This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

Thank you to NetGalley, Libby Ashworth and the publishers for the chance to read this book.

I have read the first book in the trilogy- sadly not the second and was approved for this one - the third and apparently final one.

The book centres on the daughters of Jennet and Titus - though the past comes back to haunt Jennet and one daughter and to some extent Titus and his political fervour.

Poverty, hard work, the Mills and life as an apprentice teacher are all well explored - the story flows well and there are unexpected twists and turns. I rarely write a synopsis so that I don't leave spoilers for anyone reading my review.

Although this book is part of a series it is possible to read it and enjoy it as a stand-alone novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The way it is written uses local dialect which if one doesn't know Burnley can at times be a bit difficult to follow - however this didn't detract from me wanting to read a bit more than I should each night before sleep.

Thank you again to the publisher and Libby Ashworth for the opportunity to read this book

Third book in this series following the Eastwood.family through the ups and downs of their life. This book concentrates mainly on the two daughters and their dreams and hopes. Some familiar faces reappear not all to the good.

I didn’t realise at the time of reading this book that it was the third book in a trilogy but as you read the book it told of what had happened previously so you could read this as a stand alone. I really enjoyed this book I like historical fiction seeing what happened in those times how hard it was for them to survive.

The book is mainly about the daughters Peggy & Bessie. Peggy is training to be a school teacher so is not earning any money and Bessie is working in the mill which is very long hours for very little money.

Would things go the way as the girls planned or will there be twists as we go along. It kept me guessing and I read this book within a day certainly kept me in engrossed.

I would recommend this book.

I always find reading an historical novel fascinating. The cultural and society elements that differ from contemporary times, and the things that are still the same. It's something that I enjoy learn and seeing more in literature.

Libby Ashworth brought us a fantastic family dynamic in this third novel in the series. In "A Family Secret", we follow the Eastwood family: the parents, Jennet and Titus, and their two daughters, Bessie and Peggy. Although we first met the characters in previous books, this story can be read alone.

I loved the characters, I loved that the sisters had their own dreams and were determined to follow their path and make their choice, despite what the parents wanted for them. I loved that they had that ambition and were trying to have a future that they wanted. That's something we all can relate.

The book was a page turner. Family, drama, secrets and mystery... How could we not be focus in each moment? We are taken on a journey with the characters, one that show us how life was back then and how these strong women dealt with the obstacle in their life. I felt connected with them, I felt intrigued by their actions and by the revelations told and scenes happening.

Overall, it was a beautiful story. One that transported me to another time. One that let me emotional for different ways. One that in the end warmed my heart, because when an historical is well done (like this one was) and I am connected with the characters and feel as I am a part of their family, I could I not have my heart and soul filled with emotion and warmth?

I will be definitely checking the previous books to enjoy Libby Ashworth's writing even more. I think she had a good balance in this book and that was why I was reading page after page. Enjoying each moment passed in the company of the Bessie, Peggy and Jennet, and all the other characters that I'm now very curious about.

[I want to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone - Arrow Publishing for the eCopy of this book via NetGalley, and for allowing me to join in the fun and being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]

Saga fans will find Libby Ashworth’s latest heart-wrenching Lancashire saga, A Family Secret, an emotional, affecting and captivating page-turner they will simply not be able to put down.

Jennet and Titus Eastwood have always drummed into their two young daughters’ heads Bessie and Peggy that family is everything. Life in Victorian Lancashire is tough with money being tight, opportunities being few and far between and each and every day a constant struggle to keep food on the table and a roof over everybody’s head. Jennet and Titus have always done their best for their girls and made decisions in their best interests. But their girls are no longer young children who will do as they are told. They are young women with their own dreams and ambitions and a determination to forge their own paths and make their own choices.

Peggy is an apprentice at the Girls’ School with big dreams for the future. She does not want a life of toil and hard labour, but yearns to make something out of herself and to unshackle herself from the poverty and sacrifice that have shaped her parents’ entire lives. Peggy would love nothing more than to be a school teacher, but will this dream of hers become a reality? Or she destined for a lifetime of disappointment and frustration as circumstances preclude her from reaching her potential? Sixteen year old Bessie is a weaver who works long hours to support her family. Bessie has her own dreams and ambitions, but will duty to her family keep her trapped in a life she would love nothing more than to leave behind?

As lust and temptation threaten to derail all of the girls’ plans, a familiar face comes to town putting the family’s future in jeopardy and leaving Bessie and Jennet with an impossible choice to make.

Libby Ashworth has the storyteller’s gift and has written a spellbinding historical saga rich in drama, emotion and intensity and packed with enough atmosphere and danger to keep readers absolutely glued to the pages of A Family Secret. Libby Ashworth writes beautifully about strong women facing life head on even when there are many obstacles standing in their way and readers will find much to admire in the characters she so skillfully brings to life in her novels.

A superbly written saga perfect for chilly winter nights, Libby Ashworth’s A Family Secret is an engrossing read from one of the genre’s fastest rising stars.

It's been really lovely to step back in time with the latest in this series of historical sagas which are set in the mill town of Blackburn at the height of its cotton manufacturing heyday.

In A Family Secret trouble is brewing for the Eastwood family as mill production is threatened as working hours are compromised by a change in working conditions. These changes do not sit lightly on those who are both working, and fighting, for the right of fair pay for a fair day's work. Inevitably changes are coming, and young Bessie Eastwood and her father, Titus, both mill workers, are filled with a real sense of unease about their job security. Meanwhile the older sister, Margaret, is facing her own challenges as her quest to better herself takes her life in an altogether different direction.

When old secrets, which are buried deep at the heart of this family start to threaten, and those who have read the earlier books will know what they are, the future starts to look even more uncertain for members of the Eastwood family.

As with the previous stories, there's a real sense of community spirit, and the warmth, and camaraderie, of the northern, no nonsense, spirit comes alive.The author captures the historical accuracy of life in a Victorian mill town, and the northern vernacular feels natural, just as if the characters were sitting in your Victorian parlour having a cup of tea, and a slice of bread and butter. I remember my own grandmother, herself a Lancashire mill girl, telling me about the deafening noise of the weaving sheds and about shuttles and looms, warp and weft, whilst at the same time, slicing bread with the expertise of a French swordsman.

A Family Secret is the third book in the Mill Town Lasses series and whilst it can be read a standalone it does bring in characters from previous novels and in a way this book is tying off of some loose ends which were left hanging after the first book. Beautifully written as always, A Family Secret is a lovely continuations of the saga.

The Mill Town Lasses #3

Lancaster, 1842: sixteen year old Bessie works long hours as a weaver in Blackburn, helping to support her family. Meanwhile, her older sister Peggy works as an apprentice at a Girl's School, hoping for a more prosperous future as a school teacher. Jennet and Titus
Eastwood have always made decisions for their daughters futures. Then a familiar face arrives in town, and the family's future is threatened. For Bessie and Jennet, a difficult choce must be made.

This book revolves around the lives of Jennet, Titus and their two daughters Bessie and Peggy. The girls are quickly approaching adulthood. There's references to what happened in the previous teo books. This is another beautifully written tale of friendship, hardship, love and hope. The pace is steady and held my attention throughout.

I would like to thankl #NetGalley, #RandonHouseUK #Cornerstone for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The third book in this series, and an excellent stand-alone read!

Bessie is a expert weaver at the local mill and her wages go to help keep the family. Her older sister, Peggy, works as an apprentice at the local Girls School, and hopes to qualify as a teacher one day. Their parents have always made decisions for their daughters but now the girls are coming of age, they want to decide things for themselves. Then some familiar faces return to Blackburn bringing upheaval to the Eastwood family. Will the family survive - or will some choose a different future?

Unsurprisingly, I'm late to the party again; actually, I didn't realise this was part of a series until I got to the end of the book. I'm rather fond of a good historical saga, and this certainly fits the bill. A good story with lots going on, personable characters and lots of interesting scenarios popping up. Libby Ashworth is certainly an author worth reading - I really enjoyed this one and I'm sorry I didn't come to the series earlier. Beautifully written, well-crafted with a good solid ending leaving no questions remaining all adds up to a novel I'm very happy to recommend to saga lovers, and give this 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley and to Georgia Williams of Penguin Random House for my spot on this tour; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book and i didn't realise it was part of a trilogy , i was still able to read it as a standalone and i couldn't put it down.

In this the 3rd book of The Mill Town Lasses we follow the lives to the daughters of Titus and Jennet. Peggy the older sister who want to be a school teacher and Bessie who works hard in the mills. I read this quite quickly as I couldn’t put it down. I found myself routing for Bessie, although she didn’t take the path I would have chosen for her I still enjoyed the read. Will there be another ?

This is book 3 of The Mill Town lasses and every bit as good as the first two books. This follow on book relates to Jennet and Titus’ two daughters Bessie and Peggy and their futures as they approach adulthood. I really enjoyed the way the story has flowed from the first book and it was so easy to pick up as the storyline is continued and reminders of Jennet and Titus past history are told.

Loved this book and would recommend - a great read.

A lovely tale set in Blackburn. Bessie Eastwood works long hours to support her family. Older sister Peggy is hoping to become a school teacher. This is an engrossing tale 9f hardship love and family life thatcalways comes first. I was drawn into this story that will take to your heart. Total enjoyment for reading. Just beautiful.