Book Synopsis:
Cliffehaven, 1945
The war in Europe is over, but for Peggy Reilly and the residents of Beach View Boarding House the effects of the conflict are still far-reaching.
Cockney evacuee, Ivy, and her sweetheart, Andy, are saving to get married and fulfil their dream of returning to the East End. But when tragedy strikes, Ivy is faced with a life-changing dilemma that only she can resolve.
Rita also faces an impossible choice when her sweetheart Peter proposes and asks her to live with him in Australia – just as her widowed father returns from the fighting in Europe.
Meanwhile Peggy must say goodbye to several of her evacuee chicks whilst she awaits the return of her family from Somerset and the news that her husband, Jim, can finally come home.
It’s a dream she’s held onto for six long years, but fate has one more twist in store.
With Hope And Love is published on the 22nd August 2019 in ebook and paperback. You can pre-order your copy using the link below.
My Review:
I’m a huge fan of Ellie Dean so you can imagine my excitement at being invited onto the blog tour for this, her latest book. This was another fantastic addition to the Cliffhaven series and was, once again, a compelling read.
I loved visiting The Beachview Boarding house and so enjoyed catching up with the residents again. The author has created some hugely likeable characters which are easy to get behind. My favourite was Peggy who is the life and sole of the boarding house. She is always hugely welcoming and always seems to be there for the other residents which was wonderful to read about. She has a lot of worry about in her life, especially regarding her husband Jim and I felt so sorry for her during the VE celebrations when she was trying to put on a brace face despite her anxiety over what has happened to him. I felt like I had to keep reading to find out what happens to her.
The author does a great job of setting the scene in this book so the reader feels like they are actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters. The author has clearly done her research and I really liked learning a bit more about the VE celebrations and life after the war which I hadn’t read much about before.
I though this was an absorbing, compelling book which I loved reading. There is lots of things happening and multiple storylines to keep the reader on their toes. I found I enjoyed following the characters journey throughout the book to see what became of them. I really hope this isn’t the last book in this fantastic series!
Huge thanks to Rachel from Arrow publishing for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author
Ellie Dean lives in a tiny hamlet set deep in the heart of the South Downs in Sussex, which has been her home for many years and where she raised her three children. She is the author of the The Cliffehaven Series.
To find out more visit http://www.ellie-dean.co.uk
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