4 solid stars. This book was like watching one of the great BBC people dramas in my head. Delightful and I wished it was longer! Nothing crazy, just simply good people drama with a trio of great female protagonists. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be looking up the author's other offerings.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy to read and enjoy. My opinions are my own and in no way influenced by anyone, ever.

‘Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls’ is the second book in ‘The Tobacco Girls’ series. The first one is called ‘The Tobacco Girls’ and it was released in January 2021. I loved the first book and I had high hopes for the second book. I wasn’t to be disappointed either because I loved reading ‘Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls’ but more about that in a bit.
I love all three characters and I warmed to the from the start. In fact it didn’t take long at all for me to feel as though all three girls had become friends of mine. Each have their problems and secrets that they would like to stay just that – secret. Each girl is different in personality but it is easy to see why they all get on so well. I won’t into too much details as to what happens to each girl as that would spoil the story for others but what I will say is that all three girls are put through the emotional wringer.
It didn’t take me long at all to get into ‘Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls’. In fact by the time I got to the end of the synopsis, I knew that nothing would be getting done for the rest of the day because I was having far too much fun reading this superb books. I couldn’t bear to be parted from the book for any length of time. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. Whilst I was reading ‘Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls’ I found that I became so wrapped up in the story that I would lose all track of time and just how quickly I was getting through the book. I found ‘Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls’ to be an emotional and gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls’ is superbly written. Lizzie has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of her book feels like a chat between friends rather than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. Lizzie knows how to grab your attention and draw you into the story. I found that I went on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride and that I was going through every emotion that the girls were going through. I felt as though I was part of the story myself and that is thanks to Lizzie’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of ‘Dark Days For The Tobacco Girls’ and I would recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Lizzie’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

I really enjoyed the first in this series, so jumped at the chance to read and review the second, which I loved just as much!

Things are changing for all three young women; Bridget isn’t the only one finding her home too quiet as her younger siblings are evacuated to the country. Maisie has been happily ensconced successfully hidden from both her father and Eddie Bridgeman but when it’s no longer safe from them she has to move elsewhere, whilst Phyllis finds married life isn’t all it’s cut out to be and happiness eludes her. As wartime restrictions begin to bite, they must stick together and offer support to each other.

Another fine read in this wonderful series! I love the characters, the setting and admire how skilfully the author weaves the stories of all three women – and more – together. Things have moved on since the first book and it all makes for a very enjoyable read. I’m very fond of wartime domestic sagas and this one has enough differences to set it apart from the rest. Both interesting and exciting, this is one I’m happy to recommend and give it 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy and to Rachel Gilbey for my spot on this tour; this is – as always – my honest, original and unbiased review.

This is book #2 in the Tobacco Girls series. It can easily be read as a standalone book if you haven’t read the first book, although I would recommend reading the books in series order. We meet again the three young women who we first met in the previous book – Maisie, Phyllis and Bridget. They are all still friends, supporting each other through the trials and tribulations of wartime life. I love wartime reads, and the stories of these three women are particularly endearing and I felt like I really connected with the characters. Their struggles through evacuations, rationing and food shortages were difficult, as well as their own personal problems which they had to deal with.

The book flowed along at a lovely pace, showing the relationships between the different characters. There were some unpleasant characters throughout the story, but I found myself loving the others, struggling to decide who was my favourite. The location of the Bristol area brought great images to mind, and the wartime descriptions made me feel like I was actually there. Told from the perspectives of the three women, I found myself hooked into their stories from very early in the book and was sorry to leave them at the end!

Filled with the heartache and struggles of life during the war, this was quite an emotional read. However, it was also heart-warming and uplifting to see a story full of friendships, family and love. I’m really looking forward to the third book in the series so I can reconnect with the Tobacco Girls once more! Would recommend!

I'm excited to be taking part in the #BlogTour for the second exciting installment in Lizzie Lane's wartime saga DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS.

Following on from "The Tobacco Girls" , DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS is the delightful second book revisiting the girls and their ventures in working class Bristol since the outbreak of war. Lives have changed for them all as the danger looms closer than ever before with the growing threat that Britain will be invaded at any time.

Once again we meet up with Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis in 1940s Bristol as the city prepares for bombing with the installation of air raid shelters, ARP patrols and incendiary duty on top of the tobacco factory in which the girls worked. Calling themselves the Three M's due to their respective surnames - Milligan, Miles and Mason - the three women have remained steadfast friends despite Phyllis' recent marriage which then saw her giving up work at the tobacco factory.

With the threat of invasion and bombings, Bridget's parents decide to evacuate the six younger siblings to the North Devon countryside. But no sooner have they gone than her mother experiences the heartache and anguish of letting her babies go. But they know that the children, ranging in ages from four to thirteen, will be safe from any harm there...which is resoundingly reiterated when bombing soon begins. Spending most of her spare time with her parents in the absence of a house full of children, Bridget watches for the postman every day...hoping against all hope that Lyndon O'Neill remembers her and has written. Bridget met Lyndon, an American whose family own a the factory's biggest supplier of tobacco, the previous year when he was touring the factory. At the time, Bridget had shown Lyndon the historical sites of Bristol but it was apparent that there was really only one sight he was interested in and that was Bridget herself.

But now that he is back in America, his snobbish mother has contrived a meeting of one of her wealthy friends' daughter in the hope of combining their fortunes. But Lyndon, knowing his mother all too well, saw through her scheming and refused to partake in the possible nuptials insisting to his father his intentions of returning to England...and Bridget. But in his absence, his letters have been few and Bridget wonders if he has lost interest. And then, the Milligans travel to North Devon to spend a week with their children in the sprawling farmhouse in which four of their children have been billeted. It is there that Bridget meets their son, James Cottrell. And the likeness to Lyndon is uncanny. Is Bridget about to fall in love with James? Or will she stay true to Lyndon and the hope he will return?

Since escaping York Street in one of the filthiest parts of the city as well as the clutches of Eddie Bridgeman and her evil stepfather Frank Miles, Maisie has moved into the Llandoger Trow pub with Aggie Hill, who also works at the tobacco factory. Whilst by day she strips tobacco and by night she serves behind the bar, Maisie feels as though life is looking up for her at last. She may not have two pennies to rub together or talk proper like her well-read friend Bridget or Phyllis now that she's married up, but she doesn't suffer fools and isn't afraid to call a spade a spade. So when she hears that Eddie has been looking for her and that Frank has been released from prison, Maisie can't help but feel her world is about to come crumbling down. With the younger children having been evacuated, Bridget offers one of their rooms on a temporary basis until she can find something more suitable...preferably as far away from both Eddie and Frank as possible. But just how long can she escape them?

While married women generally do give up work, given there is a war raging they are entitled to remain employed, particularly if their husbands are away fighting. However, when Phyllis married Robert Harvey she gave up her right to independence as he forbade any wife of his working. So Phyllis had to resign herself to life under the same roof as her cruel and unkind mother-in-law Hilda Harvey who saw fit to make her life miserable at every turn. Hilda didn't even allow her friends, Bridget and Maisie, to visit because they were of a lower class and as she was now Robert's wife she had a middle class reputation to uphold. But Phyllis didn't care for social niceties. She didn't love Robert, or even like him! After a fling with her typing tutor, Phyllis had found herself in the family way so she accepted Robert's proposal to maintain her reputation and that of her unborn child. But Hilda saw right through the announcement of a "honeymoon baby" and didn't hesitate to snip and snipe at Phyllis about it. Phyllis found herself missing the life she once had and her friends, locked away in the Harvey household like a virtual prisoner.

Then a telegram arrives from the War Office stating that Robert is "missing, presumed dead". Relief floods through Phyllis at the thought that she could possibly be free and begins to plot her escape from the stifling clutches of Hilda Harvey, who firmly believes her place is at their house awaiting Robert's return. Unable to gain access to her war pension payment book as Hilda keeps it locked in her bureau, Phyllis enlists the help of her two closest friends to find her a job and a place to stay...far away from Hilda and without any chance of her tracking her down. Although she is sad to leave her father-in-law who is lovely, he is sadly so under Hilda's thumb and Phyllis knows if she is to survive she needs to escape the clutches of her dreadful and controlling mother-in-law.

As war continues to rage around Bristol, the three women are battling wars of a different kind as they each face their own personal challenges amidst food rationing and shortages, evacuation, air raids whilst trying to keep a roof over their heads. Relationships can be fleeting but during wartime they are precious, as no one knows what tomorrow may bring. This can lead to decisions made in haste with far reaching consequences.

The story is told from various perspectives but is easy enough to follow throughout. We are privy to secrets, love interests, conundrums and even criminality as the reader is given a glimpse of each character throughout. Although DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS is the second in the series, it can be read as a standalone with enough backstory given to keep the reader up to date. However, to do so would rob one of all of the compelling circumstances that lead our Three M's to where they are now. So if you haven't already done so, do yourself a favour and read the first book "The Tobacco Girls" .

Wonderful historical wartime fiction, DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS touches on the very real circumstances in which those who lived through the war endured. The food shortages, the rationing, the black market, the air-raids, the horror of the bombings and the loss of their loved ones over the course of six years. But throughout such dire hardships, there is a stoicness in these women and anyone who lived through it which shines through the pages of this captivating series set in wartime.

I was a bit surprised by the ending. It just kind of stopped...and to be honest I did expect a little more to end on. Still, this is a series and I expect a third one is in the pipeline as I write this. I look forward to seeing where the next one will lead us...and Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis as we await the happiness for which they are searching.

A tale of lasting friendships and of strength amidst war, DARK DAYS FOR THE TOBACCO GIRLS is both heartbreaking and heartwarming...and is sure to touch your heart.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #RachelsRandomResources and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #DarkDaysForTheTobaccoGirls in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in The Tobacco Girls story did not disappoint. The story carries straight on from the first book, with gentle reminders written into the storyline to what happened to the girls previously. Phyllis, Bridget and Maisie lives are all running in different directions and all have different problems to overcome, but they are linked b y their friendship and there association with the cigarette factory. We are back in war torn Bristol and we are able to read how they all adapt to their new situations. Phyllis is as feisty as ever, with Bridget being the sensible one and Maisie having to navigate through her life into adulthood by herself. Each chapter looked at each girl but the story was linked to each other as well. Roll on book 3!

I loved Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls. Written by a master storyteller, Dark Days kept me riveted to the page I could not put this book down. I am so looking forward to the next Lizzie Lane saga.
Thank you, for allowing me to read an advanced copy,

My only regret about reading this book is that I didn't read the first one in the series. I'm going to have to buy it. Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls is a brilliant read. You're drawn in by the dramatic storylines and you can't help but love the three girls, Bridget- Masie and Phyllis. There's a lot of loose ends (Frank needs to be be held accountable for his actions), so I'm looking forward to the next instalment. A must read for lovers of historical fiction.

So so good second in the series and I’ve enjoyed each book.The characters are so well written they come alive.Following their lives their relationship keeps me involved turning the pages.Already looking forward to visiting them again in the next book.#netgalley #boldwoodbooks

Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls
Delighted to be reacquainted with the three Ms, Bridget, Phyllis and Maisie. Three Bristolian girls who have been friends since they began working together at the W.D. & H. O. Wills tobacco factory. It’s 1940 and while the war is raging throughout Europe we read how these girls and their families try to cope with the struggles and hardships this brings.
Maisie is struggling to shake off her criminal stepfather and his associates while Phyllis is trying desperately to escape the clutches of her controlling mother - in - law, but it’s Bridget who has the toughest decision to make. Should she wait for her American, Lyndon O’Neill or is it time to move on?
A hearty story, full of wonderful characters both good and bad. If wartime sagas are your thing, then this is right up your street. Thanks to #NetGalley #LizzieLaneauthor and #BoldwoodBooks for an advanced copy of this wonderful story #DarkDaysfortheTobaccoGirls

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Rosie Clarke really takes you back to WWII in her latest novel, Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls. I really felt as though I was the proverbial fly on the wall, listening to all the conversations. Bristol has been quite badly hit although the Tobacco factory is fine and had its own cellar being used as an air raid shelter. The lives of Maisie, Bridget and Phyllis are changing add the war progresses.... Has love been found amongst the turmoil?

I was delighted to be asked to read and review this second instalment in the Tobacco Girls saga. I enjoyed the first book and was eager to catch up with the 3 M’s. The war is now well underway, and the story picks up just after Dunkirk and with the Battle of Britain looming on the horizon.
Bridget and Maisie are still working at the tobacco factory, but Phyllis is living like a prisoner at her in-law’s house as Hilda Harvey pushes her view that a woman’s place is in the home and not working. Pregnant with the child which she conceived with her lover, Phyllis married Robert who is now away fighting.
Maisie is living with Aggie at the Llandoger Trow and taking shifts behind the bar, as she continues to hide from Eddie Bridgeman. Bridget is still living with her parents and dreaming of the handsome Lyndon O’Neil, the American who stole her heart.
The Dark Days are coming, and it soon sweeps through their lives changing everything in the blink of an eye. It’s hard to imagine the desperation of those times and I felt grateful that we aren’t dealing with the horrors of war.
As the story moved on, I felt a strong sympathy for Phyllis and how quickly her life had changed. More heartache is to come, but her resolve to find a better life never weakens. Maisie is still the baby of the group, and her determination to show that she is not the same as her crooked father is still her driving force. My favourite character is still Bridget, and her fortunes are equally challenged as her siblings are evacuated to Devon, leaving her mother to pine for them. This story sees Bridget blossom and find her own path as she is forced to choose between love and loyalty.
Of course, Bristol provides an additional character, and we are treated to the extremes which range from the fancy shops to the slums surrounding the soap factory.
I’m now looking forward to seeing what will happen next for the 3 musketeers.

Book Two Bristol England Bridget Milligan and her father are looking at the newspaper and it doesn't look good Britain are in danger of been invaded, it will deeply effect all the workers at W.D. & H.O. Wills Tobacco factory where she works. Phyllis now married to Robert Harvey and living with her in laws who she hardly see's now she is far from been an old maid at only twenty years old her relationship with Lyndon O'Neill has been intervened and he has gone back to the states.
All six of her brother's and sister's are been evacuated to South Molton down in Devon and her mother is heart broken, Bridget and Maisie Miles both work in the stripping room and it's not long before they get word from Phyllis and she is going to need their help and the three M's become closer once more.
As the war rages around Bristol lots of buildings in the old city are gone as we read horrendous accounts from the author, I truly enjoyed every detail reading through this book, its got my very worthy stars. The Tobacco Girl's will live on and I look forward to Book Three.

The Tobacco Girls Book 2

Bridget Mulligan's big happy family fragments when her siblings are evacuated to North Devon, then a letter from America fills her with dismay. Maisie Miles safe haven from both Eddie Bridgeman and her father is jeopardised and she is forced to move on. Phyllis Mason is struck down by tragedy and her life spirals downwards into despair. Regardless of the rationing, shortages and an ever-worsening situation, The Tobacco Girls all pull together.

Bridget, Maisie and Phyllis (the three M's) are still best friends. We learn how the women and their families have to cope with rationing, air raids and carry on with their lives as normally as they can. This is a descriptively written book of an era that's both heart-warming and heart-breaking. I'm looking forward to reading what happens in the next book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #LizzieLane for my ARC of #DarkDaysForTheTobaccoGirls in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 2nd book in the tobacco girls series and it did not disappoint. Follow how Maisie, Bridget and Phyliss cope with the onset of war and deal with there various problems with the men in there life..
It's a really excellent feel good novel which focuses on the feelings and confusion on what they girls are dealing with as war is starting to have an impact on there lives.
Only negative is I wish it had gone on longer 😊
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.
#DarkDaysfortheTobaccoGirls

Set in Bristol, Dark Days of the Tobacco Girls, is the second in the Tobacco Girls Series. It is the story of three young women working in the lower class section of Bristol, working in a tobacco factory. Maisie, Bridget and Phyllis. This book focuses more on Bridget's story.

The girl’s are all facing their own struggles, Maisie is trying to get away from her stepfather who fresh out of prison is being looked for by the neighborhood thug, Phyllis living with her in-laws, and dealing with her mother-in-law and her constant criticism, and Bridget is wondering why she has not heard from the American she fell in love with, all while dealing with her younger brothers and sister being sent away to a village in the county to keep them safe leaving a huge emptiness in the household.

I liked how each of the girls were all trying to better themselves against overwhelming obstacles during the war, and the restrictions they faced during this time period. It was also interesting to learn about their work in the tobacco factory, the way they made do with what they could during rationing when one had to be creative to make ends meet.

I enjoyed the book for the friendship factor between the girls and how they stood up for each other and looked out for each other. It is a perfect light read, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I enjoyed this book equally as much as the 1st one in the series. Maisie, Phyllis and Bridget the 3 M’s remain the best of friends. Always their for each other. Maisie still lives in fear of her father and Eddie. Phyllis remains with her mother in law, desperate for a way out will she find one?
Bridget still longs for Lyndon who is back in America, is there hope for them? I too will live in hope that there is a 3rd book in this series.

After reading, and very much enjoying, The Tobacco Girls (the first in the series) I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to review Dark Days for the Tobacco Girls and I wasn't disappointed. The story follows on from the first book and is every bit as good.
The characters are interesting and you just know the next one in the series will be just as good. I can't wait to read more about the 3 Ms and where WWII takes them next.

Set in 1940 wartime Bristol with glimpses of North Devon, the author takes us into the lives of three young women as they grow and mature. This is the second book in the series...I'm not sure which I enjoyed more. Readers see the effects of the war as rationing is introduced and buildings crumble. Air raid sirens are becoming more common, as is sheltering. But there are slivers of joy sprinkled throughout, too. No friendship is perfect, including those in this book, but imperfections make them realistic.

The three Ms are going through personal struggles. Maisie, the youngest, now finds herself looking over her shoulder as she deals with her past...and present. Bridget's beloved young siblings are evacuated to the North Devon countryside so she and her parents experience the anguish of letting go. Phyllis is a pregnant newlywed and her husband is away from home. She is living with his parents and whilst her father in law is lovely, her mother in law is a dreadful and controlling bully.

The story is told from several perspectives which I love. We are privy to secrets and love interests as we learn more about the characters themselves. The historical details lend to an atmospheric and gripping read. I really like how the book tantalizingly ended, leaving me wondering what the third will bring!

My sincere thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this beautiful book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Set in BRISTOL 1940.

The girls, bond together as they that the war is going darker and is becoming dangerous and their lives are changing.

For Bridget, her big, happy family is spit as her siblings are sent to North Devon, receiving a letter from America doesn’t help lift her spirits.

Then, Maisie, her haven which she though she was safe in from her father and Eddie, isn’t and now she’s having to live on, but where will she go?

Phyllis, suffers a tragedy, which sends her life going downhill, that’s until there’s something new on the horizon, but maybe she needs to stay alert for danger.

With all this and rationing the girls all stay together and each one hopes there’s a better tomorrow.