The Promise of Tomorrow- Anne-Marie Brear
Today I am so happy to be on the first day of the Blog Tour for The Promise of Tomorrow by Anne-Marie Brear. Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for inviting me to join the Blog Tour and for a copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly.
The Promise of Tomorrow
Charlotte Brookes flees her lecherous guardian, McBride, taking her younger sister with her. After a year on the road, they stumble into a Yorkshire village. There, they are taken in by the Wheelers, owners of the village shop. This new life is strange for Charlotte, but preferable to living with McBride or surviving on the roads.
Harry Belmont is an important man in the village, but he’s missing something in his life. His budding friendship with Charlotte gives him hope she will feel more for him one day, and he will have the woman he needs.
However, when McBride finds out where Charlotte lives, his threats begin, and Harry takes it upon himself to keep Charlotte safe. Only, World War I erupts and Harry enlists.
Left to face a world of new responsibilities, and Harry’s difficult sister, Charlotte must run the gauntlet of family disputes, McBride’s constant harassment and the possibility of the man she loves being killed.
Can Charlotte find the happiness that always seems under threat, and will Harry return home to her?
My Review
Charlotte and Hannah Brookes lived a cherished and privileged life until they suddenly become orphans and have no choice but to move in with the man their father appointed their legal guardian in his will. Macbride is a greedy and lecherous man with designs on Charlotte, the elder sister. He secretly knows that Charlotte will come into a large inheritance and plans to make it his own.
The girls escape and spend weeks on the road, earning board and lodgings where they can. When Charlotte faints in a family run food store they are taken in by the husband and wife owners. The Wheelers are childless and take pity on the girls. They can tell that they come from good stock and are puzzled as to how they came to be walking the streets.
When Master Harry from Belmont Hall walks into the grocery shop he is blown away by the presence of Charlotte and immediately recognises that she is no ordinary shop girl. A relationship starts between them but there is news that guardian Macbride has found the girls whereabouts. Master Harry and the Wheelers form a plan to keep the sisters safe.
When war breaks out Charlotte has to find hidden strength. Harry has gone to fight and the family and villagers depend on her. Despite everything, Charlotte prays that one day Harry will return and Macbride will stop hunting her down.
I am a great fan of Anne-Marie Brears’s writing and the storytelling in The Promise of Tomorrow certainly didn’t disappoint. The pages flew by so quickly, and I became gripped by the lives of the sisters, Harry Belmont, and the wonderfully kind Stan Wheeler and his wife Bessie. Charlotte is a strong female character who rises to challenges and changes into a respected and assertive woman. There is a class divide, family conflict, imminent danger, and a beautiful love story.
A highly recommended historical romance.
Author Bio –
Australian born AnneMarie Brear writes historical novels and modern romances and sometimes the odd short story, too. Her passions, apart from writing, are travelling, reading, researching historical eras and looking for inspiration for her next book.
