Welcome to my stop on Rachel’s Random Resources Book Tour for A New Home At The Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas – the first in a nostalgic and heart-warming WWII saga series by bestselling author Maisie Thomas, that readers of Ellie Dean and Lesley Eames will love.
306 pages, Kindle Edition ~ March 27, 2025 by Boldwood Books
About the Book:
Manchester, 1941
Kitty learned early on in her marriage that her husband, Bill Dunbar, isn’t reliable with money. So when they inherit the Dunbar family hotel at the start of the war, she’s hopeful that their financial worries are over… until the bailiffs turn up! With Bill away fighting, it’s up to Kitty to turn things around for her family, or risk ruin.
Lily worked as a chambermaid at Dunbar’s before the war. She met Daniel there, but their relationship was complicated by class differences and the disapproval of Daniel’s mother. Now Lily is pregnant – and with Daniel away at sea, she is all alone. When tragedy strikes, will Kitty and Dunbar’s come to her rescue?
Beatrice is in her forties, unmarried, and working in a job that exposes her to the harsh realities of poverty and sacrifice. She wonders whether the war might give her the opportunity to change lives for the better – including her own. But when she’s accused of a crime she didn’t commit, the future looks bleak… until Kitty makes a surprising suggestion.
Can the community around Dunbar’s hotel pull together and provide a beacon of hope and resilience, in the dark days of war?
My Review:
What an absolutely engrossing WWII saga. Set in Manchester, readers are introduced to Kitty, Lily and Beatrice, whose lives will insect in the most beautiful way.
So many details of the time period and setting are beautifully incorporated in this story that I felt I was right there next to these three women.
This is historical fiction at its finest with an emphasis on just how strong women can be, as well as a celebration of the friendship and support between women.
This was my first book by Maisie, and I’ll certainly be looking for more. I grabbed this on audio from my library’s Hoopla collection and it was a treat for my ears. So well done!
About the Author:
Maisie Thomas was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her Railway Girls novels. She loves writing stories with strong female characters, set in times when women needed determination and vision to make their mark. The Railway Girls series is inspired by her great aunt, Jessie, who worked as a railway clerk during the First World War.
Maise also writes as Susanna Bavin and Polly Heron. As Polly, she writes the 1920s saga series, The Surplus Girls. As Susanna she has written four stand-alone sagas and is also a new WW2 saga series, The Home Front Girls, of which the first three books will be published in 2024.
Author Links:
Twitter: @maisiethomas99
TOUR PARTICIPANTS: Stop by the rest of the tour!
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