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The Janus House Secrets #1
The Alchemy of Love and Death: A Welhampstead timeslip romantic mystery
She fell in love with a house - but Abi's Georgian home has the power to take her into the past with a dangerous mystery to solve.
A legacy has allowed Abi Shaw to buy the neglected Janus House in Welhampstead. She expected it to be hard work, but she was not prepared for portals through time leading her to 1811 and the mystery of a disappearing doctor, three murders and a young woman about to be forced into a distasteful marriage.
Abi's developing feelings for her solicitor, Frank, threaten to make life a lot more fun - and complicated - as does the other new man in her life, adorable puppy Alfie.
And then the search for truth takes a dark and dangerous turn...
The first in a new Welhampstead series to Follow Time Into Time and the Clock House.
A legacy has allowed Abi Shaw to buy the neglected Janus House in Welhampstead. She expected it to be hard work, but she was not prepared for portals through time leading her to 1811 and the mystery of a disappearing doctor, three murders and a young woman about to be forced into a distasteful marriage.
Abi's developing feelings for her solicitor, Frank, threaten to make life a lot more fun - and complicated - as does the other new man in her life, adorable puppy Alfie.
And then the search for truth takes a dark and dangerous turn...
The first in a new Welhampstead series to Follow Time Into Time and the Clock House.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2025
6 people are currently reading
About the author
Louise Allen
424 books331 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
This author also writes under the name Francesca Shaw.
I have had my nose buried in a history book - fact or fiction - for as long as I can remember, but even more important to me are the places and the objects that conjure up the past. My first attempt at historical fiction at the age of eight was three pages of improbable medieval drama set in the local castle.
With a degree in geography and archaeology I love to try and 'read' the landscape and the buildings in it for clues about the past. Virtually any place can trigger ideas for plots, but I am particularly inspired by Venice, Burgundy, Mediterranean islands and the Hertfordshire and Norfolk countryside.
I live in England in a village in Bedfordshire with my long-suffering husband. He is not sure whether to be flattered or alarmed to be told he is the inspiration for all my romantic heroes! Whenever possible we escape to our cottage on the North Norfolk coast where Percy, the bossy pheasant, allows us to share the garden.
My resolution every time I start on a new plot is to plan it carefully, make copious notes first and write lots of drafts in a disciplined and orderly manner. What inevitably happens is that the story starts to write itself in my head until it gets completely out of control - meanwhile my study floor becomes a sea of open books, prints and maps and I am found sitting in the car at traffic lights, muttering dialogue. At that point I have to start writing, knowing full well that the hero and heroine are going to take over and sabotage all my attempts at discipline. It is, after all, their story.
This author also writes under the name Francesca Shaw.
I have had my nose buried in a history book - fact or fiction - for as long as I can remember, but even more important to me are the places and the objects that conjure up the past. My first attempt at historical fiction at the age of eight was three pages of improbable medieval drama set in the local castle.
With a degree in geography and archaeology I love to try and 'read' the landscape and the buildings in it for clues about the past. Virtually any place can trigger ideas for plots, but I am particularly inspired by Venice, Burgundy, Mediterranean islands and the Hertfordshire and Norfolk countryside.
I live in England in a village in Bedfordshire with my long-suffering husband. He is not sure whether to be flattered or alarmed to be told he is the inspiration for all my romantic heroes! Whenever possible we escape to our cottage on the North Norfolk coast where Percy, the bossy pheasant, allows us to share the garden.
My resolution every time I start on a new plot is to plan it carefully, make copious notes first and write lots of drafts in a disciplined and orderly manner. What inevitably happens is that the story starts to write itself in my head until it gets completely out of control - meanwhile my study floor becomes a sea of open books, prints and maps and I am found sitting in the car at traffic lights, muttering dialogue. At that point I have to start writing, knowing full well that the hero and heroine are going to take over and sabotage all my attempts at discipline. It is, after all, their story.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 11, 2025
One more time-slip door
This is the third series I’ve read set in Welhampstead, and it’s still a real treat! It’s such a vivid and familiar world that coming back to it feels like coming home. In this book, we meet a newcomer and explore a new location where yet another time-slip phenomenon unfolds - a clever twist that keeps the setting fresh while still keeping its signature charm
The story is both funny and entertaining. It's interesting to watch characters solve mysteries in an era before modern conveniences. The romance develops a bit faster than I’d like, but it’s still sweet and genuine, fitting nicely within the story’s tone.
This is the third series I’ve read set in Welhampstead, and it’s still a real treat! It’s such a vivid and familiar world that coming back to it feels like coming home. In this book, we meet a newcomer and explore a new location where yet another time-slip phenomenon unfolds - a clever twist that keeps the setting fresh while still keeping its signature charm
The story is both funny and entertaining. It's interesting to watch characters solve mysteries in an era before modern conveniences. The romance develops a bit faster than I’d like, but it’s still sweet and genuine, fitting nicely within the story’s tone.
Displaying 1 of 1 review