This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

This is an eloquently written book set in the Black Country in the 1890's. It's about love, lost love, betrayal and elicit love in a bustling town. I became very involved in the characters with their various ups and downs. Algie, one of the main characters is the son of the lock-keeper. He's very likable and you take him to your heart as he has his head screwed on and he's caring but at times he can be immature, have double standards and be self-righteous towards his sister Kate. Algie can be a hypocrite condemning his sister's behaviour when his own is parallel. A poignant gender mark of the times. Both siblings are ambitious after a lowly upbringing. Algie has visions of success working for himself and Kate wants to be an actress. I found it all very refreshing as it portrays how beautiful & gracious the English language can be when omitting swear words and slang. It was written like a classic using for example words like "gainsay, lambasting and harkened". The imagery is breathtaking which is so important in a book from an unknown era and lifestyle. The beauty is in the detail. The sibllings early youth is learning about crushes, infatuation and love; much of which perplexes Algie. What interested me a great deal is learning about the skills, crafts and industry of the times, including making bicycles, bedsteads and the boat people working the canals. Marigold, the beautiful girl from the cut is uneducated, simple and sweet although she was eaten up with jealousy and apt to be clingy. This almost changed her destiny. I have now started the sequel just come onto NetGalley, "A Fallen Woman" and can't wait to see what awaits the characters I have begun to know so well. Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher.

I am not a big fan of historical romance but I found this book to be well written with a good storyline. I recommend to fans of historical fiction

Historical romance is not a genre I normally tend to reach for when I'm looking for something to read so this would be one of the first books of it's genre that I really sank my teeth into.

The story centres around the protagonist, Algernon (Algie) Stokes who is the lock-keeper's son and the book is set in the late 19th century in the heart of the Black Country (a region of the West Midlands in the UK).

The book follows the story of Algie's loves and ambitions. He is from a relatively modest but comfortable background and works in a local factory but dreams of more. He lives with his mother, father and wayward sister Kate in the lock-keeper's cottage. It's here that Algie meets the other main character, Marigold Bingham who lives on one of two canal boats with her family.

At this part of the story we start to see a blossoming relationship between Algie and hopeless romantic, Marigold. Although at this particular time he is still courting the prim and proper Harriet Meese (bold Algie!).

Marigold herself is seeing someone else but they both break it off with their other sweethearts and here the story really begins to take shape.

From here you will meet a myriad of characters and some you will love much more than others. My particular favourites were Algie, Kate (although you probably won't agree with me when you read the book!) and Harriet. I found that these characters were written particularly well and were fairly three dimensional. We are also introduced to the dubious Murdoch Osbourne, a local buther who also runs the local amateur dramatics society. I loved to loathe this character who desperately tries to cling on to his youth. Then there is Benjamin Samson who is the gaffer of the factory Algie works in and is married to the unhappy with alluring Aurelia. Who is a key part of the story.

There are more than a few love triangles in the book but I found they worked very well and didn't seem disingenious.

There are heartaches and sadness and I was surprised at how much I got into the book! I genuinely couldn't wait to read about what happened next. I found I cared a lot about some of the characters. After I read it I actually thought fondly of them.

One of the things I loved about this book is that all the characters speak the way they would have spoken in that particular part of the UK, with lots of colloquialisms thrown in. Carson writes it so it feels authentic and creates a sense of involvement in the book but it is still easy to read.

Another reason I enjoyed this book is because Carson based it on particular historical events within the region, including a famous tram accident in the area. It didn't feel out of the place in the story either.


I enjoyed the vein of female sexuality that flowed throughout the book. As most of us are aware female opression was rife in history (and unfortunately in a lot of places, still is) and female sexuality and sensuality was something that was not at all acceptable to talk about however in this book a lot of the women are seen by themselves as sexual and having powers of prowess. I really enjoyed the way most of the women were written and they stood up to their male counterparts.

There are some negatives however. I thought that Algie's mother's story about not going out at nighttime could have been expanded on more. She was also the weakest character in the book and I just felt to be honest she could have been done without.

Another character I hated was Aurelia, she was annoying and needy. The whole story around her was very predictable and boring and was merely a filler however it was a key part of the story.

The book is a wee bit predictable and verging on twee but I have to say, I did love it and was surprised at how much I got into it considering it was never something I would have normally read. Carson writes very well and I would definitely reach for another one of her books.

All in all a good read and perfect for this time of year. ****

This is a fairly run of the mill historical drama set in the Black Country in the 1890's. The story includes issues of class and gender. The level of education of some of the lower class characters seems rather high. Given that this is only 125 years ago, the women are treated mostly as chattels which is slightly disconcerting. Not as good as Audrey Howard but fairly readable.