Wartime Arrivals at Harbour House by Fenella J Miller #Review

 

I am delighted to be on the tour to celebrate a new series by Fenella J Miller. Wartime Arrivals at Haebour House is the first in a historical fiction series which begins in July 1939, just before the outbreak of the Second World War. It was published by Boldwood Books on November 29th.

London July 1939

Elizabeth Roby lives a content and privileged life in London with husband Jonathon and children, Emily and George. But with the outbreak of war, everything changes.

Jonathon informs his family that they have to move from their smart London home to the riverside town of Wivenhoe and their new home Harbour House, where Jonathon will do his duty for his country as part of the Admiralty at the shipyards.

But Elizabeth is devastated. How will she start a new life in a place she hardly knows, surrounded by strangers? And how will her children cope allowed to run wild in the countryside with urchins? Elizabeth is sure it will be a disaster!

But with the threat of German bombs hanging over London, she knows they must follow Jonathan and start a new life. Even if it means disaster for them as family.

Will the Roby family survive this turmoil? Or will Harbour House provide them with a second chance to start again?

 

My Thoughts

This is a very promising start to a new series, which shows you all classes of people were evacuated from London and how they settled to their new lives - or not. I found it hard to warm to Elizabeth for most of the story, as she seemed such a brittle character who wanted life to be always on her terms. However, as the story progressed, you glimpsed how her upbringing had shaped her and how hard she found it to open up to people. In contrast, her husband, Jonathan, seemed to have the patience of a saint with her and was determined to press on with his plans to get his children to safety and to a place where they could make friends and settle. It didn't all go as he planned.

    Elizabeth and Jonathan and their family were not the only new arrivals to Wivenhoe and some newcomers turned life at Harbour House upside down. You were introduced to a variety of people, not all of them likeable and there was snobbery and superiority on show as well as a more warm, welcoming side to human nature.

    Having set up the series, with the onset of the war, I look forward to what happens next on the Home Front.

In short: Major life changes for all

About the Author

Fenella J. Miller is the bestselling writer of over eighteen historical sagas. She also has a passion for Regency romantic adventures and has published over fifty to great acclaim. Her father was a Yorkshireman and her mother the daughter of a Rajah. She lives in a small village in Essex with her British Shorthair cat.

 

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 Purchase links

Thanks to Fenella J Miller, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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