Reviews

Wonderful Family Saga

The saga continues in this, the second novel of the Hartford Manor series and a particularly dark story emerges as it progresses. Like the first, this is a gripping story following the lives of several characters and introducing new ones. The divide between the rich and poor, the privileged and those not so, is further explored as Robert Fellwood marries Annie Carter, and so the snobbery of the age it is set in, the 1880s, carries on. There is much to recommend in this book, the author’s obvious knowledge of the times comes across sharply, the place and setting, North Devon, and the story unfold seamlessly as the author easily gets into the minds of those she writes about.

1884 North Devon, England

When carpenter, Fred Carter, finds a young woman in dire straits by the roadside, he takes her to the local inn where she gives birth to a daughter. Charlotte Mackie is an unmarried mother and has run away from home where she would have no sympathy from her strict parents. A few days later, Fred takes Charlotte to her aunt’s house and does not expect to see her again.

When their paths unexpectedly cross, Fred finds Charlotte is distraught as her aunt has arranged an adoption behind her back. Charlotte is desperate to find her baby, and Fred promises to help. However, they are unprepared for the sinister discoveries that lay before them. Set alongside the absorbing detail of country life and budding village romances, dark forces are at work, which ultimately test the bravery and resourcefulness of the whole community.

The Angel Maker is the sequel to The Mazzard Tree and the second novel in a compelling series that follows the lives and loves of the villagers of Hartford. A rare treat for lovers of historical fiction.