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The Widow's Vow by Rachel Brimble #Review #PublicationDay

  Today's historical fiction takes us to Victorian England and Bath. Published by Boldwood  today on December 16th, A Widow's Vow is the first in the Ladies of Carson Street saga series by Rachel Brimble.   From grieving widow... 1851. After her merchant husband saved her from a life of prostitution, Louisa Hill was briefly happy as a housewife in Bristol. But then a constable arrives at her door. Her husband has been found hanged in a Bath hotel room, a note and a key to a property in Bath the only things she has left of him. And now the debt collectors will come calling. To a new life as a madam. Forced to leave everything she knows behind, Louisa finds more painful betrayals waiting for her in the house in Bath. Left with no means of income, Louisa knows she has nothing to turn to but her old way of life. But this time, she'll do it on her own terms – by turning her home into a brothel for upper class gentleman. And she's determined to spare the girls she sa...
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  Searching for Sandra follows the lives of the characters in books one and two of the Hummingbird House series – showing what happens next and the unexpected impact of friendships and neighbourly love.

Make yourself at home in Hummingbird House with this heartwarming new novella.


In 1968, the summer of love seems long gone. Hummingbird House has a new batch of residents, and Betty is settled in a comfortable – though unexpected – form of domestic bliss. Life may not have worked out as planned, but she is determined to make the best of it.

Yet as the months go on, she realises she still has much to learn. With one tenant missing and another threatening to sweep her off her feet, she begins to worry that her happy home could fall around her once more.

***

In 2022, Betty has established a comfortable routine. She weeds the front yard. Listens to the radio. Makes cake. At the age of 83, she knows what – and who – she likes, plus just how much she can manage before her arthritis begins to complain.

She lives by simple rules gleaned from hard-learnt lessons:

•              Keep an open mind and a well-stocked pantry

•              Sometimes meddling is not such a bad thing

But when an old friend finally makes an overdue appearance, those guidelines start to take on a new meaning.

Just how much should we do for absent friends? And when is it right to take a chance on love?


My Thoughts

 By Part three of this series, anyone who has read the two earlier books will be  quite familiar with the characters. If you haven't read them, I would recommend doing so first as the relationships and dynamics between them have evolved through the books. At the centre of the story is Hummingbird House and its inhabitants. Owned by Betty, you follow the m over the years. This volume concentrates on the elusive Sandra who has been such a vivid character in previous volumes. In this, her absence speaks loudly. 

    The book alternates between Hummingbird House in 1968 and the present day. The different timelines are handled well and it never becomes confusing. There are subtleties in Betty's relationships with her tenants which add to the enjoyment and at times, you feel they are keeping an eye on her as much as she on them. 

In short: lost friendships and new relationships

 

About the Author

Jane Harvey is a pen name. ‘Jane’ crafts fun fiction for the thinking woman, where she enjoys exploring unexpected friendships and writing happy endings. This is lucky, because in real life her (prize-winning) fiction is a little bleaker. She was born and raised on the beautiful island of Jersey, CI, and lives with two males and a dog.

 You can follow Jane here: Instagram |  Facebook  |  Twitter 

Book links:  Amazon UK |   Amazon US

 

Thanks to Jane Harvey and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

 Check out the rest of the tour


 


 

 

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