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:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Goodreads

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

Goodreads

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: The Girls who Dared to Love by Diney Costeloe

The Girls who Dared to Love (Girls Who Dared #2) by Diney Costeloe

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 13th May 2025

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Amazon

Published: 5th September 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Three girls seem to have the world at their feet in the summer of 1914. But World War I is coming and things will change forever – especially for women.

Debutante Lucinda McFarlane is engaged to be married to Major Sir David Melcome, but their society wedding has to be scaled right down when war is declared and David is recalled to his regiment.

Mabel Oakley, once a maid for the McFarlanes, has inherited Thomas Clarke's printing works, but an unexpected turn of events leaves her at the mercy of her father's old enemy, solicitor John Sheridan. What can she do?

Lady Diana Fosse-Bury is incredibly beautiful and reckless. When war is declared she immediately wants to be in the thick of it. Can her budding romance with Lucinda McFarlane's brother Iain survive the Western front?

With war coming, the destinies of these three girls will soon be entwined forever, but only if they dare to love in the face of the dangers ahead of them.

MY THOUGHTS:

The world is their oyster, but war is coming...

London 1914: Once the McFarlane's maid, Mabel Oakley now owns and runs her own printing business which she had inherited from dear friend Thomas Clarke. But the world is still very much a man's one and for the sake of propriety she has retained the business name "Thomas Clarke, Printer". Along with the business, Mabel was also bequeathed a house far bigger than that which her family lived in on Cockspur Lane. So it went without saying that the family moved to her new home where her father would have more room to move about in his wheelchair, gifted to them by the late Mr Clarke.

It also meant each had their own room - and with room to spare! So when her father Andrew's nurse Dorothy Finch told them she had a notice to vacate her home of 30 years within seven days, Mabel didn't think twice about offering he the unused rooms on the top floor. But Mabel's generosity didn't end there. Along the way, she also picked up another couple of waifs and strays and offered them a place to stay for the foreseeable. One of them being her old schoolfriend Annie after she lost her husband at the Front. Life was good for Mabel. William still came calling, with an understanding that she was not yet ready to settle down but he came biding his time and safe in the knowledge that they had an understanding.

Until Mabel meets Charlie "Chas" Sheridan, son of her father's former employer John Sheridan. And that was when Mabel really knew what love was. But the hostilities between her father and John Sheridan would thus make any relationship between them difficult, if not impossible. Would they find a way to somehow be together?

Lucinda McFarlane was preparing for her introduction to society with her first London season whilst her mother hoped for a suitable husband for her daughter, preferably a Duke. But when Lucinda met Major Sir David Melcome it was love at first sight for the couple. However, Sir David's reputation preceded him in that he flirted but never settled and her mother was against the match. But in Lucinda, Sir David had found his match and looked no further. And so with her father Sir Keir's blessing, a wedding was planned to coincide with Lucinda's 18th birthday. But when Sir David received word that he was to rejoin his regiment and head to France, the wedding was brought forward to become an intimate one at their country seat - not the lavish London society wedding that Lady McFarlane had planned. Still, the couple enjoyed a six day honeymoon at his country retreat in Buckinghamshire before he left for France. Lucy missed her husband terribly, but the couple wrote often, and hoped that the war would end soon.

The lives of both women do no cross again as they had in the first novel but they do run alongside one another, along with a growing storyline involving Iain, Lucinda's brother, who had up until now always held a torch for Mabel. Until he met Lady Diana Fosse-Bury who was a match for his own wit and recklessness. Definitely not someone his mother would approve of. Iain continued to hold Mabel in high regard and was even on hand when she asked for his advice on a matter concerning her trust left to her by the late Mr Clarke.

When I received this book I had no idea it was the second in the series so I promptly sought out the first one and read that one and then this one. Having never read Diney Costeloe before I was not disappointed. She has most certainly been added to my list of go-to historical authors. I love the era this novel is set before women came into their own but were beginning to stand up regardless. And the naivety of those concerning the war that was about to change all their lives.

This tale was one that gave you all the heartwarming emotions and the not-so-pleasant ones when faced with certain characters. You cry tears of joy and heartache along with Mabel and Lucinda, both of whom we get to know more. While it doesn't feature the servants quite as much as the first one since Mabel left the McFarlane's employ, it still has that Downton Abbey-esque vibe which makes the story all the more heartwarming.

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment spent with Mabel, Chas, Lucinda and David and those around them. There is certainly more to their story and hope that Ms Costeloe will deliver us with more from them in the near future as I eagerly await to rejoin them again soon.

A well deserved five stars!

Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke, AnneMarie Brear, Dilly Court and Francesca Capaldi.

I would like to thank #DineyCosteloe, #Netgalley and #AriaFiction for an ARC of #TheGirlsWhoDaredToLove in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Diney Costeloe is the daughter of a London publisher and has been surrounded by books all her life. Encouraged by her father, she has always written stories and poems. 

She says, "Encouraged by my publisher father, I have been writing all my life. When I was five, he took my first effort to his office and brought it back in a cardboard cover with the label, 'Tom's Party'written by Diney, published by Daddy. I've never looked back and always have some writing on the go."

When Diney left school she trained as a primary school teacher, and taught in the East End of London and in Somerset. 

She has three children and seven grandchildren, so is always busy with the family.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

Love and Love at the Beach Hotel (The Beach Hotel #4) by Francesca Capaldi

Genre: Historical fictionn, Sagas, WW1

Read: 16th November 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Apple

Kobo

Waterstones

Published: 21st November 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Can true love win the day?

Hetty Affleck is working as a maid at the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton. Her beau, Lorcan, is away at war and has recently stopped replying to her letters but she is determined to keep her spirits up. When she meets wealthy shipbuilder's son Victor Perryman, they pass the time of day and they both feel a connection but she can’t allow herself to think anything more of it - not only does she have Lorcan to think of, but she and Victor are divided by wealth and class.

Yet they meet again and Hetty is charmed and intrigued by Victor and his openness towards her. It becomes harder to ignore the attachment growing between them.

When Lorcan comes back on leave, Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she really love, and can that love conquer everything in its path?

MY THOUGHTS:

Can true love win the day...?

What a delight it is to return to the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton and the flurry of staff and guests there! And who doesn't love to be by the seaside? Even in a storm?

I have delighted in this series since it began following the stories of first Edie, then Lili, then Helen herself and now Hetty. I also enjoyed seeing some of the regulars continue to pop up such as the Major, a resident at the hotel, as well as much of the staff and those guests who pop in from time to time. 

The focus of this fourth installment is Hetty Affleck who works as head stillroom maid (I was most interested in what that actually entailed, having never heard of it before). She and one of the other staff members, Irish lad Lorcan Foley, had only just begun stepping out together when he enlisted thus joining the fight at the front. Their relationship had barely begun but Hetty agreed to write to him and he her.

After three long years, despite early forecasts predicting it would be over by Christmas, Hetty began to wonder if she was merely writing to keep his spirits up as what they had barely constituted as anything but friendship. Besides, any leave he had he'd returned home to Ireland rather than return to the Beach Hotel to see her. Didn't that say something about their relationship, such as it was?

Then his letters seemed to have stopped. Even on her birthday he failed to send her something as he usually did. Did that mean something had happened to him? Or had he simply decided to end their friendship? Hetty isn't sure how she feels.

When she meets wealthy shipbuilder's son Victor Perryman, they exchange greetings and pass the time of day but nothing more. And yet she feels a connection to him, like a bolt of electricity every time she is in his company. But she is just a maid serving him and his family whilst he is upper middle class, certainly not for the likes of her. Besides, she has Lorcan to think of. But the more she sees of Victor, the more she is charmed and intrigued by the handsome young man. And the more time they spend together the more the pair realise how alike they are and it soon becomes difficult to deny the growing attachment between them.

And then Lorcan returns suddenly on leave and Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she truly love? And can love conquer all the obstacles thrown in their path?

A truly delightful, heartwarming and emotional wartime saga that is such a wonderful read that I devoured it in one sitting, not wanting to leave Littlehampton and its inhabitants for one minute. I can't wait to see whose story we get to follow next and what the author has in store for us.

A heartwarming 5 stars!

I would like to thank #FrancescaCapaldi, #Netgalley and #HeraBooks for an ARC of #LoveAndLossAtTheBeachHotel 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

REVIEW: Louise's War by Rosie Clarke

  

Louise's War (The Trenwith Trilogy #2) by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Read: 12th June 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 2nd June 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Caught between enemy lines – can they survive?

1914, Hampshire

Jack Barlow has a dream. For generations his family have been in service at Trenwith Estate. If he can survive the ravages of war, he’ll return home to build his own mechanic business and become master of his own destiny.

Louise Saint-Claire, is battling against the odds to run her family farmhouse in German occupied France after her abusive husband is taken prisoner by the Germans. She is determined to survive this brutal and bloody war.

But fate throws Jack and Louise together when she finds the wounded British soldier and she decides to risk everything to keep him safe

What chance can one woman and one man have when caught between the French Resistance and the German army?

Previously Published as Love and War by Linda Sole

MY THOUGHTS:

Caught between enemy lines...can they survive...?

Rosie Clarke is one of my favourite authors. I simply devour every one of her sagas, whether they be a series or standalone, and I enjoy every sojourn with them. LOUISE'S WAR is the second in the Trenwith Trilogy and takes us across the Channel and into enemy territory as war continues to rage in Europe.

This tale begins just after war is declared and the men are shipping out to "see the world" as the propaganda posters told them. What they didn't say was the cold and muddy trenches in which they would be serving most of their time whilst the officers were kept warm and dry in better quarters.

It's the men on the ground who do the grunt work and it's here that young Jack Barlow finds himself after joining up, having worked as a groom for the Trenwith estate alongside his sister Rose who was in service as Sarah's lady's maid in the first book. Jack has endured rigorous training and has caught the attention of a drill sergeant who sees fit to make Jack's life as difficult as possible. But when he thought he was sending Jack on a menial task an opportunity arose instead giving him a chance to make a difference. He is employed as a driver for Captain Martin who oftentimes enters enemy territory or takes them close to the Front where both men find themselves dicing with death to make it back alive. When one such mission goes awry, Jack finds himself alone and abandoned in a foreign land with nothing but the clothes on his back and no memory of who he is and what he is doing there.

Louise Saint Claire sees the bedraggled soldier loitering on her property, she fears he will bring unwanted attention and so she hurries to help the young man before he is seen. Louise has battled her own war for years married to a brute of a man who had recently been taken prisoner by the Germans and she knows not if he is alive or dead. She nurses Jack back to health but his memory fails to return. But she must keep him hidden, for if anyone gets wind that he is staying there she may find herself in a world of trouble. For she lives in German occupied territory.

There is so much more to this tale of two people who shouldn't be together in wartime. It enhances the story first told in book one "Sarah's Choice" and paves the way for the final in the trilogy "Rose's Fight". We rejoin those we met in the first book, though some do take more of a back seat this time round as it is Jack and Louise's story as well as a little of Rose's.

I look forward to reading the final book in this trilogy in the coming months and what awaits Rose in her time as the focus.

As always, I love Rosie Clarke's storytelling and transporting me back to that era.

I would like to thank #RosieClarke, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #LouisesWar 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.

 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter SignUp | BookBub | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

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

Website | Twitter | Facebook

SPOTLIGHT: Louise's War by Rosie Clarke

 

Louise's War by Rosie Clarke

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 2nd June 2024

** Due to a change in circumstances I have had to drop out and relinquish my tour/review obligations until further notice. I will publish my review and thoughts after reading **

DESCRIPTION:

Caught between enemy lines – can they survive?

1914, Hampshire

Jack Barlow has a dream. For generations his family have been in service at Trenwith Estate. If he can survive the ravages of war, he’ll return home to build his own mechanic business and become master of his own destiny.

Louise Saint-Claire, is battling against the odds to run her family farmhouse in German occupied France after her abusive husband is taken prisoner by the Germans. She is determined to survive this brutal and bloody war.

But fate throws Jack and Louise together when she finds the wounded British soldier and she decides to risk everything to keep him safe

What chance can one woman and one man have when caught between the French Resistance and the German army?

Previously Published as Love and War by Linda Sole

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.

 

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter SignUp | BookBub | 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 Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls by Elaine Roberts

A Wartime Welcome from the Foyles Bookshop Girls by Elaine Roberts

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Read: 23rd February 2024

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 21st February 2024

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

London, 1918: the world is being torn apart by war, but for the girls of London’s Foyles bookshop, where there is friendship, there is hope… Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke and Elaine Everest.

Ellen Beckford and her sister Mary are living under their father’s shadow. Before their beloved mother died, they had dreamed of bright futures, but torn apart by grief, Harold Beckford barely lets his daughters out of his sight. Then Harold is injured during a break-in at his office at London’s docklands, and can no longer work. And with prices rising and food scarce, Ellen has no choice but to defy her father’s rules and seek employment. She finds a position at London’s renowned Foyles bookshop, and the other shop girls quickly take her under their wing.

But there are dark times ahead. Ellen’s father is accused of gathering intelligence from the docklands for the enemy, and the police seem determined to see him shot for spying. With the help of her new friends, can Ellen clear her father’s name and save her family from destitution?

MY THOUGHTS:

I have been familiar with the author's Foyles Bookshop series though I have never read it. I have read the first in her West End Girls series which I enjoyed but I'm not sure how I missed the following ones after that.

I am confused by where this book actually stands as Amazon have it advertised as the first in a series though there are already three books previously published in this series. Despite never having read the first three, I can see that this one is a standalone story all of its own and yet it complements the already existing characters in Foyles bookshop.

It's 1918 and war has been raging in Europe for four years. Many are beginning to wonder when will it ever end? So many lives senselessly lost...and for what? But everyone on the home front does their bit to raise the spirits of their boys, supporting them or offering them a free brew as they step off the train at Victoria station. It's not much, but it's something.

Ellen and Mary Beckford have grown these past four years since the sudden death of their beloved mother. Their father Harold continues to work at the docks until the day he is attacked and left with a broken leg. With such an injury and his leg in plaster for the next two months, Harold is unable to work. 

Ellen realises the time has come for her to go out and find work to support her family but her father is a traditionalist. He believes it is his sole responsibility to provide for his family and yet he is unable to do so. He is firmly against Ellen going out and seeking work to support the family as he believes that is his role...regardless of the fact that he can't do so.

So it is with apprehension she approaches Foyles Bookshop on Charing Cross Road in the hope of gaining some work there as it would be a dream come true for her to work amongst all those books. But as luck would have it, one of their full time girls has recently given birth to her second child and while she is toying with the idea of returning on a part time basis, there is a vacancy available for Ellen. She starts off small - dusting and cleaning and getting to know the bookshop even better than she already does. But she also knows that the part time hours are not enough to pay the rent and put food on the table. And so she manages to garner a second job as an office girl for a newspaper. Things are beginning to look up. If only her father would speak to her, since he has given her the silent treatment ever since she defied him and went out to work.

But if Ellen thought things were looking up, she was sadly mistaken as one night police came knocking on their door and asking her father all sorts of questions about his attack and why she was always seen down at the docks so regularly. It seems they found some damning evidence which places her father in the frame for being a spy...and she as his suspected accomplice.

Ellen is horrified and sets out to piece together as much information as she can about her father's attack, his memories of the night and the man he chased down, as well as photos the police inadvertently left behind. Can she find enough proof to uncover the truth and prove her father innocent? Or will he be shot as a spy?

An interesting and absorbing tale that I devoured in a day, this was indeed a quick read that I soon lost myself in. Though I have never read the previous Foyles Bookshop books, I felt the warmth and family atmosphere that was held within the doors of that fine establishment and I must say I look forward to going back and starting from the beginning.

A delightful read that was heartwarming and entertaining.

I would like to thank #ElaineRoberts, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #AWartimeWelcomeFromTheFoylesBookshopGirls 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.

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REVIEW: Dark Days at the Beach Hotel by Francesca Capaldi

Dark Days at the Beach Hotel (Beach Hotel #3) by Francesca Capaldi

Genre: Historical fiction, Sagas, WW1

Read: 17th February 2024

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Published: 15th February 2024

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Can she save the hotel... and her reputation?

Helen Bygrove is managing the hotel, now that her husband has been conscripted. Against all expectations, Helen and her team are doing marvellously, despite the shortages brought by war. Even the exacting Lady Blackmore agrees. But then the calm is shattered when poison pen letters are sent to prominent townsfolk and Helen finds herself the target of a police investigation. Is someone trying to ruin Helen, and the Beach Hotel? And can she rely on the handsome but taciturn Inspector Toshack to help her? When her husband, Douglas, is invalided out of the war he is determined to take back control of the hotel and things go from bad to worse.

How can she ever escape his bullying? Is she a fool to hope that she may have a second chance at love?

A captivating, emotional and uplifting saga set in World War One - fans of Elaine Everest and Ginny Bell will love this!

MY THOUGHTS:

Can she save her hotel...and her reputation...?

It's 1916 and war has been raging across the channel in Europe for two years. For Helen Bygrove, she has had a war of her own to battle. Six years ago, five years married and idealistic, Helen and her husband Douglas purchased the Beach Hotel with Helen's inheritance from her mother...wisely invested on the advice of her own mother. However, Douglas had one stipulation - that his name be solely on the deeds as the owner and manager and Helen, in her naivete, agreed. Although women were now allowed to own property Douglas was a little old fashioned like that...or so she thought.

Fast forward six years and the years have not been plain sailing. Douglas has single-handedly undermined everything Helen suggested in their joint venture of running the hotel, isolated her and the children and bullied her at every opportunity. Where was the man she had fallen in love with?

In the first two books we met the bullish Douglas Bygrove and laughed him off as incompetent and useless, always racing off to "important meetings" or the golf club whilst Helen stayed behind to manage the hotel in his absence. Any positive feedback on the hotel, Douglas preened and took credit whilst any bad decisions or publicity he thrust the blame firmly in his wife's direction. we rarely saw much of him and when we did he was issuing orders whilst preening to those he considered to be important.

In this book, however, we see a little more into Douglas' behaviour and it soon proves to be no laughing matter. Although I admit to inwardly chuckling when the tribunal laughed him out of court when he tried to be exempt from service due to his important position as hotel proprietor and manager. Thus he was conscripted much to his annoyance and obvious frustration. However, in his absence Beach Hotel could be run smoothly under the deft hands of Helen Bygrove and her hugely competent staff...regardless of whatever notion Douglas tried to portray.

But it seems someone else isn't happy with Helen's smooth running of the establishment either as libelous letters begin to pop up around Littlehampton, slandering many person with unfounded allegations whilst some may have bordered the truth. At any rate, the missives were insulting and seemed to originate from the Beach Hotel. Helen couldn't believe that any of her staff would do anything so underhand. But the new Detective Inspector, who appeared abrasive as first impressions go, requested handwriting samples from all the staff for the process of elimination. And then Miss Isabella Harvey, who has often shown an inappropriate interest in Douglas, arrives at the hotel with accusations directed at Helen as the writer of the abusive letters.

Soon, trade at the hotel begins to dwindle as news about Helen's possible involvement spreads and bookings are cancelled, leaving Miss Harvey crowing triumphantly.

And then Helen gets even more bad news. Douglas has been injured in France and will be returning home where he will surely stake his claim once again...undoing all of Helen's hard work. But can she save the hotel and her reputation before it's too late?

It was wonderful to be back in the company at the Beach Hotel once again with all the wonderful friendly staff and regulars who we've come to regard as a kind of family. I admit to Douglas frustrating me on more than one occasion in previous books but in his one he takes the biscuit! I cannot tell you more of my thoughts without giving anything away. But rest assured you will be entertained from start to finish and even come to like the new Inspector Sam Tobrash (I think I spelt his name correctly).

Whilst it is the third book in the series, it can be read as a standalone as each story surrounds one of the characters on its own. First was Edie's then Lili's and this time it was Helen. And I was thrilled to discover that Helen would have her story told because there was most definitely one lurking there dying to be told.

I have enjoyed all three books but this one did have a different feel to it. Helen not only has to face running the hotel in her incompetent husband's absence (in the knowledge that he will one day come back to stake his claim once again) but she has not one two hugely upsetting and dramatic turns of events that threaten her happiness and her livelihood. I would have liked to see a little more before it ended but it ended on a promise which was a nice touch.

Another fantastic read and addition to this delightful series. I look forward to meeting up with everyone again in the next book.

I would like to thank #FrancescaCapaldi, #Netgalley, #HeraBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #DarkDaysAtTheBeachHotel 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.

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