Rose's Ever After (The Colliery Rows #2) by Chrissie Bradshaw
Genre: Historical fiction, sagas
Read: 24th May 2021
Published: 11th May 2021
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Rose has a promising future stretching out before her until a cruel twist of fate seizes it. Will she overcome her heartache as she tries to build a new life? Rose returns to the safe haven of Linwood colliery and her warm-hearted family. As she settles into life in the colliery rows, Rose makes an astounding discovery and a long lost family member appears who makes demands on them all..
Chrissie Bradshaw’s emotionally gripping historical reads have a northern Catherine Cookson vibe with a modern attitude. ‘Rose’s Ever After’ follows on from ‘Rose’s Choice’ yet it can be enjoyed as a stand alone novel
Read ‘Rose’s Ever After’ to follow the twists and turns of Rose’s eventful life. Will the rugged path ahead, full of challenges, lead her to a new ‘happily ever after’?
MY REVIEW:
I'm excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for Chrissie Bradshaw's captivating saga ROSE'S EVER AFTER.
When I saw this book was the second in a series, I quickly got my hands on the first one to read before delving into this one. I'm glad I did because, although ROSE'S EVER AFTER can be read as a standalone with enough backstory given to keep the reader up to date, I felt as if I was truly there when the preceding events actually took place having read them first hand as they happened. And this book, ROSE'S EVER AFTER, picks up where "Rose's Choice" left off.
It's 1955, and Rose and Danny are enjoying marriage and parenthood in their little flat above the bakery where Danny works as a manager. Still reeling from the surprise that her father and Danny's sister Grace had sprung on them at Christmas, they were even more shocked when a further surprise followed some months later when Rose guessed that Grace was pregnant. It seemed little Lily would have an aunty or uncle younger than her, and when Johnnie was born her father and Grace couldn't be happier. And Rose was delighted that her father was able to find love and contentment after the death of her mother Ginnie when she was just 14 years old.
Rose was also content in her life with Danny and little Lily and as much as she loved being a mum she still yearned for the freedom and fulfillment she got working with animals. When she meets Helen one afternoon by the River Aln and the two strike up a friendship, Helen invites her to Blackthorn Farm where she and her husband live with their children. Rose is in her element on the farm amidst the animals as Helen's daughter Jennifer introduces her to all the cows, chickens and horses. Soon after an opportunity arises for Rose to help out at Blackthorn caring for retired pit ponies and she cannot contain her excitement when she shares her news with Danny. She has missed working the animals since leaving her position at Campbell's Vets when she fell pregnant with Lily and this job would be perfect. Plus the extra wage will help them save for a deposit for their own house quicker. Everything just seems to be falling into place and Rose couldn't be happier.
New Years Eve and their sixth wedding anniversary is approaching and Danny has something special lined up to celebrate together with her father and Grace as neither were at each other's respective weddings. A moment in time that was to last forever as tragedy struck just five months later and Rose was left bereft and forced to return to Linwood once again. Unable to make the journey to Blackthorn farm, she had to let the position she loved so much go. But when one door closes another one opens, and it just so happened that Frank Maxwell Senior was in need of her veterinary skills as an assistant and together they published and updated edition of her Veterinary Assistant's Handbook which was now being used as text for training courses. It seems Rose just goes from strength to strength but for her she is just doing what she has to do to get by and provide for her children. Particularly as she has just discovered she is pregnant once again - with the child that she and Danny had put on hold until they were in their dream house.
When Frank senior decides it's time for him to retire, he calls his son Frank junior to take over the two surgeries. However Frank has a spoilt wife who doesn't want to move to Northumberland and wants to stay in Yorkshire near her family. So when they make the move, Marjorie spends the week in Yorkshire with her parents and comes north to spend the weekends with Frank. It's not ideal but something tells Rose that things are not all that rosy in that marriage. But that is not her business and she and Frank are just colleagues and friends. Frank and Rose go way back to her days at Morpeth Grammar School and if Danny hadn't stolen her heart, who knows where their fledgling romance would have taken them?
But life has a way of stirring things up as a face from the past comes knocking with revelations of their own. And just when Rose thinks she has found the missing link from her past, she is soon shocked to discover that maybe what she had been missing all these was just in her imagination.
Despite all her hardships and heartbreaks, Rose finds a seed of hope that brings with it new opportunities and challenges to give her a new purpose in life. But can she move on from the past and be happy again? Can she have the life and live the dream as well? Is it too late for Rose to find her happily ever after?
If I thought I enjoyed "Rose's Choice" then I loved ROSE'S EVER AFTER and I think reading the first one beforehand helped gain a better understanding of Rose and her family, enabling me to appreciate the second book more. I was thrilled to rejoin the Kellys and their friends in the Colliery Rows once more and watch them bloom. While I found Rose a little annoying at first in the first book, but in this one she has grown into a strong and determined young woman whose sense of duty robbed her of her dreams once before but returned to see them fulfilled this time round. Rose is from what I call the stoic generation who don't complain but just get in and do what has to be done. They lived through a war and still they remain standing. She is incredibly bright and hardworking which serves her well throughout life and her loyalty goes a long way. But life is harsh for the working class and my heart broke every time Rose came up against even more heartbreak. And yet, throughout it all, she never complained.
I love each of the characters in their own way which made ROSE'S EVER AFTER a pleasure to read. There wasn't that constant angst that made you dread what's coming next. Instead you were eager to discover what opportunities were around the corner. My heart was captured by Rose, her family and her friends as I hoped for better days ahead and for Rose for find happiness once and for all.
Chrissie Bradshaw cleverly wove significant historical events of the area into the story to bring it to life even more, such as the mine crash and that which buried and entire village school in which 160 children were killed. And despite the locale, there were times I felt ROSE'S EVER AFTER had a touch of "Call the Midwife" about it...though not with quite as many babies being born.
I feel I cannot put into words everything about this book. In fact I am stumbling over just what to say. I will say however that I hope Rose's journey does not end there and I hope to see her again in the near future.
I thoroughly enjoyed ROSE'S EVER AFTER and recommend it, as well as the first one "Rose's Choice", to fans of Catherine Cookson and Dilly Court alike.
I would like to thank #ChrissieBradshaw and #RachelsRandomResources and #VallumPublishing for an ARC of #RosesEverAfter in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Her latest is a compelling family saga, ROSE’S EVER AFTER. This is the second book in ‘The Colliery Rows’ series and follows on from ROSE’S CHOICE.
There is a spin off novella , THE UNWELCOME ANGEL that tells the story of the winter of 1944 in more detail.
Chrissie has always loved match-making a book to a reader. Writing the kind of book she loves to read takes this a step further. When Chrissie is not writing or reading, you will find her walking her dog on the beach, travelling or spending time with her family and friends. She would love to hear from readers.
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