The Wife's Promise - Book 1
Book Description
Alice looked at the young girl standing alone on the platform, sensing the same vulnerability she’d once felt entering the village she now called home. Then, as the child gripped her hand, the pain and sorrow Alice had held in her heart for so long softened… And in that moment, she vowed she’d always protect her – whatever the cost…
England, 1939: When Alice marries twinkly-eyed, kind-hearted vicar David, it means leaving everything from her old life behind and moving into the draughty vicarage in the beautiful but remote village of Goswell, Cumbria. Though homesick, Alice is determined to make a new life there for herself and her husband.
But soon tragedy strikes, and she is devastated when war breaks out and David chooses to sign up to fight. But everything changes when Alice is asked to take in a child evacuee, and she makes a promise to protect this girl, no matter what it costs her…
Now: When Jane and her family move to the small coastal village of Goswell where her husband grew up, she’s afraid she might have made a huge mistake. Their new home – in what had once been the vicarage – feels a million miles from their previous fast-paced life in New York City, and Jane struggles with her empty days that seem lonely and purposeless.
But then she finds a small note, forgotten behind a shelf in the pantry. A note written in the Second World War. By a woman named Alice, whose incredible story has the power to change everything…
Two wives’ stories – told over 70 years apart – about courage, finding a home, and how the unexpected arrival of someone else’s story in your life can change your own. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley and Barbara O’Neal.
This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Previously published as The Vicar’s Wife by Katharine Swartz.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Wife's Promise' by Kate Hewitt.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kate Hewitt, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 17th November 2022.
This is the fourth book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Goswell Quartet' series. I have also read 'My Daughter's Mistake', 'When We Were Innocent' and 'The Child I Never Had' which I would highly recommend.
This book was previously published as 'The Vicar’s Wife' by Katharine Swartz and was the series was previously called 'Tales From Goswell'.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley and Barbara O’Neal.' I am a fan of all three of these authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a HUGE fan of Kate Hewitt and if this is half as good as 'My Daughter's Mistake', 'When We Were Innocent' and 'The Child I Never Had' it is bound to be an addictive read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 33 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in the fictional village of Goswell, Cumbria and Cambridge, England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.I have actually holidayed in Cumbria so am intrigued to see if I recognise places based on anywhere I visited while there.
This book is written in third person perspective and the protagonists are Jane Hatton and Alice Mobberley. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
'The Wife's Promise' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Kate discusses/includes loss of a child.
WOW!!!! What can I say?!?! One thing I have got to say before getting into my review is clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!
This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.
This book is devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful. It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions filled with heartbreak, family, love, loss, secrets, friendship, forgiveness, moving on, and so much more. It is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read and I was questioning myself throughout this heartbreaking storyline. I didn't just question myself once about what I would do at the beginning of this book if I was in Jane's position but also what I would have done in Alice's position throughout. Kate's writing and descriptions are so evocative I really felt I was write next to both Jane and Alice during the present and past. Reading this book really does make you feel that you are standing with them and going through their pain, love, and suffering. While you are reading this you are going through a journey of love and loss, heartbreak, secrets, love, and forgiveness and so, so much more. It really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying my phone to read it in kindle every chance that I got and I had tears absolutely streaming down my face by the time the gorgeous and heartbreaking ending(s) came. I was completely mind blown at the end and just when I thought I had run out of tears they started pouring out again. Kate has clearly done her History research. Well done Kate as there's nothing much worse that reading a novel filled with silly errors as the author hasn't done any research. I also adore the fact that this book is based on Kate's own experiences on changing one life for another which definitely helps makes this storyline realistic and helps it to come alive while you are reading it. It definitely gives you something to think about and shows you how much emotion and strength is involved from both Jane and Alice as well as their families to move from one place that is warm and bustling to somewhere that is isolated and cold and yet your expected to jump straight in to a new community. You need to clear your schedules and get the tissues at the ready because you will not be able to put this book down and it had me in tears by the end and I do not cry easily!!! This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time and I cannot wait to jump straight into the next book in this absolutely stunning series.
It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
The characters are strong, realistic and I became completely invested in both Jane and Alice. I felt each of their pain, heartbreak, betrayal, guilt , anger, sorrow and so much more My heart broke for each of them who went through so much change and more (but I can't say more as I don't want to spoil the storyline for anyone) . Although it was mainly through Jane and Alice's eyes that the story unfolds there are several many other characters that were affected by all the changes and the emotions charging through the characters and I was completely invested in Andrew, Merrie, Ben, Natalie, David and Viv. My heart went out to Merrie, Ben, Natalie and Viv especially who was clearly struggling with all the changes and everything that was going on along with being just children. Kate does an absolutely amazing job of bringing the community of Goswell to life and creates a perfect village life community with a vast arrange of characters and personalities. I won't say anymore about the characters as I don't want to go into too much detail at the risk of spoiling it for other readers but yet again Kate has done another amazing job at bringing each of the characters to life. Well done Kate!!!
Congratulations Kate on yet another absolutely gorgeous, heartbreaking beautiful book!!! I am looking forward to reading more of your previous and future books especially the rest of the books in what promises to be a stunning series beginning with 'The Daughter's Garden'. I would absolutely love to see this book and series turned into a movie!!! This is why you are on my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂
Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of the next book in Kate's 'The Goswell Quartet' 'The Daughter's Garden' which is promising to be just as addictive as this book and is what I am off to read next!
Overall an absolutely unputdownable, thought provoking, addictive and compelling devastatingly beautiful heartbreaking book!!!
Genres covered in this book include Historical Fiction, Sagas, Mystery, General Fiction, Women's Christian Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical German Fiction, Women's Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Women's Sagas and Domestic Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal.
, Jojo Moyes, Debbie Macomber, Amanda Prowse, Diane Chamberlain and anyone who loves a page turner.
389 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) and £8.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BG2VBF4Ysocial
The Daughter's Garden - Book 2
Book Description
“I had to free it,” Eleanor said, and stretched her hand out to the blue butterfly that seemed almost to hover in the air. “I had to let something find what happiness it could, since we cannot.”
England, 1918: As war ends, across the world, people are trying to heal and recover. But Eleanor still feels broken. The loss of her beloved brother, killed just days before the Armistice was signed, feels impossibly unjust. Spending her time in the neglected garden behind their house, she fears her heart will never recover.
Then her father hires a man to help restore the garden to its former glory. Gruff, handsome Yorkshireman Jack comes from a totally different world to Eleanor, but he understands the nature of her grief more than anyone else seems to. And as they spend time together, even though she knows her family will never accept someone of Jack’s class, Eleanor starts to wonder if – like the butterflies around them – there is any way for her to learn to soar again...
Now: Nearly one hundred years later, Marin is not prepared for finding herself the guardian of her fifteen-year-old half-sister Rebecca, after her father and his second wife are killed in a tragic accident. The sisters are practically strangers, and Rebecca’s grief makes her seem even more distant. Marin too is in need of a fresh start, so when Rebecca begs her to let them move to the picturesque village of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast, Marin impulsively agrees.
But it is only when they find a locked door to a secret garden, and a photograph of a girl with a butterfly landing on her hand, that the sisters start to realise they have a mystery to solve, one about war, about secrets, and about a love that could never be. A mystery that might just bring them together…
The Daughter’s Garden is a totally unputdownable novel about tragic secrets, the chance for forgiveness, and the healing that can come from a new start. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Rhys Bowen and Lucinda Riley.
This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Previously published as The Lost Garden by Katharine Swartz.
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BG2TH629social
The Bride's Sister - Book 3
Book Description
She clutched the piece of paper close to her chest, tears welling in her eyes, hardly believing what she had read. Silently thanking Sarah for all she sacrificed, she took the death certificate and slipped it under a loose floorboard – no one must ever find out what she’d done…
England, 1868: Orphaned and penniless, 18-year-old Sarah is left the sole guardian of her beloved little sister Lucy – who she’s vowed to protect at all costs. With nowhere left to turn, she is forced to accept mysterious widower James Mills’ proposal of marriage.
She believes being his bride can’t possibly be as bad as the threat of the workhouse. But nothing prepares her for the darkness of her marriage, the shocking secrets of her new family and the lengths she will have to go to, to keep her sister safe…
Now: Living in the beautiful village of Goswell, Ellen believes her family life to be idyllic… until her estranged seventeen-year-old stepdaughter Annabelle moves in and shatters the peace. Ellen fears they will never bond, until she finds a death certificate – for a woman named Sarah, from over a century earlier – hidden under the floorboards of their house, and Annabelle starts to help her unravel the mystery.
Yet as Ellen and Annabelle dig deeper into Sarah’s life and death, shocking truths, both past and present, come to light which change everything Ellen thought she knew about Sarah’s family – and the new addition to her own…
The Bride’s Sister is a powerful and moving story about what it means to be a family, second chances, and the lengths we go to for those we love. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal and Fiona Valpy will absolutely love this gripping and emotional read.
This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Previously published as The Second Bride by Katharine Swartz.
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BG2SBLT8social
The Widow's Secret - Book 4
Book Description
She looked down at the sweet little girl and knew she wouldn’t listen to what anyone else said. She had to do what was right. Even if it meant going against everything she was taught to believe and keeping a secret from the person closest to her…
England, 1766: Abigail is happily married to James, a tobacco trader turned sea captain, and is looking forward to starting a family and settling down in Whitehaven, deep in the Lake District. But after a series of devastating losses, she finds herself in turmoil, with her future suddenly seeming unknown…
When James announces that he will captain a ship to Africa and then the Americas for a year, it sparks a series of surprising and heartbreaking events – involving some of the darkest evils in humanity’s history, and a tiny, terrified slave girl who’s brought back to England. This helpless child forces Abigail to reconsider everything she thought she knew – and will change her life forever…
Now: When a shipwreck is discovered off the coast of Cumbria, local expert Rachel is brought in to investigate. Her first thought is that this will be a perfect distraction from her troubled marriage and the memories of her past that she is desperate not to think about. But then it becomes clear the wreck is a slaving ship from the 1700s – one that was recorded as sinking in the Caribbean – and Rachel begins to wonder if there’s more to this terrible mystery than meets the eye.
Faced with uncertainty about both the past and present, can Rachel learn from Abigail’s extraordinary story and take the first step towards a brighter future of her own?
The Widow’s Secret is a completely heart-wrenching and powerful story of courage, redemption, and compassion. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal and Fiona Valpy will be absolutely captivated by this unforgettable read.
This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone.
Previously published as The Widow’s Secret by Katharine Swartz.
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BG2SVV86social
Author Bio:
Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.
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