Hello Friends!
You know me… You know I love Historicals and you know I’m always open to read them. So it’s no surprise that I bring a review of one today.
“A Family Secret“, written by Libby Ashworth, is a Historical Romance, the third book in the The Mill Town Lasses series, published on 4th February 2020 by Random House UK, Cornerstone – Arrow Publishing.
I want to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone – Arrow Publishing for the eCopy of this book via NetGalley, and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Synopsis
Will she follow her head or her heart?
Lancashire, 1842
Sixteen-year-old Bessie Eastwood works long hours as a weaver in Blackburn, helping to support her family. Meanwhile older sister Peggy works as an apprentice at the Girls’ School, hoping for a more prosperous future as a schoolteacher.
Jennet and Titus Eastwood have always decided what is best for their daughters. But as they near adulthood the sisters are determined to choose their own futures. And with temptation in the way, will the girls find love, or lust, leads them astray?
When an unexpected but familiar face arrives in Blackburn, the family’s future is threatened, and a difficult decision will have to be made – love or family.
Purchase Links: Amazon | Kobo | Book Depository
About the Author
Libby Ashworth writes sagas set in Lancashire in England where she was born and brought up.
Libby still lives in Lancashire and is passionate about its history. She can trace her direct ancestors back to the village of Whalley in the Middle Ages. Many of her ancestors worked in the cotton industry – first as home-based spinners and hand loom weavers, and later in the mills of Blackburn. It is their lives Libby has drawn on to tell her stories.
Libby also writes historical fiction under the name Elizabeth Ashworth.
Social Media Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter
My Review
I always find reading an historical novel fascinating. The cultural and society elements that differ from contemporary times, and the things that are still the same. It’s something that I enjoy learn and seeing more in literature.
Libby Ashworth brought us a fantastic family dynamic in this third novel in the series. In “A Family Secret”, we follow the Eastwood family: the parents, Jennet and Titus, and their two daughters, Bessie and Peggy. Although we first met the characters in previous books, this story can be read alone.
I loved the characters, I loved that the sisters had their own dreams and were determined to follow their path and make their choice, despite what the parents wanted for them. I loved that they had that ambition and were trying to have a future that they wanted. That’s something we all can relate.
The book was a page turner. Family, drama, secrets and mystery… How could we not be focus in each moment? We are taken on a journey with the characters, one that show us how life was back then and how these strong women dealt with the obstacle in their life. I felt connected with them, I felt intrigued by their actions and by the revelations told and scenes happening.
Overall, it was a beautiful story. One that transported me to another time. One that let me emotional for different ways. One that in the end warmed my heart, because when an historical is well done (like this one was) and I am connected with the characters and feel as I am a part of their family, I could I not have my heart and soul filled with emotion and warmth?
I will be definitely checking the previous books to enjoy Libby Ashworth’s writing even more. I think she had a good balance in this book and that was why I was reading page after page. Enjoying each moment passed in the company of the Bessie, Peggy and Jennet, and all the other characters that I’m now very curious about.
Don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers that given their contribute in this Blog Tour, with their reviews.
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Love,
Jess
Jess Bookish Life 