This is the second book in a series. It’s well written and a great historical saga.
I love books from this time period. A great read

Lizzie Lane brings back her Tobacco Girls for another emotional, warm-hearted and compelling instalment that will keep readers absolutely riveted to the page.

In 1940, the world becomes bleaker and more uncertain with each passing day – and that is something which the three Tobacco Girls can certainly relate to. With danger round every corner and the future not being guaranteed, Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis will find themselves pulling together during these trying and challenging times because when all seems hopeless, it is only good friends that will be there for you in the darkest moments of your life.

Bridget cannot remember the last time she had been happy. Her family used to mean the world to her – but sadly with her siblings evacuated to North Devon, her clan is now all fragmented. Bridget misses the laughter, boisterousness and good times the family used to have. Just when Bridget thinks that things couldn’t possibly get any worse for her, she receives a letter from America that ends up pulling the rug out from under her feet…

Maisie Miles has known her fair share of turmoil and despair. Having finally found a safe haven from her father and Eddie Bridgeman, Maisie thinks she can finally look forward to the future. But when her well-being and future are threatened yet again, Maisie wonders whether she will ever be happy ever again…

Phyllis Mason’s life spirals into despair when a tragic twist of fate destroys her entire world. When a new horizon finally beckons, she thinks that happiness will be within her reach – until she realizes that maybe her fresh start might lead her into danger and jeopardy.

With so many obstacles standing in their way, life is going to be tougher than ever for Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis, but together they will weather any storm coming their way as there will be brighter days ahead – but only if they stick together and keep supporting one another.

Lizzie Lane has written a poignant, enjoyable and captivating saga perfect for Mary Wood and Rosie Clarke fans. Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls is a saga about courage, hope, resilience and the power of friendships that will have readers reaching for their tissues. Lizzie Lane is a brilliant storyteller who knows how to keep her readers turning the pages and with Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls, she has written a first class saga aficionados of the genre are going to love.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed this one the plot kept me interested until the end which is not easy, and the characters were engaging and believable. I highly recommend this book.

Book 2 in the Tobacco Girl series and I loved this book just as much as Book 1. We are back in Bristol with Bridget, Maisie and Phylis. Each of them have lots going on in their lives . And along with the war raging on they are each doing their best to get through life snd are always there for each other. I love the rapport between the friends and I’m loving the way the story is developing. I cannot wait now to read book 3 in this excellent series.

It was great to catch up with Maisie, Bridget and Phyllis again. The friends worked together at the tobacco factory but a lot has been happening for the friends during World War Two. Lizzie’s writing draws you into the book so you feel you are part of this friendship group. You can’t help but feel for the girls as they go through lots of ups and downs, but keep going strong no matter what is thrown at them. I throughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book at the end of September.

It was so good to be back in Bristol with the “3 Ms” again! This time, we meet them just as war is starting, and life is changing for everyone.

Bridget is so close to her siblings, but it’s not safe for them to stay in the city anymore, and it’s heartbreaking to read of them all being evacuated to the countryside.

Phyllis is still living with her horrible mother-in-law, and she really needs to make some changes.

There’s possible danger for Maisie, as her father appears on the scene again. He’s one character that I really disliked, and as always, he’s up to no good.

The three women are always there for each other, and try to support each other as best they can through these tough times. I really enjoyed this totally captivating read full of history, friendship, community and family. Even in the dark days of war, the goodness of people shines through, and it’s an uplifting read overall.

This book can be read as standalone, but it’s lovely to reconnect with the familiar characters again, and it’s such a fabulous read, that I’d recommend you read the other book in the series too. They really are a real treat, and a pleasure to read.

I can’t wait for the next book in what is a wonderful series so far. Highly recommended for anyone who loves great historical fiction, and wonderful human interest stories that are beautifully written.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lizzie Lane for the chance to review this book.

I had read the first book in the series and jumped at the chance to read the second - as is my way I left it to savour it and hence the review after publication date. What a mistake!! I should have read it much earlier and got back into the lives of the 'Three M's'
Although this is a sequel I feel it would be possible to read it and engage with the characters even if Book 1 had not been read.
It continues from book 1 and follows the lives of the three friends through love, separation, tragedy and as often with these books an overbearing woman - in this case a mother-in-law and a feckless father. At least the father eventually gets some form of comeuppance though I imagine book 3 could come up with a surprise in that direction.
I normally read before I go to sleep at night - but waiting for my husband at a hospital appointment meant that I read this quickly - and in fact read during the day as well as I wanted to know what happened.
Lizzie Lane's books are like a warm cardi and slippers - comforting and heartwarming, whilst not needing massive of concentration to follow the plot - just what we need sometimes in these difficult and stressful times.

I am really looking forward to following the future lives of the 'Three M's'

Thank you again to all concerned with this ARC - this opinion is mine and mine alone

World War II fiction is one of my absolute favorite genres. I couldn’t pass up adding this to my historical fiction collection! And I was quite surprised and my heart expanded for the women in England and the struggles they might have dealt with.

Three friends looked after one another and supported one another in their own ways. Through thick and thin, as Bridget, Maisie, and Phyllis go through so many events of love, loss, and air raids. Yet, they always came back together to check up on each other and help one another.

I especially love the connection these lasses have with each other and some of their family and friends. Even during wartime, they still do what they can with what they’ve got. While events are not ideal during this time period, they do what they can with what they’ve got.

What surprised me was the struggles the girls experienced. Not only with siblings being shipped off to the country, or miscarriage, but also of possessive in-laws and abusive parents. It’s important to remember that like today, families back then had their dysfunctions, too. What we read in history books cover the facts of the war, the who bombed where and when kind of thing. it’s historical fiction books like this brings personality to the possible situations that might have occurred during the time.

Special thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books for access to Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because of the expanse of where the story takes the reader as well as pulling all the characters together flawlessly. Often times having so many characters gets confusing and readers get lost, but this book manages to keep everyone situated fantastically!

Wartime setting for this second in the series featuring the three Ms. We follow their lives through heartaches,happiness and sorrow. Warm hearted book which describes well the hardships of war and the love and support of the three Ms.

This is book 2, I have not read book 1 but it was easy to follow the three 'M's It begins at the time of Dunkirk evacuation during WWII. There is plenty of ups and downs good times and sad times. The story ended abruptly. It Did say book 2 of 2 however looking on Amazon book 3 is due out next year. I will be getting this. Its a good read which I can recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review which I freely give

First Initial Thoughts

Bridget is the oldest child in the family and watches her younger siblings be shipped off to Devon to be protected from the war. Her family is devastated by the choice but they know it’s right. Bridget currently works at the Tobacco family helping support the family. She also had a brief relationship with a man she knows she may never see again, as he went to America with his family. He comes from a wealthy family and their family did not approve of their relationship.

Phyllis is a young girl stuck in a marriage she doesn’t want to be in and pregnant. She lives with her in-laws and absolutely loathes her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law is very critical, especially about her pregnancy and marriage. She wants to get out but their traditional views on marriage keep her there. Through unfortunate circumstances, will she be able to start anew and move away? Phyllis reminded me of Blanche a little bit from The Golden Girls. She was a flirt. She kind of made her life decisions on impulses and didn’t really think things through. Even though she was impulsive she did have the gumption and determination to find a better life.

Maisie is a young woman finally free from her family and a man named Eddie. We don’t get much page time with Maisie in the beginning. However, as the novel progresses we find Maisie to be free-spirited and willing to do what it takes to survive. Though we do still get a sense that she is ever fearful that the men in her previous life will come back for her.

Setting

Lizzie definitely did her research on WWII and what it was like for that part of England. It was at the beginning of the war and England was just starting to enter the war. Many men were starting to joining the armed forces and women were taking up work to support their families. While reading the story, you could feel the tension, fear for what would happen, and what would happen to their loved ones. Lizzie is definitely a talented writer!

Final Thoughts

What I enjoyed about this story is that while it was set during WWII, it was more so about the girls and their life experiences. While I see so many novels focus on the war itself, Lizzie focused on how their life was affected by the war. It was definitely a difficult and stressful time for many, especially those that had children to feed. It was interesting and inspiring to learn how families reused items, rationed food, creating new clothing from various materials, etc. to pull them through the war.

I think ultimately this book is all about friendship and hope. How important friendship is during difficult times. I think without close friends for the support it would be difficult for us to move on. Hope was also the main theme I picked up. The girls had hope for the war to be over eventually and for things to go back to normal. They did what they had to do to survive and try new things. This is definitely a great message for today.

Maisie, Phyllis, and Bridget are such close friends and are always there for each other. And what I enjoyed is that each of these girls had such different personalities from each other yet they got along so well. I liked reading that because often in books friendship is often between two people who are so alike.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and reading the experiences of Maisie, Phyllis, and Bridget during WWII. This last year has been hard on all of us, and I think this story will help remind us to keep going and have hope.

Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls by Lizzie Lane is the second book in the Tobacco Girls series. The first book was excellent a histotical saga that introduced us to the three M's, Bridget, Phyllis and Maisie.
We return to them in 1940 Bristol. We find Bridget and Maisie still working at the tobacco factory while Phyllis is pregnant Robert, Phyllis's husband works away and Phyllis lives in his family's home, with her domineering, unpleasant mother-in-law. Bridget is part of a large family and her six siblings are evacuated to North Devon. She hopes every day that her American beau remembers her and has written her a letter. Maisie who is the youngest of the Three Ms works at the Llandoger Trow pub as well as the tobacco factory and for her, life is reasonably good, until she finds herself anxiously looking over her shoulder when she knows her stepfather, Frank has been released from prison.
As with all great historical sagas set during the war we are privy to the effects of war upon the people. Events such has bombing, food rationing and even the buildings falling down around the area were all horrifically common place and Lizzie Page brings these things alive with her evocative writing. We see the ups and the downs of the girls, love, true friendship and support are a part and parcel of their everyday life along with the sad times that pull at your heartstrings as you read. I was really happy to rejoin these girls on their life journeys and I was back there in the 1940s soaking up the bad and the good as I read along.
Lizzie Page has really created a story that envelops you like a warm hug does. Such real characters and fabulous setting? They are so well created they could be my friends! Cannot wait to see what is in store for them in the future...I look forward to it.
Thanks to Rachel Gilbey of Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books and Lizzie Page for my copy of the book

Absolutely loved it! The continuing story of Phyllis, Maisie and Bridget is entertaining and also humbling as they live in a country at war. Personal battles must be fought alongside sheltering from bombs. I look forward to the third book!

Set in 1940s wartime Bristol with peeks at North Devon, the reader dips into the lives of three young women. This is the second book in the series and though I have yet to read the first, 'The Tobacco Girls', I still enjoyed this story a great deal. Lizzie Lane includes occasional reminders here and there as to what happened to the young women previously, so I didn't feel particularly lost or at sea. The women are Bridget Milligan, Maisie Miles and Phyllis Mason, known as the Three Ms. Bridget and Maisie are working at the W. D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory whilst Phyllis, recently married, is expecting a baby. Robert Harvey, Phyllis's husband works away and Phyllis lives in his family's home, with her domineering, unpleasant mother-in-law. Bridget is part of a large family and her six siblings are evacuated to North Devon. Bridget hopes every day that her American beau Lyndon O'Neill remembers her and has written. Maisie who is the youngest of the Three Ms, works at the Llandoger Trow pub as well as the tobacco factory and for her, life is reasonably good, until she finds herself looking over her shoulder when her stepfather, Frank is released from prison.

In Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls, readers get to see the effects of the horrors of war such as food rationing, bombings and buildings crumbling, through the author's terrifically evocative writing. There are dashes of delight scattered throughout the tale as well, in terms of treasured friendship, support and love. An atmospheric, heartwarming but also heartbreaking read with a tantalising ending, I now find myself desperate to catch up with book one as well as wondering what's in store for the Three Ms in the third instalment.

Thank you to Lizzie Lane, Boldwood Books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

5 Word Review: Family, war, survival, secrets, safety.

I jumped straight in with Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls without reading the first book and although I felt a little lost at first, the events of the first book are covered pretty early on. I didn't find it overly confusing, and as much as I wish I'd read the first book beforehand I think it still worked pretty well as a standalone saga.

I liked the wartime setting, the heart-ache and constant tension that it brings. It intensified everything, made everything that much more urgent. It sped up the pace, made everything that little bit thrilling with the constant threat of bombings and tightening rations.

The narrative moves between three characters, Bridget, Maisie, and Phyllis, and each of the characters has a distinct voice. I was never confused as to who was narrating, and I liked seeing more than one side of each story.

I loved the three M's. They all brought something different to the table, and I think Bridget was my favourite. I felt so much for her at the beginning when her siblings were evacuated, it was so heart-wrenching and I can't imagine being separated from my own sisters like that. All three women are strong, even if their life has been hard. They've had a lot thrown at them and I loved to see them support each other. It felt very "found family" even if the story focused a lot on their actual families.

After that ending, I'm sure there is another book on the way! The ending was pretty abrupt and I would have liked a little more to tie it up, but it has me all the more eager for the next instalment.

Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls is the type of book that will break your heart and then put it back together. Heart-warming in the end and very emotional, and now I definitely want to read the first book, The Tobacco Girls.

I love historical fiction and was very happy to be able to go back and visit the Tobacco Girls in Bristol as they learn to adapt to life during the ongoing war. In this story we spend more time with the trio that picks up straight after the last story.

Phyllis she has just gotten married to Robert and moved in to live with her inlaws. We experience her highs and lows as she realises that living with her mother in law is even harder than she ever anticipated and how she is being cut off from her own family and friends.

The friendship between these girls is growing all the time and you can see how important it is to all of them as they start to feel the pressures of war and bombs start to come down in Bristol. We get to revisit existing characters and spend more time with them as well as meeting new characters that play vital roles as Bridget finds that she now has 2 men vying for her attention despite previously stating she never wants to get married.

I look forward to the next book in this saga as war continues to ravage Europe and they continue to all suffer the consequences.

Lizzie Lane offers readers a glance of Bristol during WWII in her new novel, Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls. This book is the second volume in the Tobacco Girls series. It also works well as a standalone. I never felt lost because the author incorporates enough events from the first book.

The tobacco girls are three friends who bond while working in a tobacco factory in the leadup to World War II. Phyllis, Bridgette, and Maisie are the Three M’s. They are the best of friends yet struggle with their personal lives. Phyllis is pregnant and living with her in-laws. Her mother-in-law is domineering and separates Phyllis from her friends and family. Thus, forcing Phyllis to devote her life to Robert. Bridgette is in love with an American that she hasn’t seen in over a year. One day in the country, Bridgette meets a man who could be Lyndon’s twin. This likeness confuses Bridgette. Maisie has trouble with her stepfather and his lawlessness, which puts her in danger. Even though these women each struggle on their own, they are still together in the end.

I had a hard time liking Bridgette and Phyllis. Maisie is a wonderful character, but I didn’t care for the other two. Bridgette seems condescending. Though I think the author means her to be contemplative and intelligent. I find Phyllis to be a selfish woman with no regard for anyone else. I wanted to feel sorry for Phyllis, but she makes terrible choices that hurt the people around her. I did enjoy Maisie. Maisie doesn’t spend her time obsessing over men. She is a free spirit who speaks her mind. Her plight made me feel for her. Due to no fault of her own, she finds herself in a bad position. Maisie’s cleverness allows her to find a solution that works for many people.

Bristol is a setting that I haven’t encountered much in my reading. I enjoyed getting to know the landscape as well as a bit of the history. The countryside where Bridgette’s siblings evacuate to sounds like an idyllic place. I would love to visit there one day. The house on the country estate teems with history. It would be exciting to see and get to know the nooks and crannies of the old place.

Even though most of the characters disappointed me, the story is great. I am curious about whether my feelings would change if I had read the first book. I can’t help but think the first novel might not be so dark. Of course, this volume tells us the story is dark by the title, but I wish there had been a little happiness.

I award Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls 4 out of 5 stars. I must say that you may enjoy this novel more if you read the series from the beginning. A better introduction to some of the secondary characters would have been helpful.

Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls is a detailed medium paced story that is easy to follow and well written. The plot is engaging and emotional..giving the reader a need to continue reading from the beginning!
I like how Lane has shown the hardship of the war with realistic scenes that provided an interesting source of historical information as the plot thicken before your eyes.
The character development of Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls is good. The characters are likeable and interesting. Through each viewpoint the reader is able to form a connection with Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis, also known as the three M's....
I would recommend reading Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls to lovers of Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction, and Family Sagas, as it is a gripping read that takes the reader into the life's of three women as they try to work as a team to overcome rationings, air raids and family drama to return to some form of normality....
I am eager to read the next book in the series....

This was an exciting book to read telling us about the lives of the girls that worked in the tobacco factory. There characters were well written and described compassionately. The plot kept me intrigued and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A London wartime saga and this makes for a very good read. You feel as though you are living the life with these people and it has been researched very well. A lot of people lived their lives just as this has been written. 5 stars and I recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC