Rainy Days for the Harpers Girls (Harpers Emporium #3) by Rosie Clarke
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas. WW1
Read: 21st Decemeber 2020
Published: 2nd June 2020
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
1914 Oxford Street, London - There are hard times ahead for the Harpers Girls...
It is two years since Harpers Emporium opened its doors and life is good for Sally and Ben Harper as they look forward to the arrival of their first child.
Beth Burrows is settling into married life with Jack and is gradually recovering from her miscarriage and Aunt’s tragic death.
Harpers welcomes some new faces and they all become part of the daily life at the busy store.
However, whilst the sun is shining on the streets of London, dark clouds gather over Europe as war looms threatening rainy days for the girls…
A heart-warming saga following the lives, loves and losses of the Harpers Girls. Perfect for fans of Nadine Dorries, Pam Howes and Dilly Court.
MY REVIEW:
Having thoroughly enjoyed RAINY DAYS FOR THE HARPERS GIRLS, I'm really sorry that I didn't start this series from the beginning because now I feel like I missed out on so much, despite the author giving us plenty of background so that this book can be read as a standalone. I guess I'm a little cross with myself because I didn't enjoy the second book and gave up on it before it really went anywhere. The main problem I had with it was that I didn't feel drawn into it from the beginning and it felt like it had picked up halfway through something that may have carried over from the first book.
This was no so with this book - RAINY DAYS FOR THE HARPERS GIRLS. I was swept up in the trials and tribulations of the Harpers girls from the start. And it was then that I wished I had tried reading the previous one again...despite not really having the time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it has made me want to go back and read the first two and get my hands on the fourth one so I can continue in the stories of each of the girls and their loved ones.
Set in and around Harpers Emporium on London's exclusive Oxford Street, we follow the stories of the girls and a little of their fellow workers. Everyone has a backstory and as the reader, we are given enough detail to bring us up to speed and to continue following. We rejoin Beth, Sally, Rachel and Maggie, but are also joined by a few new faces (which possibly made their debut somewhere in the last book, I can't be sure) in Miss Minnie, Marion Kaye and Becky Stockbridge, daughter of Harpers' manager Jonathan Stockbridge. With Beth and Sally marrying in the last book and moving out of the flat they shared with Rachel and Maggie, Miss Minnie moved in after the death of her dear sister.
It's 1914 and with the war now looming on the horizon, there is a tension surrounding the growing hostilities in Europe as well as the Suffragette movement. The story picks up from where book two left off I assume with newly married Ben and Sally Harper expecting their first child and about to celebrate the second anniversary of the opening of Harpers. The couple have many plans for the celebrations trying to remain positive in the face of the growing conflict in Europe.
After recovering from her miscarriage and her aunt's tragic death, Beth is also enjoying newly married life to her husband Jack Burrows, a merchant seaman who is often away for weeks at a time. But Beth isn't completely lonely as she shares Jack's father's house in her husband's absence. Fred Burrows works in the mailroom at Harpers so he isn't a stranger to Beth. Jack's younger brother Tim has taken a shine to Maggie and the two begin a tentative courtship before becoming secretly engaged when war breaks out.
Rachel Craven has found new love in William Bailey after contending herself to widowhood for the rest of her days. The couple marry just prior to war being declared and spend just one night together before William must attend training. With Rachel marrying, the flat is too much for Miss Minnie and Maggie to keep on, so they move in with the Burrows shortly before Rachel's wedding.
But the biggest surprise of all is Miss Minnie's announcement. Although she moves into the Burrows house with Maggie, she is only there for a short time until she too is wed to the one and only man she has ever loved. Who might that be? Well, I think I will leave that for you to discover for yourself.
And then there is Marion Kaye. Of all the women at Harpers, she is the one I felt for the most. She is one of umpteen children, the second eldest, and with her mother constantly taken to her bed, it is up to Marion to keep the house running. Her father is away at sea for long periods at a time, though the family have grown to be thankful for those long absences for he is nothing but a vicious brute. Marion's older brother Dan stood up to him and then promptly left to make his own way in life, as he couldn't stand by and watch their father beat the life out of their mother. Her brother Robbie who came after her, works down at the docks but when war is declared he is quick to sign on for King and country. That leave Marion to take care of her three younger siblings as well as her mother. Until fate steps in one night in the form of her father, who returns home drunk and with a fire in his belly to go another few rounds with their weakened mother. But will she survive this latest beating?
Despite her sad home life, Marion has caught the eye of her neighbour Reggie Jackson who is determined to make Marion his girl. Fully aware of what Marion has to contend with and her brutish father, Reggie is forever spoiling her and her siblings with special treats in the form of extra food, tickets to the football for her brothers or a trinket for her. He leaves her with a promise as he also goes to sign on to fight for King and country.
Times are hard for many, especially those with large families to support, whilst others are lonely and unmarried. But together, there is a sense of support and the bond of friendship between the women that runs throughout the story.
I really enjoyed this book...more than I thought I would. So I shall have to go back and give "Love and Marriage at Harpers" another go sometime to appreciate the full background of these extraordinary women. I recommend that you start from the beginning though this book can be read as a standalone.
As I was reading, I did have a sense of familiarity in finding it very similar to the Mrs Boots series by Deborah Carr and the Liberty Girls series by Fiona Ford. There is also a nod to Selfridge's with Ben Harper, the man behind Harpers Emporium, also being American. If you enjoy any or all of these, then you are sure to enjoy the Harpers Emporium series.
Overall, RAINY DAYS FOR THE HARPERS GIRLS is wonderful story for fans of historical fiction and sagas. If you love Dilly Court, Nadine Dorries and Pam Howes, you will love this series.
I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #RainyDaysForTheHarpersGirls in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Rosie Clarke has been writing for several years and has written under various names for a variety of publishers. She lives in Cambridgeshire, is happily married and enjoys life with her husband. She likes to walk in the Spanish sunshine and eating out at favourite restaurants in Marbella is a favourite pastime, but writing is her passion.
Rosie loves shoes, especially those impossibly high heels you can buy and has a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos but can't wear them so they sit on the mantlepiece.
Social Media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment