As we get closer to the holiday, my real life gets busier and busier. I can imagine it's the same for many of you, but the business I work in takes a positive spike when those gathering times draw near. Job insurance...certainly! Free time for reading, writing, and relaxing...not so much. Reading time is at a premium, and yet I still couldn't stay away from the epages of today's featured title. Currently touring with Rachel's Random Resources, it's a work of Historical Fiction that has some amazing characters you'll really want to know. Before we get to all that though, the introductions....
Finding Friends on Beamer Street
by
Sheila Riley
Boldwood Books
About the book...
The start of a brand new series from Sheila Riley, bestselling author of the Reckoner's Row saga series!
Liverpool 1921
Pregnant, Mary Jane Starlings secret wedding to Paddy Redfern ends in disaster when her fiancé is murdered on the way to the church. Paddy’s wayward twin ‘Red’ intercepts Mary Jane and warns that they must flee Ireland for fear of reprisals from her family, never to return.
Too young and terrified to question Red’s motives, Mary Jane, is hurriedly escorted to Liverpool where she quickly discovers Red’s good Samaritan act is a sham when he abandons her homeless and destitute.
However, strength, fortitude and good luck save her when she catches the eye of reclusive Cal Everdine and is befriended by Molly Hayward’s lovable family.
But Mary Jane still has to live with the overbearing guilt of the secrets she holds.
Will she ever be able to follow her dreams and reconcile her past?
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There was just such an amazing cast of characters within these pages that, upon reaching book's end, I did not want to let go! From Molly to Daisy, Cal to Mary Jane, there was just something about this set, something about these friends on beamer street that endeared them to your heart.
Mary Jane was a firecracker. She took nothing from no one, and wouldn't levy an untruth against another unless fact was found. I admired her greatly as time and time again she was brought to the depths where most would despair, and yet she persevered. She pressed on, expecting nothing from anyone, and unwittingly discovering a family all her own. The circumstances of her arrival may have been unfortunate, but her lot in life would never be. The turmoil that was pressed upon her was outrageous, and years later when she discovers the truth of matters, she doesn't revel in the revelation, but accepts it as if it were inevitable, grieves where necessary, but recognizes that her life, while changing drastically, has turned into something she can be proud of through her own hard work, and dedication, but also by allowing others into her heart, forming those bonds of love once again.
Oh, I could and would wax on about each character...Cal, the man of mystery with a heart of gold...Molly and Daisy, the mother daughter duo that while knowing everything about everyone first, keep the confidence of those they cherish, and would give their last dime to those they love...Red and Paddy, as different as twins can be, with one being a lecherous fool, a slave to his own whims, and the other with a decent head on his shoulders, but the inability to predict his future would take the turn that it did. But I digress...the sum of it's parts makes this a story to remember. From how Mary Jane's "adventure" got its start to how Red meets a bitter end, there is so much to take in, so much strength to glean, that you won't want to rush this story, but stay within its pages for a spell, long enough to take in all the emotions it has to share.
A great pick for Historical Fiction fans as well as those that appreciate Women's Fiction!
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About the author...
Sheila Riley wrote four #1 bestselling novels under the pseudonym Annie Groves and is now writing a saga for Boldwood under her own name. She has set it around the River Mersey and its docklands near to where she spent her early years.
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Special thanks to Rachel at Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you as well as the ecopy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today and be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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