The Daisy Chain – Available here & on Amazon
The Daisy Chain
Kew Gardens 1771. Five strong women, trapped by Georgian convention, together rise to the challenges of espionage, smuggling and slavery to find happiness and freedom.
When botanical artist Daisy Salter meets eminent Georgian scientist Joseph Banks and not only becomes Artist in Residence at Kew Gardens, but ‘Lady-in-Painting’ to Queen Charlotte, life changes for everybody. However, whilst expecting a quiet and studious life, Daisy is unwittingly inveigled into espionage, tea smuggling and the ‘triangular trade’ by mysterious Dutchman Johannes Van der Humm.
When a fabulous flower is discovered in South Africa and sent back to Kew for the Queen’s birthday, the women little guess it offers a route to freedom. But only if Daisy can foil a plot to steal it from under the King’s nose. Who is friend and who is foe? Can she work out whom to trust before disaster strikes? And who will she choose to marry?
Set in an incredibly exciting period of history, The Daisy Chain is a pacy debut novel, brimming with adventure and romance.
Reader reviews
I absolutely loved The Daisy Chain which wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Part romance, part history book, part spy thriller, this charming page-turner ticks all my boxes! Swirling from the beauty of Kew Gardens to the opulence of the Queen’s chambers, to the dark underworld of Georgian England, the story kept me gripped throughout and the wonderfully drawn characters will stay with me. Blooming marvellous!
Posy Lovell: author, The Kew Gardens Girls and The Kew Garden Girls at War.
Set in the upper echelons of Georgian society the story takes the reader on a journey through espionage, tea smuggling and the slave trade. After meeting pre-eminent scientist Joseph Banks Daisy has to navigate her way through a complex plot and determine who she can trust and how she can help to stop a disaster.
Whilst well known to scholars, this period in history was a battleground between science, the natural world and empire, and the author manages to encompass all of this into a superb novel of mystery, adventure and romance, highly recommended.
Paul Scott: Curator/Trustee, Joseph Banks Society.
What a great read! A really enjoyable romantic historical novel about the slave trade triangle in which the strongest characters are the nicely drawn female leads of both races. There is great dialogue, I was amused by the cameo appearances of Capability Brown, Gainsborough, Captain Cook etc., and the style of writing is interestingly visual.
Manoli Olympitis: author, Marked Cards
A visual experience where every scene is alive with colour and vitality. It’s a rare treat to read a book about all of my favourite things – art, gardens, history, adventure and of course a sprinkling of romance. A satisfying, feel-good read.
Fleur Cowgill, Artist
What a great first book. I was captivated from the beginning. All the way through I kept thinking what a great screen play it would make and then at the end I read that the book had actually been written from a screenplay. Each scene you were transported into the set and that period of history. With my love of art and plants this was a really enjoyable book for me to read. I would highly recommend it.
Juliet Paculabo
Sample pages
Read a few extracts ro see if you like it.
Dyslexic?
Check out our dyslexic friendly edition.
Buy a Copy
Get a signed copy, sent straight to your door.
The Daisy Chain is published
by Red Door Press