A Daughter's Promise by Lynette Rees
Genre: Historical fiction, Victorian era
Read: 8th May 2021
Published: 9th July 2020
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
A heartwarming saga from the best-selling author of The Workhouse Waif.
Eighteen-year-old seamstress Kathryn Flynn lives in Whitechapel, London, struggling to support her widowed mother and younger siblings. But when her work starts drying up and her mother falls ill, she is forced to consider desperate measures....
Then she meets 'Squire', an older city gentleman, who falls instantly in love with her and offers to take her under his wing. 'Squire' could give Kathryn the life she's always wanted...but is there something darker lurking beneath his kindness
MY REVIEW:
Set in the harsh realities of London's East End during the late 1880's, A DAUGHTER'S PROMISE is the first book I have read by historical fiction author Lynette Rees and I quite enjoyed it. Despite it being predictable in part, which is pretty much what readers come to expect with this type of story, it still makes for an easy and enjoyable read. While some of the content may be a little sordid, it was done cleanly and sensitively and in a way that made you want to keep turning the pages.
Whitechapel 1888: After the death of her father, 18 year old Kathryn Flynn helps care for her poorly mother and her younger siblings whilst working sporadically as a seamstress to help keep a roof over her family's heads and food on the table. But when work dries up she soon finds they are dodging the rent man when he comes knocking at the end of the week. With no money coming in, she soon fears they will be out on their ear if she cannot find a way to make ends meet soon.
All too aware of her struggles, friend and neighbour Jimmy Dawton takes Kathryn out to the local The Horse and Harness for pie and mash one evening and offers to care for her and her family by proposing marriage. Incredibly fond of Jimmy as she is, she refuses his offer fearing he only made it out of pity. This is her problem and not Jimmy's to solve though she is touched that he cared enough to offer. But that still doesn't solve her problem of how to keep the money coming in to care for her ailing mother and her younger siblings. Noticing the girls on the darkened streets and out of desperation, Kathryn decides the only to keep a roof over their heads and food in their tummies is to join those girls and sell her wares.
And then she meets "the Squire", a gentleman who offers her a job as a companion in the more affluent West End. The money he promises her is more than she could ever hope to earn and it sounds like the answer to her prayers. He treats her like a lady and lavishes her with new gowns and dresses she could never afford in a million years, setting up an apartment for her to entertain and where they can enjoy each other's company. A gentleman in the truest sense of the word he lays not a finger on her...just the promise of his kiss as Kathryn begins to fall in love with him.
Heartbroken that she has thrown him over for an older man who can obviously offer her more than he possibly could, Jimmy leaves his siblings Dorrie and Nick and embarks on a journey on the high seas to make his fortune. Kathryn is shocked that Jimmy would leave his siblings without a backward glance, given that they are far too young to be left on their own. She'd take them in but she has barely enough room for the six of them in their little rooms, not to mention the dilemma of how to feed them. And when her mother takes a turn for the worse, the doctor advises her she may only have weeks to live. Surely something could be done for her...and there is...if you are wealthy. And then Kathryn remembers the Squire.
Under the guise of Miss Bella Cartwright, Kathryn endeavours to make enough money to pay for her mother's care in a facility by the sea as well as keep her siblings clothed and fed and to keep the lecherous O'Shay, the rent man, at bay. With the promise of her entertaining gentlemen, the Squire organises an event at a country manor where she finds herself being ogled and pawed at before being auctioned off with her virginity being the main prize. Kathryn is appalled. The men were old and disgusting bar for one who was much younger but had a cruel glint in his eyes. Surely the Squire had not meant for this to happen? He cared for her. He loved her as she loved him. Therefore she trusted him to protect her. But would he really?
Kathryn finds herself in a situation for which she only has herself to blame. And yet, it was all for her family. To pay for her mother's expensive care so she will get better and for her younger siblings who rely on the money she brings home. She questions herself, is it worth it? But for her her family, she would do anything.
In her new line of work, life is perilous at the best of times but now more than ever as Jack the Ripper is stalking the streets of Whitechapel and brutally slaying women of the night. Can she keep herself safe from the killer and her family from the Workhouse?
A tale of a different kind of sorts, A DAUGHTER'S PROMISE tells the story of Kathryn and her family as well as the Dawtons and her new-found friend Georgina. It highlights the perils of life for the poor and poverty-stricken lower class and the people who corrupt them to do their bidding. But it is also heartwarming and will pull at your heartstrings.
A delightfully heartwarming story of a young girl faced with a perilous situation, A DAUGHTER'S PROMISE brings together the love of good friends and family in this tale of survival in London's harsh East End.
I would like to thank #LynetteRees, #Netgalley and #Quercus for an ARC of #ADaughtersPromise in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Lynette's historical fiction novel, 'The Workhouse Waif', hit the number one spot on the Amazon Kindle bestseller list in 'Victorian Historical Romance' during October of 2016, it remains one of her most popular books to date. Much to her delight, she was contacted by the commissioning editor of Quercus Books who had downloaded the book and loved the story so much, she offered her a traditional publishing deal for that book and three others in the series which are being published during 2018 and 2019.
Lynette enjoys writing in a variety of genres including crime fiction and [contemporary romance where she writes under the name of 'Crystal Carter'.]
Lynette lives in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
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