The War girls of Goodwill House is Book 1 in in a new wartime saga series by Fenella J Miller.Lady Joanna Harcourt and her daughter Sarah are plunged into a life of independence when husband and father Lord Harcourt goes of to war. Readers will immediately become caught up in the lives and loves of Millie, Diane and the residents of Goodwill House. They will laugh with them, cry with them and be with them every single step of the way as they navigate this most challenging time. Meanwhile, Lady Joanna has had correspondence from her husband who strictly forbids Sarah to lower herself to that of a nurse and instructs Sarah to remain at home until he can return and find her a suitable husband. But Sarah, it seems, has other ideas. The freedom that has come from her father being in France has given both her and Lady Joanna a new lease of life as both women step out from under two decades of control...and they like it. War has changed the world and nothing is as it used to be as the women of Goodwill House give the house a new lease of life that hasn't seen laughter or happiness for decades. The setting of the airfield and wartime Kent is beautifully written. It's evocative and descriptive, helping you picture everything from the boats in the channel to the spartan living quarters on the base. It's all too easy to think of this as a work of fiction, but the reality is that so many brave men and women lived just like this. In particular, the attitude and outlook of Ted and the other airmen is poignant. They live each day as if it were their last, yet the tragic truth is that young men just like Ted and his friends would have lost their lives every day during the war years.

Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources for a complimentary e ARC of #WeddingBellsAtGoodwillHouse upon my request. All opinions are my own. Set at the beginning of WWII in England, The War Girls of Goodwill House is the first book in a fascinating new series. War changes everything and luxury is becoming a thing of the past. Lady Joanna Harcourt and her daughter, Sarah, are left to try to make ends meet financially when Lord Harcourt leaves to fight. Money is in short supply so they decide to take in paying boarders to earn an income. Bedrooms are numerous in the vast house but heating and servants are scarce. The Women's Auxiliary Air Force boarders are interesting and enterprising. Needs must. The mother, a mamsy pamsy, Joanna, did nothing...nothing...as matron of a huge estate. She was married to a tyrant, who was serving in France, and he was absent throughout the entire story short of a few letters Joanna ignored. He left them without enough money, so they were living in the freezing cold manor house. She and Sarah enjoyed their new-found freedom without him there. They hoped he wouldn't return.Lady Joanna Harcourt and her daughter Sarah discover their life of luxury at Goodwill House is over. Because with Lord Harcourt away fighting, the Harcourt girls are facing financial ruin.Lady Joanna is terrified of losing their home, but for Sarah, this means her dreams of becoming a doctor are over. Headstrong Sarah isn’t one to quit! War or not, she’s determined to find a way to save her home and follow her dreams– whatever it takes! as at Constant House and Holmsdale House, the hollowtile floors were laid by a specialist contractor. The total

John has just one last mission to complete, before they can be together. But even though John is an experienced and competent pilot, the threat of the enemy is still close. Will this be one risk too far? Lady Joanna Harcourt and her daughter Sarah have been very sheltered in their lives so far at Goodwill House, but now that Lord Harcourt is off fighting in France, they are having to fend for themselves and discovering a lot of things they’ve been shielded from – and not all to the good. With limited finances, they need to come up with some way of keeping their home and allowing Sarah to follow her dream of becoming a doctor. Flight Lieutenant Angus Trent is seeking accommodation for WAAF’s sent unexpectedly to the nearby RAF base, and that may just help with Sarah and Joanna’s monetary issues; however, Lady Harcourt may take some persuading but Sarah is one determined young woman who has her sights set firmly on success. Angus has only admiration for this young lady – he has never met her like before! I have been a fan of Fenella’s work for a while now. I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written to date but I am slowly getting there. I must admit that I have a particular fondness for Fenella’s new series set in the glorious sounding ‘Goodwill House’. I read and loved the first book in the series so when I heard that Fenella was due to release another book in the series, called ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’, I knew that I had to grab a copy and read it as soon as I could. Well ladies and gents, the wait is over because ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ was released on 7th April 2022. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ but more about that in a bit. Here we meet Lady Joanna Harcourt and her daughter Sarah who have found that their quiet lives are turned upside down by WW2 – Lord Harcourt is away fighting in France, and the Harcourt ladies find themselves in financial difficulties. With just a handful of staff remaining and unable to access her husband’s bank accounts, Lady Joanna is terrified of losing her home whilst Sarah knows that her dreams to study medicine at university are over, as the money to pay the fees is no longer available. Sarah Harcourt and her mother Lady Joanna Harcourt find themselves struggling to make ends meet as the Second World War looms large. Sarah's father has gone to France to fight, leaving the women to basically fend for themselves. Unable to access any funds and with the meagre amount Lord Harcourt has left them, Sarah and Joanna must find a way to survive and keep a roof over their heads. Cue one very handsome RAF officer in the form of Angus Trent, and it seems the pairs financial difficulties are eased when the RAF wants them to open their magnificent, if not freezing cold home to board young women, namely land girls and members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. Fraternising between the two sexes on an air force base was simply not encouraged during this time. Will Joanna agree to the plan though? What would her husband say? She is almost crippled by indecision.

the area lay within the Stepney and Poplar Comprehensive Development Area, the easiest course of action Now a group of a dozen land girls are arriving at Goodwill House to work on the estates various farms in the area. Sal, Daphne and Charlie are three such women who met at agricultural training and made their way from Devon to Kent together to begin their work on the land. Each woman comes bearing a secret but none more than Sal who has fled an abusive relationship in London and should her ex find out where she is, he would think nothing of coming to end her days in agony, as promised for leaving him. their names, the fact that they were erected by Presbyterian Housing Ltd, and the dates of completion. By

I liked that there were several strands to the story, and we got to see how conflict affected people in different ways. There was a great understanding of the realities of day to day life for those left at home. Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this delightful new series, "The War Girls of Goodwill House" which had a Downton-esque feel to it, I was excited to dive into NEW RECRUITS AT GOODWILL HOUSE and revisit the charming characters in residence there. Although we have bid farewell to a couple of much-loved ones from the first book, we meet some delightful new ones in this installment as well as meet up with the recurring characters. The owners of Goodwill House have several worries for the future of what might become of their lives after the war, if Goodwill House and its occupants will survive. The lady of the house, Lady Joanna Harcourt makes a life-changing decision, one which is manufactured and therefore a bit off to me. Otherwise her character is likeable and sometimes admirable. "Old" characters from three previous books returned and new ones introduced. One of my favourite characters is Jean, the housekeeper and cook with her inside knowledge.

More Books in WW2 - Goodwill House (Boldwood Books)

In the midst of death, life and love still happen. It is beautiful to witness a romance beginning to bud. The War Girls of Goodwill House by Fenella J Miller is a wonderful WWII-era historical fiction saga that is the first in a new series. I just loved it.

New Recruits At Goodwill House by Fenella J Miller is a marvellous historical novel and the second book in the Goodwill House series. It can be read as a stand-alone. I, however, loved meeting up with familiar faces.

Don’t miss the final instalment in Fenella J. Miller’s heartwarming and emotional Goodwill House series. You’ll need to have your tissues ready!

Or will their be another goodbye for the Harcourts before they close the doors of Goodwill House for ever? The Land Girls of Goodwill House is the 4th volume in a series of books about women in Great Britain during World War II. I previously reviewed volume 3, Duty Calls at Goodwill House. The War Girls of Goodwill House and New Recruits at Goodwill House are the previous books in the series.