A Safe Haven on Beamer Street by Sheila Riley
Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas
Read: 3rd May 2024
Published: 9th May 2024
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Liverpool 1924
Trapped in an abusive marriage to Lord Caraway with her beloved daughter Melissa, 24-year-old Lady Elodie Caraway knows she has to escape before her deepest and darkest secrets are revealed giving her husband every reason to seek his revenge. But time is of the essence, if she is to save herself and Melissa.
With the help of lifelong friend Aiden Newman, they swiftly leave Oakland Hall for a new life in Liverpool's docklands. On arrival, Elodie and Melissa are welcomed as lodgers by Molly Haywood’s family, Aiden's aunt – no questions are asked.
Changing her name, Ellie dreams of following in the footsteps of her ancestors, setting up an apothecary to help heal those less fortunate and soon Ellie’s talents are called upon to help Mary-Jane Everdine bring her unborn child safely into the world.
But is Ellie’s tragic past about to catch up with her? Can she save herself and her young daughter from the cruel hands of Lord Caraway?
The next thrilling instalment in Sheila Riley’s Beamer Street series.
MY THOUGHTS:
Beginning in 1915, Elodie Kirrin and her mother Deborah are well known in the Lancashire village of Lavender Green as herbal healers, or "wise women", as their mothers before them. Unable to afford doctors, villagers seek them for their remedies for all types of maladies. Even the big man himself, Lord Silas Caraway, has Deborah make up his tincture of laudanum despite the law preventing her from doing so. After all, as a high court judge, Lord Silas IS the law.
After the death of his wife Lady Felicia and baby son, Silas blamed Deborah and her witchy ways for their untimely deaths. But Lady Felicia was ill with childbed fever after delivering a stillborn child.
A year later, it's 1916 and Elodie has reached her sixteenth birthday. Her one true love Aiden Newman now 18 had just received his papers to go and fight for King and country. But this birthday was to be one Elodie would remember for all the wrong reasons. Instead of the lemon cake her mother had planned on baking for her birthday, she arrives home instead to her mother having apparently taken her life, her world crashing down. Lord Silas offers Elodie a lifeline - marry him and want for nothing. All she has to do is bear him the son and heir he so desires. Grieving for her mother and for Aiden now away fighting, Elodie believes she has nothing left...especially when she receives news that Aiden is missing presumed dead. What has she left to live for?
When 1924 comes round, after six long torturous years married to Lord Silas, Lady Elodie Caraway must make her escape. And so she finds herself on Beamer Street in the Liverpool docklands with her six year old daughter Melissa, and a far cry away from the life she knew in Lancashire and the stifling one she had married to Lord Silas. But here in the docklands, Silas would never think to look for her there. Here, at least, she's safe.
Soon she makes friends with residents Molly Hayward and Mary Jane Everdine. Even little Melissa is coming out of herself and loving having a 'big sister' in Molly's youngest daughter Bridie, who has taken Melissa under her wing. Despite being a newcomer, Elodie makes friends amongst the women and opens her own apocethary across the street where she makes up tinctures and treats maladies to the working class who cannot otherwise afford medical treatment. Life is good on Beamer Street. But Elodie is always looking over her shoulder in case Lord Silas should find her and punish her for leaving him, taking his anger out on Melissa more than likely for not being the son and heir he so desires.
It has been a couple of years since the first Beamer Street book, I had been wondering when another was on the horizon and this one was worth the wait. Although it is the second in the series, the story is standalone and can suffice as such but these sagas are always best enjoyed when one reads them all, aren't they?
The characters are all well developed. From the gossipy women of Beamer Street to dastardly Lord Silas, a character we definitely love to hate. The story as it unfolds displays the resilience of those of their time and I just enjoy revisiting the faces of Beamer Street once again.
I can't wait for book 3. Maybe the new family that pitched up at the end has a story to tell in that one. I look forward to the next one in any case.
I would like to thank #SheilaRiley, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #ASafeHavenOnBeamerStreet 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.
Social Media links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
No comments:
Post a Comment