REVIEW: Rose's Fight by Rosie Clarke

Rose's Fight (The Trenwith Trilogy #3) by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, Post-WW1

Read: 19th September 2024

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Published: 7th September 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The war has changed everything, but has it changed society enough?

London, 1917.

Rose Barlow has loved and lost. She has done her fair share during the war and seen her dreams shattered. As the British class system crumbles Rose is determined not to return to service at Trenwith Estate instead, she’s keen to pursue new opportunities and her own happiness now the war is over.

Luke Trenwith survived the war and has returned home as the next Trenwith Baronet. But the life he once accepted as his fate feels cold and empty. He is left wanting more.

But has the world changed enough to allow him to live his dream?

The war changed their world, but do Rose and Luke have the courage to carve out a new future that could shock society?

If you love this, have you tried Rosie Clarke's Mulberry Lane, Blackberry Farm, Dressmakers Alley and Harper's series?

Previously Published as Forbidden Love by Linda Sole

MY THOUGHTS:

The war has changed everything...but has it changed society enough...?

Rosie Clarke is one of my favourite authors and I eagerly devour every one of her sagas, whether they be a series or standalone, enjoying every sojourn with them. This is the third and final in the Trenwith Trilogy with the story this time centring on Rose, who we met at the beginning and have followed her since.

Although the book doesn't necessarily state what year it is, I can only surmise it is now 1919 with the Great War behind them having signed the Armistice on 11th November 1918. With that thought in mind, many young men are now returning from the Front whilst the memory remains of those who are not. 

Rose Barlow, former housemaid at Trenwith and now close friend of Sarah Pelham, had intended to take up studying nursing as a vocation after the war, having served as a VAD for its duration. A splendid VAD, she had the makings of a promising nurse. However, she married in secret to Canadian fighter pilot Rod Carne (and nurses were not permitted to marry). Then when Rod was killed shortly after their wedding, Rose was heartbroken.

Now the war was over, Rose had no intentions of returning to service. Besides, times were changing and the days of service were from another era. She decided to try her luck on the stage as she had always enjoyed singing and had an ambition to see where it could take her. Having lost her husband, she reverted to her maiden name for the stage and soon became something of a star.

But her heart remained at Trenwith and the childish crush she'd harboured for the son and heir to the Trenwith estate - Luke Trenwith. But she was a servant and there was a clear social divide that separated them. But those days were past, for the most part though for some they remained. Little did Rose know that Luke had shared those feelings she had and whilst societal rules dictated that he should marry someone with money and breeding and thus producing an heir, Luke could not help but be drawn to Rose.

And so they began a clandestine affair, declaring their love for each other and forsaking all others. Until Luke returned home and was thrust into an engagement with "the right sort of girl". How would Rose take the news that he was to marry someone else? She did not want to be his mistress and she deserved far more than that but how could he fulfill his duty and his promise to the woman he loved?

Has the world changed enough to allow Rose and Luke to follow their dream to be together? Or must they sacrifice each other for the sake of the social class divide?

There is so much packed into this tale of love and woe. I found I grew frustrated with Rose and her stubborn streak but then I guess that's how society carved out these women in those days. We are reunited with Sarah and Troy at Pelham and Louise and Jack in Paris, though Rose is still in the dark as to her brother's fate. How will she react should Luke tell her the truth? And how will society react to Rose and Luke being together? Or is it still too soon for them to cross the social divide? And then there is the biggest secret of all. How will it all end?

I must say, this was my least favourite of the three books with the first one being my favourite. Though I was happy with the outcome nonetheless. Having said that, I still enjoyed this wonderful tale and reuniting with old friends and some enemies again. 

As always, I look forward to the next Rosie Clarke novel.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie Clarke has been writing for several years and has written under various names for a variety of publishers.  She lives in Cambridgeshire, is happily married and enjoys life with her husband.  She likes to walk in the Spanish sunshine and eating out at favourite restaurants in Marbella is a favourite pastime, but writing is her passion.

Rosie loves shoes, especially those impossibly high heels you can buy and has a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos but can't wear them so they sit on the mantlepiece.

Rosie also writes under the name of Anne Herries and Linda Sole.

 

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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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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. 

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REVIEW: A Safe Haven on Beamer Street by Sheila Riley

A Safe Haven on Beamer Street by Sheila Riley

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas

Read: 3rd May 2024

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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:

Sheila Riley sets her gritty family sagas around the River Mersey and its docklands. Born in Southport and raised not far from the river, she was a hairdresser for over thirty years before her love of writing encouraged her to put away the scissors and take up the pen. As a ghostwriter, she previously wrote four bestselling novels under the name Annie Groves, a pseudonym inherited from saga legend Penny Jordan.

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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REVIEW: The Country Sisters by Sally Tarpey

The Country Sisters (Truscott Family #2) by Sally Tarpey

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Post WW1

Read: 30th November 2023

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Published: 21st November 2023

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

An absolutely heartbreaking and uplifting story of hardship and hope in the aftermath of World War I.

1922. After the horrors of the Great War, the close-knit Truscott family return to pick up what’s left of their lives on their busy Hampshire farm.

But the two Truscott sisters are on very different paths. Kate is happily married to Albert, content to be a mother and farmer’s wife. Her younger sister Dot sets her heart on becoming a teacher.

But an unforeseen tragedy means Dot must give up her place at college. Instead she resigns herself to becoming a lady’s companion to wealthy Mrs Humboldt, who is a difficult woman to please.

Accompanying Mrs H. to Eastbourne, Dot enters an intoxicating new world of cocktails, circuses and dance halls, a life far removed from her quiet Hampshire village. And soon this naïve country girl catches the eye of a sophisticated seducer . . .

Dot must quickly learn the ways of the world if she is to forge her own path, on her own terms. But in her single-minded pursuit of her career, is she in danger of missing out on love altogether?

Fans of Nadine Dorries, Rosie Goodwin, Dilly Court, Anna Jacobs, Tania Crosse and Dominic Luke will devour this emotional 1920s saga.

MY THOUGHTS:

Picking up several years after the end of the first book, this story begins in 1922 and centres around Kate's younger sister Dot. While it is part of a series, it suffices easily as a standalone. But if you enjoy one, chances are you will enjoy another...so why stop at one?

Life is slowly returning to normal after the Great War though with the shadow of all it left in its wake. After her time in service then the workhouse before returning home to Micklewell with a three month child in tow, Kate married Albert and is happily content as a farmer's wife. Now young Dot continues to focus on her dreams of becoming a teacher. Her studies have taken her to Chichester where she lodges in a boarding house, returning home in the holidays to see her family.

Her studies are seemingly cut short however when a tragic accident befalls the family leaving them in desperate need of help to make ends meet. With only one wage coming into the house, the family face some difficult choices particularly when Dot announces she is leaving her studies to take up employment to help out. The family won't hear of it but Dot will not be swayed. She finds work as a paid companion with a local wealthy woman, Mrs Humboldt, through her friendship with Mrs H's niece Miriam, to accompany her to Eastbourne. 

Dot's troubles are far from over when her family continue to need her placing her in a quandary, seeking advice from her mentor Miss Clarence. To continue her studies? Or to return home and find work? Added to that is her fledgling romance with William Martin. How can it possibly go anywhere when he works in Scotland and she will be returning to Micklewell? Not only that, teachers cannot be married...so therefore what would be the point? She calls on her friend Miriam for her advice but is met with the same resistance she herself feels.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE COUNTRY SISTERS though I must admit to being somewhat confused about the ages and the timeline which didn't seem to tally. The first book began in 1912 when Kate was 15 and Dot was referred to being 11, but then there was a reference to her being 7 at the time of Kate going into service. Fast forward to this book which begins in 1922, ten years later. There was a mention of when Kate gave birth to Ronnie around the same time their mother had their youngest sister Tilly and there was a reference to Kate's age being 24 while her mother was 46 at the time. But Kate was barely out of her teens when she had Ronnie, with the war still raging and then the Spanish flu. 1922 would see Kate as 25 now but the reference made it sound like she was 24 when she gave birth. It was all very confusing and not entirely clear. 

Some things that took place in the story I wondered what their point was as nothing really came of some of them so I didn't understand their need to be there. It almost gave an air of unfinished business of loose ends because those incidents had no resolution. They just happened and then...nothing. Two that come to mind took place on their sojourn to Eastbourne in Dot's capacity as a travelling companion to Mrs H. I didn't understand the point of their inclusion when nothing came of their incorporation.

These would be my only gripe with this story as it entirely enjoyable otherwise.

The story illustrates the strength of sisterly bonds, resilience, courage, friendship and self discovery. It also embodies the social divide between classes in the friendship between Dot and Miriam. Admittedly I was frustrated with Miriam on more than one occasion as she really had no grasp on the realities or struggles other people actually face, having grown up with a life of privilege. 

A thoroughly compelling and enjoyable read which I devoured (again) in one sitting.

I would like to thank #SallyTarpey, #Netgalley and #JoffeBooks for an ARC of #TheCountrySisters in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Sally was born in rural Hampshire and now lives close to the sea in Essex. She began writing short stories when she was a VSO volunteer in Cambodia and hasn’t stopped writing since. A retired teacher, she now volunteers with two community projects, her local community shop and an EAL support group. She is currently working on her second novel.

When she’s not writing, Sally can be found enjoying time with her family, striding out in her walking books, battling with weeds on her allotment or planning her next adventure.

 

REVIEW: Changing Times at Harpers by Rosie Clarke

Changing Times at Harpers (Harpers Emporium #7) by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Post-WW1

Read: 30th May 2023

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Published: 1st May 2023

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

London Spring 1920

Harpers is beginning to flourish once more after the end of the war but for Sally Harper the problems continue. Husband Ben is moody, sometimes distant, and she feels he is shutting her out at home and at work, but why? It takes a terrible tragedy to make them realise their love and respect is still true.

The ladies and girls who work at Harpers continue to battle with problems in their own lives.

Marion is still trying to reach her war-damaged husband and Lilly is battling with her pain and shame.

It’s a period of transition for all.

The doors of Harpers are busy welcoming new and returning staff whilst bidding a fond farewell to others. This is the beginning of a new era and there is a fresh buzz of excitement in the air.

MY THOUGHTS:

Once again we revisit the wonderful girls of Harpers Emporium in this seventh installment of this delightful series. With each book, I have come to love the women and almost feel I've become a part of each of their lives. We've seen many come and go, watched the changes that the war brought them, seen the havoc at home both as a result of the war and other factors. Though some of the original Harpers girls have married and moved on, they still feature from time to time throughout and still have a part to play in the story. The main focus in this installment are Sally, Marion and newcomers Andrea and Lilly.

It's 1920 and it's been two years since the end of the war and Sally almost succumbing to the Spanish flu after the birth of her son Peter. But having recovered fully she has returned to work at Harpers part time, dividing her time between the store and home. Now with rationing behind them, Sally is now able to enjoy ordering stock from abroad again and the shelves throughout Harpers are bulging with stock once more. Business is good and Ben, who has returned from his secret work with the War Office, is busying expanding Harpers and into the restaurant trade with Jack Burrows who has also returned from the Front and to his wife Beth, one of the original Harpers girls. And while she no longer works at the store, she still features throughout the story alongside Sally.

Now that the war is over, times are changing and no one wants to return to the way things used to be before the conflict began. Women had taken up positions previously occupied by men who had gone off to fight for King and country. But now they are being forced back into their previous roles as wives and mothers, their roles in keeping the country running now forgotten to make way for the returning menfolk. Some are happy to return to the home whilst others prefer to be out earning a wage. For those who are lucky enough to work at Harpers, Ben and Sally have always put the needs and happiness of their staff first. For the war widows who are also mothers, Harpers have a creche for them to be able to bring their children to work with them and be reassured in the knowledge that their children are being looked after while they provide for them.

The rise of the Suffragettes, or Women's Movement, is becoming more prominent once again now that the war is over, having paused their cause for the greater need at home of banding together. But now they have an even bigger following as women, now having a taste of independence during the war years, are now wanting to have more of a say and equality alongside their male counterparts. Whilst many men who have returned from the Front not only have physical wounds but they also carry the mental scars that being in such a brutal conflict brings. The psychological impact on those affected is being referred to as "shell shock".

Marion Jackson's husband Reggie, who was always so full of life and carefree, is one such afflicted with the mental scars of war. Since his return from the Front, he has been in a care home for the past two years and Marion longs to have him home again. But each time she visits him ends in tears with harsh words exchanged and Marion left wondering if Reggie will ever return to her. She still lives in the house she shared with her mother and siblings, still raising her youngest sister whilst caring for her young son Robbie, named for her brother who never returned. Her work at Harpers has seen her promoted to assistant window dresser alongside Mr Marco and her increase in wage allows her to go in part time whilst running a home as well.

We meet a couple of new faces in Andrea Martin, supervisor to the "hats, bags and jewellery" department, and assistant Lilly Ross. Andrea is a war widow and putting her teenage son through boarding school but is a lonely woman which often comes across as bitterness. Lilly is a younger version of Marion, having to care for her invalid mother and her younger siblings at home whilst working full time at Harpers to support them. However, she has caught the attention of Ben Harper and some of the other staff have noticed causing gossip to begin. But Ben saw such a sadness in Lilly's eyes that he couldn't help but want to do something more for her to help her situation...starting with a promotion to counters, much to the annoyance of Andrea Martin who felt the promotion should have been run by her first. Unfortunately, Ben's attention of Lilly has caused unwanted attention elsewhere, creating trouble for everyone involved. And Lilly also has some trouble of her own...

Meanwhile, Sally finds herself the target of some unpleasant business and sets out to get to the bottom of it and uncover the culprit. Mick O'Sullivan has returned to British shores with some unexpected wealth and bringing with a new venture. He waltzes into Harpers one day and sets out to charm a member of staff who takes instant offence at his cheek and inappropriate behaviour.

And then tragedy strikes when a sudden illness befalls one of their own. And only then does all involve realise with shock and devastation just how important and fragile life is. Family is important and Harpers is a family of sorts, looking out for and after each other.

As always, the Harpers series just gets better and better. I love how everyone is like a family and how they all band together. I actually love this series more than Ms Clarke's Mulberry Lane series which I also enjoy. There is just something about Harpers. I did however get increasingly frustrated with Lilly's constant self-blame of a situation over which she had no control. Yes, it was a common belief at the time but I felt it was unnecessarily rehashed at every opportunity. The only other flaw I found was in reference to the heir to the throne as Prince Edward. His name was David and he only took the name Edward when he became King, albeit for a short time before abdicating.

The main theme throughout this story is to highlight that times are changing. Women are no longer content to remain at home and, having had a taste of independence, they want more for themselves. And while the suffragettes are taking up the cause for women who are being forced back into their previous roles, we see the returning men aren't the same as the men who left for war. Times are certainly changing - for both Britain and Harpers.

This is a wonderful series and I have read each one of them since Book 3. I shall have to go back and re-read the first two, with the second one I didn't enjoy the first time round. I think that was because I hadn't read the first one and I felt like I had stepped into the middle of a conversation and felt completely lost because I knew no one. I look forward to going back to where it all began when I find the time. And I look forward to what's in store for the Harpers and their extended family of sorts next! I just wish we didn't have to wait so long...

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Rosie Clarke has been writing for several years and has written under various names for a variety of publishers.  She lives in Cambridgeshire, is happily married and enjoys life with her husband.  She likes to walk in the Spanish sunshine and eating out at favourite restaurants in Marbella is a favourite pastime, but writing is her passion.

Rosie loves shoes, especially those impossibly high heels you can buy and has a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choos but can't wear them so they sit on the mantlepiece.

Rosie also writes under the name of Anne Herries and Linda Sole.

 

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REVIEW: The Daughter's Promise by Kate Hewitt

The Daughter's Garden (The Goswell Quartet #2) by Kate Hewitt

Genre: Historical fiction, Contemporary fiction, Dual timeline, Post-WW1

Read: 13th November 2022

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Published: 17th November 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

“I had to free it,” Eleanor said, and stretched her hand out to the blue butterfly that seemed almost to hover in the air. “I had to let something find what happiness it could, since we cannot.”

England, 1918: As war ends, across the world, people are trying to heal and recover. But Eleanor still feels broken. The loss of her beloved brother, killed just days before the Armistice was signed, feels impossibly unjust. Spending her time in the neglected garden behind their house, she fears her heart will never recover.

Then her father hires a man to help restore the garden to its former glory. Gruff, handsome Yorkshireman Jack comes from a totally different world to Eleanor, but he understands the nature of her grief more than anyone else seems to. And as they spend time together, even though she knows her family will never accept someone of Jack’s class, Eleanor starts to wonder if – like the butterflies around them – there is any way for her to learn to soar again...

Now: Nearly one hundred years later, Marin is not prepared for finding herself the guardian of her fifteen-year-old half-sister Rebecca, after her father and his second wife are killed in a tragic accident. The sisters are practically strangers, and Rebecca’s grief makes her seem even more distant. Marin too is in need of a fresh start, so when Rebecca begs her to let them move to the picturesque village of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast, Marin impulsively agrees.

But it is only when they find a locked door to a secret garden, and a photograph of a girl with a butterfly landing on her hand, that the sisters start to realise they have a mystery to solve, one about war, about secrets, and about a love that could never be. A mystery that might just bring them together…

The Daughter’s Garden is a totally unputdownable novel about tragic secrets, the chance for forgiveness, and the healing that can come from a new start. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Rhys Bowen and Lucinda Riley.

This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Previously published as The Lost Garden by Katharine Swartz.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Kate Hewitt's delightful dual timeline tale THE DAUGHTER'S GARDEN.

“She wondered who would open this gate one day in the future. Another girl, another gardener? Would they fill it with flowers, even butterflies? She almost smiled to think of the garden being redeemed and loved again”.

West Cumberland, 1918: The Great War may be over but it has left many scars and many a family broken in its wake. It was meant to be over by Christmas in 1914 they said, but four long years later and nearly 900,000 lives lost, peace finally came to the world once again. But not for Eleanor Sanderson, the vicar's daughter and their family. Their son Walter, whom they were expecting home at any moment, became one of those casualties falling just days before the Armistice was signed. It hardly seemed fair.

But as soon as the telegram boy delivered the envelope with a look of sorrow on his face, Eleanor's mother had taken to her bed and she was left to break the news to her Grandmama in the adjoining Bower House, her father who was visiting parishioners and her sister Katherine who had spent the day in Carlisle sorting donations. Eleanor just wanted to fall in a crumpled heap but her grandmama said she needed to be strong for  her family...because she was the strongest of them all.

The loss of her brother left Eleanor feeling bereft and without purpose...that is, until she found a new purpose. To create a garden memorial in Walter's memory. And with the help of gardener Jack Taylor, Eleanor did just that, utilising the walled garden that had once served as a herb garden. And in the midst of it...a beautiful butterfly house.

But it seems, tragedy is never far away as the Spanish flu sweeps the world in the wake of the war, and Eleanor suddenly falls ill at a garden fete. Will she be strong enough to overcome the influenza and find peace again?

Goswell, present day: After her father and his wife are killed in a car accident, Marin returns from Boston to undertake the care of her 15 year old half sister Rebecca. As a break from their the mundaneness of their normal routine, the sisters take a trip north and find themselves in sleepy Goswell and falling in love with the unusual but charming Bower House. In a flash of impulsivity, they make a decision to uproot their lives in Hampshire and move to the sleepy little village.

It is chance for a fresh start for the both of them as they set to making Bower House their own. Leaving most of their modern furnishings in their Hampshire house which they have rented out, Marin and Rebecca set to purchasing old fashioned furnishings for their new home. They meet their neighbours in the Vicarage, the Hattons, who had moved from America 18 months before and Rebecca and their daughter Natalie soon become friends.

But it is the exploration of the gardens one day that saw the sisters come across a fastened gate with a rusted latch to a walled garden, that gave them new purpose. Rebecca was eager to discover what lay beyond the gate...a secret garden of sorts...while Marin was less enthused. And it wasn't until she saw the hurt on Rebecca's face at her dismissal of it just being a garden full of brambles, that Marin realised what this idea really meant to her sister.

And soon Marin finds herself delving into the lost garden beyond the walls and rusted latch, and with the help of landscape gardener Joss, finds new meaning and purpose whilst searching its history and the woman in a photo who had once sought meaning and purpose within the very same walls.

THE DAUGHTER'S GARDEN is the second in the Goswell Quartet series and is a pure delight to read. I think I enjoyed it more than the first one as I think the characters were more likeable too. I loved the fact that those who featured in the previous book are also mentioned in part in this one too, which goes some way to linking the stories despite them being separate from each other. Such as the neighbours in the Vicarage who were front and centre in the first book and the Sandersons who are the focus this time around were merely mentioned in the first also. I love how Hewitt ties them all together and I hope she continues to do so through the remaining two books.

A gentle story with a steady pace, THE DAUGHTER'S GARDEN is about grief and loss and the overcoming of it. In both timelines, the main characters - Eleanor as well as Marin and Rebecca - have lost someone and while they feel very differently about their losses, they both need to find a purpose to give their lives meaning once again. I love how both women's stories, a hundred years apart, intersect with one another despite not being in the slightest way related. What does bind them is the lost garden of Bower House.

I love dual timelines and Kate Hewitt blends the present with the past beautifully. Both stories play out beautifully with an unexpected ending. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Goswell and I fear I will miss it once I have finished the final book.

Overall, a pure delight to read. Perfect for fans of dual timelines.

I would like to thank #KateHewitt, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheDaughtersGarden in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.

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REVIEW: A Village in the Country by Elaine Spires

A Village in the Country by Elaine Spires

Genre: Historical fiction, Post-war, Sagas

Read: 22nd October 2021

Goodreads

Amazon - UK

Amazon - US

Published: 18th August 2021

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

It’s November 1918 and the whole nation comes together to give thanks for the end of a bloody world war that has left few families unscathed.  More than seven hundred thousand men have perished; those fortunate enough to return are mere shadows of the men who left.  Women who have kept the country going by working in munitions factories and picking fruit and vegetables on farms and in market gardens are expected to give up their jobs to the men returning home.  In the peaceful Essex village of Dagenham Milly Brightwell is among the women who are not happy at having to take a step back in peacetime as she dreams and makes plans of becoming her own boss.

But just as life returns to post-war normal, the London County Council announces its plans to build more than twenty-five thousand Homes for Heroes on the farmland and countryside surrounding Dagenham.  Within the space of ten years the population will rocket to a hundred thousand people and the quiet country village will morph into the largest housing estate in Europe.  For the families in Dagenham Village looking forward to better times in the 1920s, life will never be the same again.

MY REVIEW:

A delightful well-written story set in the village of Dagenham after the end of the Great War, A VILLAGE IN THE COUNTRY centres on the lives of three women - Milly, Maudie and Elsie and their respective families. It's a time of great change as village grows from the quiet peaceful place they grew up in to a small bustling town by the thirties. No one could foresee the changes that were coming...and coming they did.

As the story begins, the war is coming to an end though it hasn't left the village or its families unscathed. Maudie's husband Jim died at the Front, leaving her to bring up her five children, while Elsie's husband Clive and son "Viking" were missing in action. 

Milly is in her early 20s and taking care of her father Leonard who has a disabled arm and her younger sister Lou's 15 month old baby daughter Ethel much of the time. But Milly wanted more from life. She wanted to run her own business and become a success. She didn't intend working ina factory all her life, not especially since the menfolk were returning and reclaiming their jobs leaving the women who kept the country running for the past four years out of a job and back in the kitchens. When her time comes and she finds herself out of work, she decides to set herself up in business and approaches Elsie, the local seamstress, with an offer too good to refuse.

Maudie has had to work hard to keep a roof over her children's heads, picking fruit and vegetables at the Williams' market gardens mostly. Godfrey Williams is a kind and gentle man and with the untimely death of his sister Delia on Armistice Day, he needed a housekeeper and someone to keep his books. He offered Maudie the job and with it the cottage on his land for her family which she accepted gladly.

Elsie thrives in her new job as seamstress for Milly's growing business "Brightwell's Bridal Gowns" whilst her daughter Violet has a knack for upcycling old furniture her brother Alfie brings home. When word reaches Elsie that Viking has been found recovering in a hospital in London a year after the war's end, she couldn't be happier. And after a time of convalescence he returns home where he picks up his trade of totting and collecting bits and bobs of furniture for Violet to upcycle.

But changes are coming to Dagenham which will see the once quiet and peaceful village turn into a small thriving town as the councils come together to build several thousands of homes for families escaping London after the war. We watch the lives of these women and their families change with the times as they marry and have families of their own. 

But deep in this little village some secrets are buried...some to never see the light of day. Whilst some are too big to live with...

A VILLAGE IN THE COUNTRY is a compelling story with historical details of the changes that Dagenham saw between the two wars. It was a delightfully easy read which I found to be heartwarming and engrossing. It does take a little to get your head around the characters and their families at first but once you do, you find yourself completely immersed within the story.

I did find it interesting that there are no chapters in this book as such. But each are separated by month and year, some of which were lengthy, but are easily broken up within as the story flips between characters at each particular moment in time. It didn't detract from the story at all, but rather enhanced it. Also included is a little bit of a mystery which threw in a bit of a twist at the end.

If you like historical fiction and post-war sagas, I am sure you will enjoy the easy pace of A VILLAGE IN THE COUNTRY and I have no hesitation in recommending it.

I would like to thank #ElaineSpires, #Netgalley and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #AVillageInTheCountry in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright, actress and theatre director.  In spite of travelling intensively and living in several countries - Spain, Greece and Antigua - she remains a proud Dagenham Girl and in 2017 returned to her roots.  Elaine developed an eye for the quirky characteristics of people as she travelled, captivating the humorous observations she now affectionately shares with her readers in all her books.  As well as the books listed below, Elaine has written several one-act plays and also the stage adaptation of her novel Singles’ Holiday which was performed at the Brentwood Theatre by Melabeau Productions.  She wrote the Antiguan TV Series Paradise View for HAMA TV and Films and in 2019 her short film (co-written with Veronique Christie) Only the Lonely won the Gaucho Club Best Short Film Award and two silver awards at WOFFF (Women Over Fifty Film Festival) in the same year.

Elaine hopes you will enjoy looking further back in time with this book, to an era when Dagenham was simply A Village in the Country.  

Also by Elaine Spires and available in paperback and on Kindle from amazon.co.uk

What’s Eating Me

Sweet Lady

Singles’ Holiday

Singles and Spice

Single All The Way

Singles At Sea

Singles, Set and Match

The Single Best Thing

The Banjo Book One

The Banjo Book Two

You Never See Rainbows At Christmas 

Weak At The Knees & The Christmas Queen (novellas)

Holiday Reads & Holiday Reads 2 (short story collections)

 

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