the use of Trigger warnings before and The Somme Legacy is a book that I don’t feel requires one. The topic of force feeding, especially when it’s tackled in such a sensitive manor, is not one that is a common trigger.
I took a break from reading to allow my symptoms to settle and when I picked the book up again I did so during the day, rather than before bed. This allowed my brain time to process any emotions that the force feeding brought up before trying to get to sleep.
Another great thing about The Somme Legacy is that, although it is part of a series of books, it can be read alone. So if you haven’t read The Irish Inheritance, don’t worry. You’ll be able to pick up The Somme Legacy with no problems.
You can purchase The Somme Legacy from Amazon.co.uk for £2.38 on Kindle (free on Kindle Unlimited) and £8.99 for a paperback copy.
Have you read either of the Jayne Sinclair Geological Mysteries? What did you think for them?
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