Finding Friends on Beamer Street (Beamer Street #1) by Sheila Riley
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas
Read: 11th November 2022
Published: 16th November 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Liverpool 1921
Pregnant, Mary Jane Starling's secret wedding to Paddy Redfern ends in disaster when her fiancé is murdered on the way to the church. Paddy’s wayward twin ‘Red’ intercepts Mary Jane and warns that they must flee Ireland for fear of reprisals from her family, never to return.
Too young and terrified to question Red’s motives, Mary Jane, is hurriedly escorted to Liverpool where she quickly discovers Red’s good Samaritan act is a sham when he abandons her homeless and destitute.
However, strength, fortitude and good luck save her when she catches the eye of reclusive Cal Everdine and is befriended by Molly Hayward’s lovable family.
But Mary Jane still has to live with the overbearing guilt of the secrets she holds.
Will she ever be able to follow her dreams and reconcile her past?
A brand-new series, set around Liverpool Docks, by bestselling author Sheila Riley
MY THOUGHTS:
Having thoroughly enjoyed Sheila Riley's previous two series - Reckoner's Row and the Mersey Mistress/Angels - I was excited to discover yet another new series on the horizon. FINDING FRIENDS ON BEAMER STREET is a delightful tale of betrayal, survival, courage and strength against all odds. I just love the characters who are either warm-hearted or nosey and opinionated, with the exception of one of course.
1921: Paddy Redfern is preparing for his secret wedding to Mary Jane Starling when he is accosted by his twin Christie 'Red' Redfern and a plea for money. But Paddy is done bailing his wastrel brother out of scrapes of his own making and refuses to give him what he asks, even when Red pleads that his creditor demands immediate payment or on his own head be it. But Paddy confides that he has no money to spare since he and Mary Jane are about to marry and board the night ferry to Liverpool where they will begin their new life.
With child, Mary Jane is eagerly waiting Paddy's arrival when his no good brother Red intercepts her with warnings that they Paddy has been murdered and that they must flee Ireland for fear of reprisals from her three brothers should they catch up with her. Luckily Paddy had entrusted her with their ferry tickets (as well as their savings safely tucked away) which Red takes advantage of by hurrying Mary Jane across the Irish Sea to Liverpool, where he promised Paddy he would take care of her.
But the moment they set foot on the docks, he leaves her stranded having to make her own way to somewhere safer than here. She spies a teashop and takes refuge there but not before almost being bowled over by a horse and trap. When Red catches up with her, he gives her rough directions to where they need to go before hurrying off once again. Mary Jane knows Red cannot be trusted which is why she never let on about the savings Paddy had entrusted her with, fearing he would just fritter it away on ale and gambling.
With the help of Cal Everdine, Mary Jane finds her way to Beamer Street where Red has them booked into Cissie Stone's lodging house, which is filthy with grime and dirt. Esconced in the attic room under the guise of husband and wife, Mary Jane cleans the room from top to bottom before settling in there. She knows she will have to start earning to build up the savings she and Paddy put aside to escape this horrid place and awful landlady, not to mention the lazy wastrel Red who spends more time at the alehouse or in Cissie's rooms than working on the docks.
Mary Jane comes up with a plan to bake pies and pastries to sell at the market and soon has just enough to rent the empty shop premises across the street, below Cal Everdine's flat. She has had just about enough of Red's cadging and Cissie's filthy place. But then she discovers all her savings gone...every little bit she and Paddy had saved that she had hidden in various places...along with her carpet bag and Red's belongings. The scoundrel had fled with everything she had and not a penny left to pay the rent.
But Mary Jane will not be beaten. Even when she returns the following day to find her belongings strewn on the doorstep of the lodging house, Cissie having turfed her out, Mary Jane will not be beaten. Her only friends since she came to Beamer Street have been Molly Hayward next door and the quiet Cal Everdine from across the street. Molly takes in Mary Jane and gives her a roof whilst Cal gives her his premises to bake her pies and pastries and soon, she has enough once again to rent out the premises below his flat. And it isn't long before her business is thriving and she has orders from all over, as well as the nosey busybodies from down the street who wouldn't give her the time of day when she first moved in. And slowly Mary Jane saves enough to put aside for when her confinement starts and the baby comes.
And then she arrives home one day to find Molly in tears, a letter in her hand. And their worlds come crashing down just as Christmas nears and Mary Jane's baby is due.
FINDING FRIENDS ON BEAMER STREET is a delightfully easy read that I thoroughly enjoyed and cannot wait to rejoin the Haywards and the Everdines on Beamer Street again soon. There is so much going on within this little family and their friends and I enjoyed every minute of my stay with them.
As with all of Sheila Riley's series, FINDING FRIENDS ON BEAMER STREET is a heartwarming tale of love, loss, courage and strength with a beautiful ending. I loved every minute of my stay there and cannot wait to rejoin them all again soon.
Perfect for fans of sagas.
I would like to thank #SheilaRiley, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #FindingFriendsOnBeamerStreet in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Married to her knight in rusty armour, Tony, she has three grown-up children, five adored grandchildren, a majestic German Shepherd called Max and an insatiably energetic Siberian Husky called Louis and an ancient cat called Missy.
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