REVIEW: Victory for the Foyles Bookshop Girls by Elaine Roberts

Victory for the Foyles Bookshop Girls (The Foyles Bookshop Girls #3) by Elaine Roberts

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Read: 10th July 2025

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Amazon

Published: 10th July 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

London, 1918: the war in Europe may be drawing to an end, but there are new challenges for the Foyles bookshop girls.

As their dreams of the war ending look like they might finally come true, the girls of London’s Foyles bookshop allow themselves to look forward to a brighter future.

But their hopes may be shattered when news of a terrible flu that is gripping the world reaches London, and the girls realise they are not out of danger yet. Meanwhile, they have their own challenges to face when Alice discovers her father has been living a double life; Victoria’s beloved husband Ted struggles to adjust to life after the trenches; and the secret Molly has been keeping finally comes to light.

But, working side-by-side in London’s Foyles bookshop, Alice, Victoria and Molly have become more like sisters than friends. And together, they can brave any storm.

As London faces its toughest year yet, will the Foyles bookshop girls make it through to victory together?

MY THOUGHTS:

Will their families be whole again this Christmas...?

London 1918: It's July and there are whispers that the war could be over soon. It couldn't come quick enough for friends Alice, Victoria and Molly and their respective other halves - all of whom had served and left with the scars of the battlefront. But Foyles is a place of refuge where the girls find solace but find others do too. And in these times, they find they need that solace now more than ever.

Alice has come across a secret that she was never meant to discover - an unposted letter and a photo hidden in a book. But now she has and she is wondering what to do with that knowledge. But before she can confront the other party and telling no one, not even her own policeman husband Freddie, she decides she needs to gather whatever information she has and find out for herself the validity of this secret. And whether she is mistaken, imagining it or it isn't true at all. Only then will she face whatever truth she finds.

Victoria has been in love with Ted Marsden ever since she was sixteen and he a handsome soldier. But Ted has returned home with battlescars that no one can see. The nightmares, the terrors, the fear of being bombed or attacked as real as if he were still on the battlefield. It is what doctors are calling shell shock and many veterans are suffering similar experiences. But Victoria has only ever wanted to marry Ted and as their wedding day approaches, she isn't feeling as if it can go ahead. All she wants to be is Mrs Ted Marsden. But is it too late for them?

Molly harbours her own secret. She has been feeling sick and lightheaded and fears she maybe coming down with something until she realises she is more than likely pregnant. But this brings with more fear. How will Andrew cope with a child, with his own terrors from the front still fresh in his mind? And how can she bring a child into this world while war rages? But time is not on her side; this baby is coming whether she is ready for it or not. But will it be welcome news?

And then they are hit with an unseen enemy which began in the trenches and has begun to spread worldwide - the Spanish flu. Reading through that time was reminiscent of when we more recently endured the COVID pandemic - the hygiene, face masks, disinfecting everything, staying home and even closing up businesses.

This is a relatively quick read that I devoured in a day, despite the plethora of stories within its pages. I somehow missed the second book but it didn't really matter as each can be read as a standalone anyway, with their own stories to tell. I've summarised just the basics but even that barely touches the surface.

Another enjoyable read by Elaine Roberts and the setting of the bookshop is just perfect - where everyone finds solace.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Elaine Roberts had a dream to write for a living. She completed her first novel in her twenties and received her first very nice rejection. Life then got in the way until circumstances made her re-evaluate her life, and she picked up her dream again in 2010. She joined a creative writing class, The Write Place, in 2012 and shortly afterwards had her first short story published. She was thrilled when many more followed and started to believe in herself. 

As a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and The Society of Women Writers & Journalists, Elaine attends many conferences, workshops, seminars and wonderful parties. Meeting other writers gives her encouragement, finding most face similar problems. 

Elaine and her patient husband, Dave, have five children who have flown the nest. Home is in Dartford, Kent and is always busy with their children, grandchildren, grand dogs and cats visiting. Without her wonderful family and supportive friends, she knows the dream would never have been realised.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

 

Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel (The Beach Hotel #5) by Francesca Capaldi

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Read: 15th June 2025

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Amazon

Published: 5th June 2025

**Due to falling sick I was unable to read and review this book in time for my date of the tour - 9th June.**

DESCRIPTION:

A new arrival at the Beach Hotel spells trouble

Chambermaid Fanny is thanking her lucky stars she has had a second chance at life. As an unmarried mother, it could have been very different and she is happy.

But when new maid, Susie, arrives at the Beach Hotel, it isn't long before sparks fly. Susie begins to meddle in Fanny's friendships and even in her budding romance with Walter, an American working at the aerodrome.

Meanwhile, a flu epidemic starts to spread and as more people fall ill, the hotel is forced to close.

Matters come to a head when Susie plots to reveal secrets about Fanny that could spell her ruin.

Can the hotel and the hardworking women who run it survive?

An uplifting, emotional WW1 saga perfect for fans of Ginny Bell and Jean Fullerton

MY THOUGHTS:

She has a second chance...now she she might lose everything...

Are we on Book 5 already? This has to be one of my favourite series and the setting is just superb - on the West Sussex coast of Littlehampton in the stunning Beach Hotel on the waterfront promenade. Throughout this series, we have seen the comings and goings as war was declared and the men shipped off to the Front with the women remaining to keep the home fires burning. And in this case, the Beach Hotel running. Each story is a standalone but to get the bigger picture of all involved, I do recommend reading the whole series.

1918: War has been raging in Europe for four years now and at last it looks as though the end is in sight. For Fanny (Francine) Bullen, head chambermaid at the Beach Hotel, it couldn't come quick enough. But that in itself brings its own drawbacks for young Fanny.

We first met Fanny as a young girl of 18 having left the workhouse in which she called home for eleven years and gaining employment as a maid (I can't remember which position she held back then). She was a rough diamond as life in the workhouse had been tough and you had to be tough to survive. But at the Beach Hotel, she had found she'd been given a second chance and after seven years she looked upon them all as a family. This was none so more true than when two years ago she found herself in the very difficult position of being pregnant, unmarried and abandoned by the baby's father. She had tried to hide her pregnancy for as long as she could, though even she wasn't aware of it for six months, but her family at the hotel were warm and welcoming of both her circumstances and the new baby she gave birth to alone in a storage cupboard.

Now two years later, the old Fanny is but a shadow of who she'd once been and now she has been given this second chance to start again. No one need know who little Elsie's father was. As far as anyone else was concerned, she'd lost him in the war. After all, so many lives had indeed been lost - why not him?

And then along the waterfront one day Fanny met Walter, an American who'd been tasked with helping to build the new aerodrome in nearby Rustington. Before long, the pair were arranging their afternoons off to coincide with the other so as to spend them together. But just as things begin to look on the up for young Fanny, her new-found happiness looks to be ruined with an unknown enemy in her midst.

Susie Shorn knew Fanny from the workhouse but she swore her to secrecy in menacing undertone. The last thing Susie wanted as people sticking their noses into her business. Of course, that didn't stop her from sticking her nose into theirs - that was quite a different matter altogether. Upon gaining the position of chambermaid, she was loathed to discover that she was to be working under Fanny whom she saw was no better than she was what with her past coming from the workhouse. Susie couldn't see what made Fanny any better than her - or why she deserved any better than she did. She listened at keyholes, in doorways and on the stairs, hoping to pick up any interesting tidbits that could be used to her advantage. And anything she could do to bring the snooty Fanny back down to size, pretending to be something she's not. She drove wedges between friends and set her sights on something better for herself - and all the while, she enjoyed every minute of havoc and heartbreak she created whilst pretending to be a friend. But then she made an error of judgement that she thought would mean a big payday for her to clear out and start somewhere new where no one knew her, but she wasn't as clever as she thought.

Meanwhile, it looks as though the war was indeed nearing its end and for Fanny that meant heartbreak as Walter would surely return home to America and she feared she would never see him again. And with the Spanish Flu striking so many down, how will they all survive? And will Fanny get her happy ever after?

There was so much going on in this book - from the war to the Spanish Flu to Fanny's romance with Walter to the unscrupulous Susie. But I enjoyed every minute of it and it was refreshing to hear Fanny's story at last. She's always been in the background as a troubled young girl from the workhouse. She has certainly grown over the course of the books into a lovely young woman. I was happy the book ended the way it did and not up in the air as it could well have. At least we got closure for those involved. And it was a wonderful story.

So we've had Edie, Lili, Helen, Hetty and now Fanny (I much prefer the name Francine) - I think it's Gertie's turn next and I would be interested to see what lay in store for her. And if she continues with the women's football now that the war is over. Already looking forward to the next one.

I would like to thank #FrancescaCapaldi, #Netgalley, #HeraBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #StormySkiesAtTheBeachHotel in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing, Sussex, and brought up in Littlehampton, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was brilliant at improvised story telling.

A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.

​Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had numerous short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, as well as in anthologies. Four pocket novels have been published by DC Thomson, one of which, Danger for Daisy, is available as an ebook.

Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of her great grandfather's war record.  They are published by Hera Books

​She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. 

Francesca currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Social media links:

Wesbite | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

SPOTLIGHT: Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

Stormy Skies at the Beach Hotel (The Beach Hotel #5) by Francesca Capaldi

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 5th June 2025

**Due to falling sick I have been unable to read and review this book in time for my date of the tour. I will review it as soon as I have finished reading just as soon as I recover from my bout of flu.**

DESCRIPTION:

A new arrival at the Beach Hotel spells trouble

Chambermaid Fanny is thanking her lucky stars she has had a second chance at life. As an unmarried mother, it could have been very different and she is happy.

But when new maid, Susie, arrives at the Beach Hotel, it isn't long before sparks fly. Susie begins to meddle in Fanny's friendships and even in her budding romance with Walter, an American working at the aerodrome.

Meanwhile, a flu epidemic starts to spread and as more people fall ill, the hotel is forced to close.

Matters come to a head when Susie plots to reveal secrets about Fanny that could spell her ruin.

Can the hotel and the hardworking women who run it survive?

An uplifting, emotional WW1 saga perfect for fans of Ginny Bell and Jean Fullerton

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing, Sussex, and brought up in Littlehampton, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who was brilliant at improvised story telling.

A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.

​Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had numerous short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, as well as in anthologies. Four pocket novels have been published by DC Thomson, one of which, Danger for Daisy, is available as an ebook.

Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of her great grandfather's war record.  They are published by Hera Books

​She is a member of the Romantic Novelists' Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. 

Francesca currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.

Social media links:

Wesbite | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Troubled Times at Harpers by Rosie Clarke

Troubled Times at Harpers (Harpers Emporium #9) by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas

Read: 27th May 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Trouble’s brewing and times are changing. If you play with fire you may just get burnt!

London 1929

Torn between the love of his family life in London and a deathbed promise to an American relative, Ben Harper makes a fatal decision that may change the course of many lives.

Honour-bound, Ben remains in New York to investigate who is responsible for the suspected fraud, corruption and the department store's failings. His findings point towards organised crime and shadowy gangsters who will stop at nothing to get what they want.

Meanwhile Sally Harper and their children safely return home to oversee the smooth running of the thriving Harpers Emporium. With the help of Beth Burrows, Kitty Wilson, and Ruby Rush, Sally plans for an ever-changing future with the cards she’s been dealt.

Will Ben heed the deadly warnings before it’s too late or will his honourable promise bring despair to those he loves?

A tale of hope, dreams and survival set against an ever-changing era.

Perfect for fans of Lizzie Lane, Pam Howes and Dilly Court.

MY THOUGHTS:

Another delightful installment to the Harpers Emporium series although I found this one a little slower off the mark than previous ones in which I easily dived and devoured. It is still a fairly quick and easy read though it feels as though so many have come and gone with only a few of the originals left. I normally eagerly await a Harpers book but this one didn't feel as though it hit all the marks as previous ones. But that could just be me too.

The years is 1929 and Ben's aunt has summoned him back to America to take over her affairs during the course of her illness and in the event of her subsequent death. This of course takes him away from London and Harpers, though the latter is left in Sally's capable hands. She has promoted Kitty Wilson as her assistant and taken on a new secretary Ruby Rush.

Meanwhile Beth has new neighbours but there is something familiar about them but she isn't quite sure. She continues her several mornings work at Harpers whilst caring for her husband Jack, children and father in law Fred whom she has encouraged to return to Harpers on a part time basis since the loss of his wife.

Sally is busy running a household and the store, along with her many charities she patronises. A face from her past returns with some sobering news but is on hand to offer her assistance should she need it. Meanwhile she has her hands full with children Jenny and Peter and the ever-changing future before her. She hates being separated from Ben but he is honour-bound and hopes that they will soon be reunited.

There is love on the horizon for one or two of the Harpers girls but will anything come of it? And yet, troubled times are ahead of them. Will those concerned heed the warnings before it's too late? 

Unlike many previous books, Harpers features more of a backdrop than the feature but that's OK because the store is well established and is the heartbeat of all those who are employed there and those who walk through its doors. This is one of my favourite series and can't wait to see what's in store for them next. I'm especially interested in Ruby's story. And I did like that this one did not end on a cliffhanger.

I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TroubledTimesAtHarpers 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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PUBLISHER:

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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: The Riverside Maid by AnneMarie Brear

The Riverside Maid (The Waterfront Women #3) by AnneMarie Brear

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, Victorian era

Read: 20th March 2025

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Amazon

Published: 20th March 2025

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

From rags to riches... but will happiness follow?

Orphaned as a child, Fliss Atkins has spent her life working at her uncle’s pub, The Bay Horse Inn, nestled along the banks of the River Calder. Life has been anything but easy for Fliss. Her aunt is unloving, and her older cousin Gerald is cruel.

Then she meets Oscar Nolan, whose adventurous spirit makes her wonder if there might be more to life beyond the only home she’s known. Could Oscar and his dreams of travel be her chance at a fresh start? The thought is tempting, but leaving her best friends, Lorrie and Meg, and their beloved families behind seems unimaginable.

When tragedy strikes, Fliss is presented with an unexpected opportunity to shape a new life for herself. But will new riches bring her the happiness she longs for, or will it lead to even greater troubles for this riverside maid?

A compelling and emotional read set in Victorian Yorkshire, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Rosie Goodwin.

MY THOUGHTS:

From rags to riches...but will happiness follow...?

What a delightful rags to riches story this is! Felicity "Fliss" Atkins was orphaned from a a young age and taken in by her uncle Terry, landlord and owner of the Bay Horse public house, on the banks of the River Calder. Over the years, trade from the river has slowed as steam trains have taken over the carrying of cargo across land leaving the narrowboats often without work. The Bay Horse is a working man's pub in which the dockers from the wharf drink at the end of a long day.

But for Fliss, life has been anything but easy. Orphaned at a young age, her uncle's family didn't want her and her cousin Gerald made her life a misery, while her aunt Hilda remained cold and aloof. As she grew into adulthood, Gerald's torture never waned and her aunt treated her like a skivvy. Only her uncle had any love for her. And then there were her friends Meg and Lorrie, whom she befriended when Meg used to work behind the bar before marrying wealthy Christian Henderson. But the friendships formed between the three women remained.

Now at 25 years of age, as she watched her two friends happily married with young children of their own, Fliss wonders if there will ever be someone special for her. She thinks not as her aunt as always been at pains to say she is nothing special and Gerald taunts her mercilessly about her ugly looks. Who would want a redheaded orphan without a bean to her name?

Then one day she meets Oscar Nolan, a young surveyor measuring up the vacant building adjoining the Bay Horse. What had once been an old shop was to be sold and Fliss couldn't help but wonder how much the asking price was. She had often regaled her ideas of expansion into the adjoining building to her uncle but he was happy keeping things as they are. But a twist of fate sees her holding the keys as she begins work on expanding the Bay Horse into an Inn in which travellers can rest with beer, food and lodgings. But not everyone is happy with how things have played out and Fliss soon finds herself in danger.

When Fliss finds Oscar Nolan stopping by one day to ask her to go for a walk, she dares to dream of stepping out with a man. But what would someone as dashing and adventurous as him want with an old maid like her? And yet Oscar continues to visit, even melting aunt Hilda's ice cold heart. The couple are attracted to each other and soon Fliss begins to dream of the possibilities. But when she discovers Oscar has a job offer that will take him away from her, Fliss wonders if she could bare to let him go.

Set in the late 1800s towards the end of the old Queen's reign, this delightful tale rounds off those of the Waterfront Women that we have come to know and love in each of their respective stories. As with all sagas of this time kind, there is plenty love, heartache and tragedy to go round as well as a heartwarming ending to round things off.

Despite this being the obvious end to the series, I would love to see what's in store next for the women in sunnier climes. It would shed a different light and perspective on life and I would love to see it play out...should it do so.

Another delightful tale at the pen of AnneMarie Brear.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

AnneMarie Brear was born in a small town in N.S.W. Australia, to English parents from Yorkshire, and is the youngest of five children. From an early age she loved reading, working her way through the Enid Blyton stories, before moving onto Catherine Cookson’s novels as a teenager. 

Living in England during the 1980s and more recently, AnneMarie developed a love of history from visiting grand old English houses and this grew into a fascination with what may have happened behind their walls over their long existence. 

Her enjoyment of visiting old country estates and castles when travelling and, her interest in genealogy and researching her family tree, has been put to good use, providing backgrounds and names for her historical novels which are mainly set in Yorkshire or Australia between Victorian times and WWII. 

A long and winding road to publication led to her first novel being published in 2006. She has now published over twenty-seven historical family saga novels, becoming an Amazon UK best seller and with her novel, The Slum Angel, winning a gold medal at the USA Reader's Favourite International Awards in 2019, and a silver medal for The Market Stall Girl in 2021. Two of her books have been nominated for the Romance Writer’s Australia Ruby Award and the In’dtale Magazine Rone award.

AnneMarie now lives in the Southern Highlands of N.S.W. Australia with her husband and her family.

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

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REVIEW: The Pick Pocket's Return by Lindsey Hutchinson

The Pick Pocket's Return (Pick Pocket #3) by Lindsey Hutchinson

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas

Read: 15th March 2025

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Amazon

Published: 12th March 2025

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Abandoned, penniless and orphaned as young children, Bertram and Alice saved each other from a terrible fate.

For seven long years they have been kept apart, Bertram, BJ to his friends, learning how to survive and then thrive in the penal colonies of Australia, and Alice growing her prosperous chain of bakeries in the Black Country town of Wednesbury.

Now BJ’s sentence is nearly up and he has a choice to make. Queen Victoria’s England has changed since he’s been away and so has Alice. Should he leave behind the life he’s built and face the terrifying, months-long voyage back home?

The memory of the boy who saved her from starvation by teaching her how to pick pockets has sustained Alice for all these years and now he may be coming back to her. Can Alice and BJ finally get their happy ending or does fate have other plans for the pickpocket orphans?

The Queen of Black Country sagas is back with an unforgettable story of friendship and bravery, heartbreak and joy. Perfect for all fans of Katie Flynn, Val Wood and Lyn Andrews.

MY THOUGHTS:

Can she finally get her happy ending? Or does fate have other plans?

The third and, I assume, final book in the Pick Pocket's trilogy sees Alice and BJ's tale come to a close. I was sad to say goodbye to them as I had come to know and love them and all their friends.

Alice met BJ when he saved her from a terrible fate and took her under his wing. He taught her to pick pockets, to scavenge and to make the best of it on the streets of Wednesbury. They set up a camp of sorts on the heath where they ate and slept until fate ripped them apart when BJ was caught breaking into a house (though he never stole anything). Still, he was sentenced to seven years transportation to the penal colonies of Australia. And boy, was he in for a shock when he set foot on the dry and arid land. The heat was relentless and like nothing he had ever known. 

Meanwhile Alice had been taken in by a couple who used to take pity on the air and feed them leftovers from their bakery. The Greens taught her everything they knew and gave her a home in which she felt safe and loved. But then fate came knocking once again and a fire tore through the bakery from which Alice escaped but the Greens were not so lucky. 

Both had been dealt harsh hands in life but they rose above their circumstances and made the best of things. For BJ, that meant knuckling down an enduring the harsh Australian heat while for Alice, she continued to scavenge and pick pocket until she decided to open her own bakery. After all, the Greens taught her everything they knew. And her bakery thus became the talk of Wednesbury which enabled her to expand into a thriving chain of several bakeries. As for BJ, he was lucky with his sentence in that the cattle station (not ranch, as we don't call them that but stations) he was working on was a fair place to be. The owner, Mac, took BJ under his wing and over the seven years of his sentence there, he had risen to overseer and was well-liked and well-respected amongst the men. Mac looked on him as a son while for BJ, he was the father he never had. He had even learnt to read and write, receiving an education whilst there. Thus enabling him to write to Alice and read her letters to him.

Now the seven years are nearly up and both Alice and BJ are counting down the days till his release. But BJ has made a life for himself - will he want to return to England and give up the land he has come to love?  And Alice, she so desperately wants to see BJ again, but will he want to return? Their lives have changed so much since they last saw one another...will they still recognise the other after all this time? They were barely 13 years old when they were separated and now they are adults with wealth in their own right. Now that their pick pocketing days are behind them, will they fall into their easy friendship once again? That is, assuming, BJ returns at all. Alice has no idea and lives with the hope that he will but fears the land he was sent to as punishment, the land he has come to love, will keep him there.

I assume that this is the end of the line for our pick pocketing friends, but I would love to know what's in for them beyond this. However, the ending is satisfactory enough as it stands should the story not continue. There were tears at the appropriate moments and as such an easy read that it is, I devoured it in one sitting last night.

Another enjoyable foray into the Black Country via Lindsey Hutchinson's pen and I enjoyed my stay there, as I generally do. Her books are nice quick easy reads which once you start, you don't want to put down but don't want to finish either. As always, I look forward to more by the author.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Lindsey Hutchinson was born and raised in Wednesbury, West Midlands and is a bestselling saga author whose novels include The Workhouse Children. Tying up the manuscripts for her her mother, the multi-million selling Meg Hutchinson, rekindled her love for storytelling and it seems she was always destined to follow in her footsteps.

Lindsey lives in Shropshire with her husband and Labrador, loves to read and enjoys photography.

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REVIEW: Family Matters at Blackberry Farm by Rosie Clarke

Family Matters at Blackberry Farm (Blackberry Farm #4) by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW2

Read: 31st January 2025

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Published: 1st February 2025

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

The war continues to touch everyone’s lives and loves on Blackberry Farm.

Cambridgeshire – 1943

As Spring blossoms, it seems love is in the air. 21-year-old, John Talbot dreams of a world not at war, where he can be a father to his young son Jonny and have a wife by his side. But is nurse Lucy Ross the woman for him?

When brothers Tom and John are recalled to active service, Artie is left to look after the farm. But tragedy strikes at the very heart of the family, when Arthur peacefully passes and John is reported missing in action. Pam, is left grief-stricken and fearing the worst with John lost at sea – has John’s luck finally run out?

Pam’s eldest Tom, returns home injured to convalesce and help a disgruntled Artie with the farm. But when the brothers become embroiled in a dreadful fight that could ruin several of the Talbot’s lives, it’s up to Tom to protect what they hold dear.

With an uncertain future there are trials and tribulations ahead for the Talbots in this continuing bestselling saga.

Perfect for fans of Lizzie Lane, Fenella J Miller and Patricia McBride

MY THOUGHTS:

As always, it was lovely to return to Talbolt family fold at Blackberry Farm in rural Cambridgeshire. I have thoroughly enjoyed every book in this series and watched the characters develop and grow as war rages in Europe, taking with it many young men.

It's now 1943 and the war is at its height and at last it feels as if Britain and her Allies are gaining the upper hand at last. Maybe by next Christmas it will all be over. Who knows? But one thing's for sure...something big is brewing; and it is bound to change the course of the hostilities once and for all.

At Blackberry Farm, however, it's almost as if the war has not reached them there but for the young men off fighting or those that have been lost. Not to mention the airfield running adjacent to the farm itself, having once belonged to the Talbolts and sold to the RAF. Life is quiet and it goes on, whatever the war holds. 

Tom and Lizzie have barely spent any of their married life together, but long enough to produce young Arthur who is now toddling and saying a few words. John's little Jonny, only a few months older than Arthur, is thriving while his father courts a young nurse named Lucy. She agrees to marry him and the couple plan to marry in the Autumn after Lucy has served her 6 months abroad as a nurse in a field hospital. But fate has other plans for the couple.

Artie and Jeanie recently married and farm the land at Blackberry Farm. But now that Jeanie has discovered she is with child, she can no longer do the heavy work and so they apply for some new Land Girls to take her place. Susan has gained a place at teacher's college but has some trouble along the way. Only Angela finds herself adrift with her sister away and everyone having their places in life. She wants to leave school and become a farmer's wife.

And then, just as they start to find their feet again, tragedy strikes the family once again...

Once again, there is so much going on in this book that I have barely scratched the surface. Suffice to say, it will leave you wanting to read the next installment with how it ended, wondering how it will all pan out.

Rosie Clarke is a go to author I always enjoy and I look forward to rejoining the Talbolts in Pam's warm and inviting kitchen once again soon.

I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #FamilyMattersAtBlackberryFarm 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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