REVIEW: Tough Times on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane

 

Tough Times on Coronation Close (Coronation Close #4) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Read: 5th April 2025

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Amazon

Published: 30th March 2025

★★★★ 4 stars 

DESCRIPTION:

As the war rages, the women must keep the home fires burning…

Bristol 1941

Coronation Close survives the brutal Bristol Blitz but with rationing, call up papers and new rules and regulations everyone’s lives are changed forever.

Resident do-gooder PC Percy Routledge obsession with rules being upheld finds him spying and reporting fellow neighbours on the slightest infraction whilst his poor brow-beaten wife, Margaret can only watch on in shameful silence. It’s whispered that one day he’ll get his comeuppance…

Times are hard for everyone and Thelma Dawson certainly has her fair share of upset. Devastating news arrives that her son Charlie’s ship has been torpedoed and sank in the Atlantic, his whereabouts unknown. Will he ever return to his wife and their unborn child? Meanwhile, seventeen years old daughter Mary has had her head turned by a certain overseas soldier. But where will temptation lead them?

Tough times, it seems are her to stay and the woman of Coronation Close all have their own battles and problems to overcome. As friendships are nurtured and relationships are tested, tragedy strikes and some home truths need to be faced.

MY THOUGHTS:

Make do, mend and carry on...

Returning to Coronation Close was like coming home. Even with the nosy and often bad neighbours. Catching up with the lives, loves and times with all those who reside there and beyond is like catching up with old friends. Life has not been easy to those living on the Close, and even less so now that war rages on around them.

We see something more of Mary Dawson as she has grown into a young woman working at the tobacco factory (a feature of and a nod to Ms Lane's previous series) whilst making friends with a Canadian airman Beau Blackbird. Though it is on a bus ride home one evening after work that thrusts Mary into something a little more exciting in the weeks to come. A man claiming to be from the Channel Islands begins quizzing them about the local airport and things roundabout. Mary is at once suspicious as she and her friends corner the passenger, prompting the driver stop and call for police to come sort the situation. 

Unfortunately the responding policeman is none other than pompous resident know-it-all of Coronation Close, PC Percy Routledge. The stranger laughs the women off and Percy, such as he is, laughs with him. Mary is furious not to mention suspicious. The stranger makes an offer Percy couldn't refuse and all sorts of promises which leaves the constable puffing with pride. But what is he really after?

Meanwhile, Percy's poor long-suffering wife has done his bidding for far too long and when Percy refuses point blank for her to call a doctor on their sick son then leaves in the night, Margaret decides to call for him herself. But then matters are taken out of her hands as her neighbours offer their assistance.

Jenny is still lovelorn after Robin who cannot see the manipulation of his ex-wife in their children, even to the point of danger. Thelma has one blow too many but then another offer comes along on the horizon.

The lives and loves of those on the Close continue as war rages on and I look forward to seeing what's in store for the residents and their loved ones in the next installment.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #ToughTimesOnCoronationClose in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

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PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

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SPOTLIGHT: Tough Times on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane

Tough Times on Coronation Close (Coronation Close #4) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 30th March 2025

DESCRIPTION:

As the war rages, the women must keep the home fires burning…

Bristol 1941

Coronation Close survives the brutal Bristol Blitz but with rationing, call up papers and new rules and regulations everyone’s lives are changed forever.

Resident do-gooder PC Percy Routledge obsession with rules being upheld finds him spying and reporting fellow neighbours on the slightest infraction whilst his poor brow-beaten wife, Margaret can only watch on in shameful silence. It’s whispered that one day he’ll get his comeuppance…

Times are hard for everyone and Thelma Dawson certainly has her fair share of upset. Devastating news arrives that her son Charlie’s ship has been torpedoed and sank in the Atlantic, his whereabouts unknown. Will he ever return to his wife and their unborn child? Meanwhile, seventeen years old daughter Mary has had her head turned by a certain overseas soldier. But where will temptation lead them?

Tough times, it seems are her to stay and the woman of Coronation Close all have their own battles and problems to overcome. As friendships are nurtured and relationships are tested, tragedy strikes and some home truths need to be faced.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

 

REVIEW: A New Doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital by Lizzie Lane

A New Doctor at Orchard Cottage Hospital by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Post WW1

Read: 19th May 2024

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Amazon

Published: 23rd May 2024

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A country town in need of a good Doctor, but will they accept her as one of their own?

Somerset, March 1930

Born in the workhouse and adopted by a former suffragette, Frances Brakespeare was encouraged from an early age to be strong, independent and to pursue a career as a doctor. The tragic loss of the love of her life in the Great War propels Frances to commit to her one true vocation.

Rebelling against the unfair treatment of female doctors Frances is dismissed from her London post and things continue to take a turn for the worse when Izzy, her benefactress dies and Frances finds herself homeless.

With no employment or roof over her head her future seems uncertain until she’s offered a residency at the Orchard Cottage Hospital in Norton Dene, Somerset. a town where quarrying and coal mining scar the land.

It’s a far cry from London and towns narrow minds are not so welcoming of a young, female Doctor, but she’s determined to win through.

At first sight the town seems quaintly old fashioned, a place where nothing much happens but there are secrets and sins bubbling beneath the surface plus a mystery she's determined to solve.

MY THOUGHTS:

Not everyone's happy to welcome her...

Beginning in 1900 at All Saints Workshouse in London, where babies were born to women who could barely feed themselves let alone a little one. On one such morning, six newborn babies were laid out swaddled in blankets that prevented them from moving as Isabelle Brakespeare paid a visit with one specific child in mind. The doctor and matron were oblivious to Izzy's intentions so when she asked which baby was Mary Baker's they were momentarily speechless. Indicating a small baby girl, the matron handed Izzy the child that was to grow up under Izzy's guardianship - as an independent woman wanting for nothing...and knowing what she wants. Matron didn't let on that Mary Baker had intended to return for her child...but then they all say that.

Some three decades later in 1930, Frances Brakspeare has just lost her mentor and guardian Izzy and the family's solicitors have issued Frances a letter asking her to vacate the family home that had been hers since Izzy brought her home 30 years ago. The home that Izzy had living rights until the end of her days but no one else. Now the family wants the house back.

Frances had been brought up by former suffragette Izzy to be a strong and independent woman with no need for a man. Although she was engaged during the Great War to the love of her life, she also lost him just months before the war ended thus paving the way for her to follow Izzy's dreams of her becoming a doctor. Now at 30, Frances passed at the top of her class but had been downgraded so as to not outshine her male counterparts and had been working at a London hospital the past few years. However, she was as outspoken as she was driven which thus lead to her dismissal from the hospital for failing to apologise to a male doctor whose arrogance was well known among the staff.

Then Frances saw a posting for a doctor at a cottage hospital in Somerset, a world away from the hustle and bustle of London. A village which she discovered needing dragging into the twentieth century in terms of attitudes and medical advances. Her appointment was not without acrimony to begin with but she soon warmed the hearts of even the coldest committee member. Well, except for Simon Grainger, son of the Brigadier who ran the local mine. It seemed he was dead against change of any kind unless he was implementing it.

Within the village of Norton Dene, Frances made friends with just about everyone from the first. The two nurses who worked alongside her at the hospital also working part time to keep house for her - Lucy Daniels and Nancy Skittings - her ladyship up at Orchard Manor and of course the vicar Gregory Sampson, who carried with him a secret.

Overall, the book was okay. Not one of Lizzie's best as I found it a little sluggish to start and bogged down with nothing much in between. I was excited to read it but it didn't live up to my expectations a some of her other series which I have enjoyed such as Coronation Close (of which I hope there will be more).

I'm not sure if I would read another in this series though I am interested to see what Frances' answer to a certain proposal will be. A woman who had confined herself to remain a spinster after her beloved Ralph's death in the Great War. 

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #ANewDoctorAtOrchardCottagehospital in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: Dark Shadows Over Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane

Dark Shadows Over Coronation Close (Coronation Cloe #3) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Pre-WW2

Read: 5th January 2024

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Amazon

Published: 2nd January 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

There’s talk of war and dark clouds fester on the horizon...

Bristol 1938

A shadowy presence overshadows Coronation Close, watching and waiting. Jenny Crawford is the first to notice the stranger and wonders why his attention is fixed on Thelma Dawson’s house. When challenged he makes a hasty retreat.

Meanwhile Thelma is having trouble with her precocious daughter Mary who is about to leave school and start work. Mary considers herself an adult but to Thelma she’s still a little girl; an attitude resented by her daughter.

Unknown to her mother, Mary is secretly befriended by a stranger, an older man who treats her as the grown up she thinks she is. But what does this man want with this naïve young girl?

Problems shared are problems halved. Jenny and Thelma certainly share theirs as the shadow of war rolls over from Europe and nothing seems certain.

MY THOUGHTS:

It's 1938 in Bristol and the threat of war continues to hang over Britain. But for those in Coronation Close, life goes on as ever.

Jenny Crawford is busy raising her two girls Tilly and Gloria at No.2 but a postcard with some unexpected news threatens to topple her world has she has come to know it. Two years ago, when they first moved into Coronation Close Jenny's husband Roy was a nasty piece who when he wasn't home ran with Oswald Mosley's blackshirts and when he was home used his fists to drive home his authority. But then Roy discovered another way of life and signed up for the army, sending his pay back to support Jenny and the girls. This arrangement suited them both perfectly. But news of Roy's sudden illness means he has been medically discharged and was coming home. What does this mean for Jenny now?

And then there is Jenny's work in Robin Hubert's pawn and secondhand store. Robin and Jenny go way back and had once held a torch for each other but fate stepped in and they married other people - she to Roy and Robin to Doris. Roy would never allow Jenny to work and nor would he allow her friendship with Robin to continue, though it was clear the pair still carried that flaming torch. Robin has made no secret of his feelings though his own troubles with Doris make life difficult for all involved, as Doris has a taste for fancy men, rich men, and the lifestyle to go with it. She continues to use the children as pawns in her games to win against Robin, holding the threat of losing them over him to force his hand into doing what she wants. Not including Doris in the scheme of things, what did Roy's return mean for Robin and Jenny's friendship?

Thelma Dawson is also raising her daughters Mary and Alice alone with her adult son George now married and expecting a baby of their own. Her life continues on its even keel whilst seeing Bert Throgmorton on occasion, and she's happy. But when Jenny spotted a stranger staring at Thelma's house one day and later mentioned it to her, Thelma began to fear who it would be. There were only two possibilities...and she didn't favour either one of them.

Then her eldest daughter Mary begins acting out. She's 13 going on 30 and believes she knows all and is old enough to do what she wants, her mother couldn't stop her. She had been seeing a boy from a local band of gypsies but when they moved on her attentions moved elsewhere in the form of a stranger who began to show an interest in young Mary. Then one night, Mary hasn't come home and Thelma is frantic with worry as to what might have happened. The last anyone saw of her was when Alice saw Mary walking out of the Close and when she called her, she ran off.

Did Mary leave of her own accord? Or was she taken?

Another emotional yet easy read in the lives of those in Coronation Close. We see the flight of one lot of neighbours who then make way for a new set of neighbours...neither of whom are popular with the rest of the Close. All the while, the threat of war continues to loom over them.

I must admit, I'm a bit like Jenny. I don't want to hear anything or know anything about the possibility of war. I could see myself every time Jenny's internal monologue screamed "NO!" and she switched off the radio to silence any further talk of War.

I am really enjoying this series. I enjoyed the Tobacco Girls but I think I am enjoying this one even more and I can't wait to see what's in store for the residents of Coronation Close next.

A delightfully easy read that is compelling, enjoyable and entertaining.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #DarkShadowsOverCoronationClose in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: A Fond Farewell for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane

A Fond Farewell for the Tobacco Girls (The Tobacco Girls #6) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2, Post-WW2

Read: 25th July 2023

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Amazon

Published: 28th July 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

It has finally happened! The war is over and Europe rejoices.

May 1945 – VE Day

After battling against the odds, the three friends are uncertain of their futures.

Maisie Miles must wait on tenterhooks for Japan to surrender and for poor Sid to return home. Will they still be sweethearts and have a future together? But tragedy strikes when Maisie's lodger Carole dies leaving 2-year-old Paula orphaned, Maisie is determined to keep the child she has grown to love as her own.

Meanwhile Bridget O’Neill’s husband has been patiently waiting her arrival in America but Bridget’s been struggling to leave her family and friends behind. Will she stay or will she go?

Phyllis Fairbrother receives the devastating news that husband Mick has relapsed and suffering a life changing diagnosis. Their dreams of a new life in Australia lie in tatters, or so she thinks.

With a new dawn, there are high hopes and boundless dreams.

Can the Tobacco Girls unite once more to overcome life’s troubles and find the happiness they so deserve?

MY THOUGHTS;

All is fair in love and war...

I have followed this series from the beginning and I have loved accompanying the girls over the course of their respective journeys. This one is somewhat bittersweet in ending and in reviewing this final installment.

Bridget O'Neill, nee Milligan, prepares to join husband Lyndon in the United States to begin their lives together however she is finding leaving Bristol, her family and friends behind somewhat difficult. And so she takes on several crusades of her own to keep her firmly in Blighty for the time being. When she hears her father has a new lady friend, she is keen to stop by and check up on him ensuring he is well looked after as well as her younger siblings. But it's the plight of children as young as 3 being shipped to Australia with no promise of being adopted at the other end that keeps her here as she uses her influence and the O'Neill money to investigate further. Meanwhile, Lyndon is at first understanding knowing how difficult it must be for Bridget to leave the place she was born and grew up as well as her family and friends. But when the weeks turn into months and he still hasn't seen his growing son, he becomes impatient in wanting his wife and son home with him in the United States. Bridget's excuses are running out. Will she follow her husband and make her new home with him? Or will she stay in the place she's always called home?

Phyllis Fairbrother, nee Mason then Harvey, married Australian Mick on the ship bringing them back from Malta after an unexploded bomb ruined their wedding and saw Mick rushed off to hospital. Now they are back in England, and the injuries Mick sustained in that explosion see him back in hospital with no chance of returning to his homeland of Australia with Phyllis to set up home and a vineyard. Instead Phyllis must find a home for them close by for his regular appointments with the surgeon. So she decides to settle back in her home town of Bristol in one of the new prefab houses purposely built for returning servicemen and their families. A face from the past pulls a few strings to get them the new place but Mick is far from grateful for the shoebox when he could have had acres of land at his fingertips back home. But a chance encounter with a friendly neighbour and veteran from the first war helps Mick put things into perspective. Will he settle for England or will he continue to grumble for a dream that is out of reach?

Maisie Miles, the only one of the three M's who has not married, still works at the tobacco factory and lives in the house her grandmother bequeathed to her. Her sweetheart Sid was taken prisoner in the Far East and is currently a POW in Changi. She took in young Carole Thomas who found herself pregnant after being attacked by someone she thought she could trust and as a result didn't want the baby. Maisie, however, fought tooth and nail for Carole to keep the little baby even after she was tricked into an illegal adoption. Now Maisie has grown fond of the young girl who is now two and approaching her third birthday and has gotten used to her being around. But all that is about to change when Carole announces that she has gotten engaged to Joe Shaw though she has yet to tell him about little Paula. Maisie doesn't begrudge Carole some happiness but she doesn't want to lose Paula either. But with Joe coming from Liverpool that would be where they will settle. Until tragedy strikes leaving 2 year old Paula orphaned and Maisie is determined to keep the child as her own. But when Sid returns from the Far East, will he be willing to take on someone else's child? 

There is so much packed into this final installment that I have barely touched on any of it. It is by far the best and it is with bittersweet emotions that I bid farewell to those I have come to love. The book opens with VE celebrations though was in the Pacific still rages on. When the announcement that the Japanese have surrendered spreads, the VJ celebrations begin. 

Over the course of this series we have seen many characters come and go. Some likeable, some horribly vile. Some get their comeuppance while others await theirs. However while Eddie Bridgeman was one of those such characters, in this installment we see him redeem himself.

A fitting end to an enjoyable series, we now have the Coronation Close series to enjoy in its place. 

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #AFondFarewellForTheTobaccoGirls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas

Read: 12th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 14th June 2023

★ 1 star

DESCRIPTION:

A gritty story of two girls, from opposite backgrounds and their search for freedom and happiness.

1925 - The Midland Canals

Born on the canals, feisty Beth Dawson, knows danger lurks in the shadows. When she falls victim to a vicious attack and knowing she might be pregnant, she quickly marries a fellow boatman.

Her mundane existence is interrupted by the arrival of Anthony Wesley whose mission is to organise the impoverished boatmen for strike action.

Anthony makes her feel valued and she wants to help the cause in any way she can.

Along the way she makes friends with rebellious Abigail Gatehouse, daughter of the owner of the company. She too is in love with Anthony and sensing the attraction between them, Abigail is overcome with jealousy.

Both young women are soon caught up in events that spiral out of control. Only time will tell where the future lies for either of them.

In the meantime, it’s all about survival...

Previously published as Where the Wild Thyme Blows by Jeannie Johnson**

MY THOUGHTS:

I love this author and I was eager to dive into this new saga tale from her pen. But from the first page my blood was boiling and I found myself really struggling with this book. Which is a shame as I have read plenty and have loved many by Lizzie Lane. I love her Tobacco Girls series as well as her newer Coronation Close series. But this one just felt different and I simply couldn't get past Beth's father and his ignorant treatment of her. Having just lost a dear friend maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind, I don't know. But I had to pass on this one as it was for a blog tour and I simply couldn't read it.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TroubleForTheBoatGirl in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

SPOTLIGHT: Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

 

Trouble for the Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas

Read: 12th June 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 14th June 2023

DESCRIPTION:

A gritty story of two girls, from opposite backgrounds and their search for freedom and happiness.

1925 - The Midland Canals

Born on the canals, feisty Beth Dawson, knows danger lurks in the shadows. When she falls victim to a vicious attack and knowing she might be pregnant, she quickly marries a fellow boatman.

Her mundane existence is interrupted by the arrival of Anthony Wesley whose mission is to organise the impoverished boatmen for strike action.

Anthony makes her feel valued and she wants to help the cause in any way she can.

Along the way she makes friends with rebellious Abigail Gatehouse, daughter of the owner of the company. She too is in love with Anthony and sensing the attraction between them, Abigail is overcome with jealousy.

Both young women are soon caught up in events that spiral out of control. Only time will tell where the future lies for either of them.

In the meantime, it’s all about survival...

Previously published as Where the Wild Thyme Blows by Jeannie Johnson**

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter Sign Up | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Boldwood Books by following them on these social media accounts.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

REVIEW: Shameful Secrets on Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane

Shameful Secrets on Coronation Close (Coronation Close #2) by Lizzie Lane

Genre: Historical fiction, Pre-WW2, Sagas

Read: 17th April 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 20th April 2023

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

There are no secrets that time does not reveal…

Bristol 1937

The year is 1937 and the country is still reeling from the abdication of King Edward the Eighth the year before.

His brother, the Duke of York has become King George the Sixth and will be crowned in May.

The country is on a high. Union Jacks are being dusted off and bunting is being made. Thelma, Jenny and residents of Coronation Close are all a buzz with planning the street parties and celebrations for the great day.

But behind every door shameful secrets and sins linger on Coronation Close, just bubbling to expose themselves…

MY THOUGHTS:

Bristol 1937

Life in Coronation Close was rocked when King Edward VIII abdicated from duty in favour of love and none more so than Thelma Dawson whose royal collection was her pride and joy...after her children, of course. So shocked was she by his betrayal to the crown that she smashed and destroyed any commemorative edition featuring him as King, albeit short-lived.

But now the country has a new King. Albert has stepped up to become King George VI, with his coronation set for 12th May. And preparations are in full swing for a street party in the close with the hope that everything will run smoothly on the day. Thelma has appointed herself as organiser but finds herself overwhelmed when a shocking tragedy befalls her on the evening that her first born, her son George is coming home on leave from the Merchant Navy. She was so focused on getting out the door of Bertram's at six on the dot, so focused on getting home in time to see her son again that she didn't see anything untoward...not even when the bus' gearbox died in a howling blizzard. Not even when the kindly man hook her arm through his to guide her way. Not even then. But she finally made it home and threw her arms around her only son and wept tears of joy at his return...even if just for a few months. But her joy was slightly overshadowed though only Jenny could see it.

Jenny Crawford and her girls had been in Coronation Close for nearly a year and had formed friendships with just about everyone who lived therein. With the exception of "her next door", the curmudgeonly Dorothy Partridge who saw it as her duty to complain to the council at every turn about the goings on within the Close and her abject distaste of it all. Nobody liked Dorothy but accepted her as part of the furniture (so to speak) and they all felt a little sorry for her poor sister Harriet, also widowed. But Harriet has a secret which only Dorothy knows and has kept for over two decades. But what will happen if their secret is suddenly made known?

Jenny's husband Roy was in Palestine in the army and the further away he is, the better. Roy's secret is known only by Jenny but it is one that made him abusive with her on the receiving end of his fists. He has found contentment in the army along with adventure, and Jenny receives his army pension to help support her and the girls in his absence. But lately she has felt restless. It is no secret that Robin Hubert (or is it Godwin? Because the name keeps changing throughout the story) wants to be more than friends but he's still married to Doreen even if she lives a separate life with the children and her rich men friends. And then there is Charlie Talbolt who has taken her out from time to time but there is something just a little bit off about him.

Cath is still just as possessively jealous of Thelma's friendship with Jenny and still gets about in her metal curlers, like Winnie from "Mrs Browns Boys".

Then Thelma gets a shock which proves to be somewhat problematic at both her age and for her life going forward. Particularly in her relationship with Bert, the council rent man. She still hasn't met his mother so it comes as something of a surprise when he rolls into the Close in his car with his mother at the Coronation street party! But just what will his mother think of her, her son's lady friend?

So many secrets and two new families move into the Close in this second installment of Coronation Close and still so many to unravel. While it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, there is one thing that the story was leading up to that didn't eventuate this time round so I'm guessing we'll have to wait and see what happens in the next book. I'm not sure about the new neighbours just yet as we haven't really gotten to know them yet. I'm sure their stories and secrets will come out in the wash soon enough.

In the meantime, I'm hoping for a happy ending for Jenny as well as for Thelma. I thoroughly enjoy this series as the threat of war looms ever closer but not yet touching lives just yet. And I can't wait for the next one!!

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #ShamefulSecretsOnCoronationClose in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lizzie Lane is a born and bred Bristolian who now lives in West Wiltshire with her partner, a wonderful garden and a lately acquired allotment. In the past she has bred dogs, kept horses, painted and made models from clay. (Nightly visit from the badger has smashed one).

Working jobs she's hated purely to keep a roof over her family’s head and a meal on the table, she then discovered writing. Encouraged by an American writer friend and when a time came there were no jobs and no other option, she took the plunge. She is now the author of over 50 books, a number of which have been bestsellers. As a Bristolian, many of her family worked in the cigarette and cigar factories, inspiring her new saga series The Tobacco Girls.

Up until six years ago her home (and that of her late husband) was a 46ft sailing yacht named Sarabande Serene, sailing into the Mediterranean. So besides being a successful author Lizzie can read navigation charts and react swiftly in a storm. 

Lizzie is now landlocked in a town close to the city of Bath. 

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