Moon in Leo, by Kathleen Herbert, £11.99.

AS a lover of period literature, I found this novel an extremely fascinating and humorous read.

Setting her book in Furness just after the great Restoration during Charles II’s reign, Mrs Herbert, a scholar of history, manages to create a detailed image of what life would be like for her heroine, Rosamund Halistan, living 500 years ago.

A recurring highlight in the 401-page novel is the many local places popping up in the story — with Lancaster Castle and Morecambe Bay’s treacherous sands playing a key role in the tense plot.

With love, battles and false identities all knitted into the narrative, this book brings to life the lives and the landscape of the old Furness Peninsula.