I absolutely love this style of book and this one's no exception.
You can't help but want the best for the characters and their families in the face of such difficulties.
Keep them coming!

Another lovely warm story from Daisy Styles. A bunch of women thrown together with nothing more in common than being pregnant in WW2 England. Somehow the most unlikely of them end up as friends and bond over a common enemy from their past. A nurse comes to escape her past, and find a new future in an unexpected turn of events. Meanwhile the women working there take care of one of their own. Written like a warm hug, but not glossing over the brutality and hardships of the time, this is another well written gem

This is a wartime saga series that I could just keep on revisiting, and I really hope we have many more books in this series to come.

In Keep Smiling Through we find midwife Ada pregnant and ready to give birth soon. She needs to find a place to live where she can settle and start her family with her lovely husband who is away helping in the medical field abroad. With the wonderful countryside of the Lakes surrounding her Ada has many happy memories that must sustain her while she awaits her husbands return.

While Ada awaits her baby and husband, the nuns continue to run Mary Vale Mother and Baby Home. In Keep Smiling Through we meet Sybil who is unexpectedly pregnant and not wanting to be at Mary Vale finds herself scheming to escape. Rosie needs to be at Mary Vale as its her last chance to save her own life. She has found herself pregnant from when her husband has a quick visit back from fighting the battles of WW2, however, her house has been bombed and with two children she must save herself to keep her baby alive and her family together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It has that perfect fell good historical saga feel that I adore and I love returning characters such as Ada and the Nuns who work at Mary Vale. The setting is another big reason I love this series as it takes me away to The Lake District a place I love visiting. In Keep Smiling Through we go on a walk with Ada and her husband up Catbells and there are so many places mentioned throughout this series that I can picture very clearly.

There was one story and character I was not really to sure of when reading this as it felt like an afterthought. A new midwife Edith arrives to take over while Ada has her baby. Her story is told alongside Sybil’s and Rosie’s, however I found it not as interesting and also I couldn’t engage with her has a character. Perhaps, it is simply because Edith is not happy being at Mary Vale or because she is just a filler character that is only there to fill a gap in the story, being maternity cover for Ada. Her story is told in the same brilliant style that Daisy uses for all her characters but I just felt it wasn’t needed. The ending to this characters story felt like it was thrown in at the end as an after thought, where as I loved the ending for Sybil and Rosie.

Keep Smiling Through despite this was a brilliant read and one that I enjoyed. The place that Ada gets to call home would be a dream place for me to spend ,y time in the garden, surrounded by the fells, robins and relaxing under the apple tree reading a book.

The latest book in the Wartime Midwives series...and just as good as the others! Great characters, a strong storyline and a wartime setting make these books such a good read. In this book, the lives of the women of the Mary Vale maternity home are turned upside down by new arrivals- an evacuee family, a young War Dept secretary and a new and secretive midwife as well as the threat of requisition of the home. A great saga and and a truly engaging story.

Mary Vale, the mother & baby home in the Lake District is a refuge for expectant mothers, not only as a place to give birth but a place to escape from the ravages of the blitz. Sybil is a classy lady who had become pregnant by her lover. He sends her as far away from London as possible & she is furious. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with so many 'common' women she is a fish out of water. Rosie in London is struggling. With her husband away at war, her two lively children are running wild & her latest pregnancy is so much harder. Frightened by the doctors that she will die & leave her two children orphans if she doesn't get away she agrees to go to Mary Vale. This family is a great shock to the nuns & others at the home. With the threat of the home being requisitioned by the military the ladies of Mary Vale battle on to care for the women that come there.

This is a lovely story- perfect for 'Call the Midwife' fans! Daisy Styles creates some terrific characters & captures the time frame very well. The story is predictable but none the worse for that, A nice gentle read & thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

What an adorable, book. I have never read this author before and this was lovely.

It's set in Wartime. Mary Vale is a home for expectant mothers, here they are cared for by nuns and midwives.

Amy is one of the midwives we meet who herself is pregnant. Her husband Jamie is a consultant away at war tending the injured soldiers.

Also, the London war office becomes part of the story as Sybil, who is well to do, whilst working there finds she is pregnant by her boss, he wants the pregnancy hushed up as he is a married man so sends Sybil to Mary Vale which upsets and angers her, she wants a more upper-class home with little luxuries, not a home where she has to roll up her sleeves and cook and clean. she is a strong woman and plots to bring the man that has put her in this position down.

Poor Rosie her husband is off fighting in the war, she is also pregnant with two other very boisterous children, when they find themselves homeless and hungry she and her children find their way to Mary Vale where immediately Sybil takes a dislike to them and makes it known at every opportunity.

What a truly lovely story, the characters are believable and the warmth radiating from the book draws you in right from the beginning.

Thank you so much, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this enjoyable book. xx

What an absolute joy of a read this book was. This is the second book I've read by Daisy Styles and the standard of her books is just amazing. I couldn't get enough of Keep Smiling Through and I'd tears running down my face more times than I care to admit. I was drawn into the storyines of staff and patients of Mary Vale. I really hope that there's a follow up that will elaborate a bit on Edith's story and follow up with Sybil. Can't recommend this book enough to fans of wartime fiction and Call The Midwife.

The really liked the build up to this story as it detailed the characters beautifully, making it easier to remember who was who.
We have Sybil who works for the war office, she has a relationship with her boss Monty. When he packs her off to Mary Vale Sybil meets Rosie and her two children. As the two women are from opposite ends of the social ladder it seems unlikely that they will mix well together.
I liked the twists along the way. was a bit disappointed at the end, what happened to Jamie? Will look forward to the following book.

I always love books set in this era there is something about the charm of the timeline that keeps me reading books like this. The bar is always set very high and this book didn't disappoint. Full of warmth, sadness, joy and above all there is hope. I loved the setting and the tales of the life of midwifes helping the wide variety of women was heartfelt. It really reminded me of 'call the midwife' but with an equally enjoyable cast of characters. Very entertaining and enjoyable.

I simply adore these books and have found Daisy Styles to be amongst the best. She enthuses her pages with such warmth, strength, hope and friendship and they really are just a joy to read. This was a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish

Another exceptional book from Daisy. I absolutely loved this story set during war time in a home for expectant mothers who are all vulnerable in one way or another. All the mums to be had their own tales and journeys to tell - really well written and believable. You could envisage yourself nursing in amongst them! Ada, a midwife and one of the main characters is pregnant herself with her husband a consultant away abroad looking after injured soldiers. Excellent!

Daisy Styles writes such lovely sagas they draw you in and you don't want to put the book down,the characters really go well with the story excellent book 5*

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have been hooked on the Midwife television series and could not wait to read this. What a great read all about family, friendships and getting through the hard times. Would recommend.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I came across Daisy Styles' novels earlier this year so was looking forward to her latest instalment in the Wartime Midwives series. This was as enjoyable as the previous books, the WW2 backdrop was interesting as ever, and the characters were well written. I found Styles' writing less clunky than it was in parts of previous books, although the descriptions of women's bodies still feel unnecessary, taking you out of the story. However, a light enjoyable read, and I am looking forward to future books by Styles.

I’ve read a fair few wartime books throughout the years, and I steadfastly still cling to the fact that the Wartime Midwives series are THE favourite and best wartime historical reads I have ever read. I can’t sing their praises enough and to have another one added to this series is a pure gift!

The third in the wartime midwives, this book rejoins all our character favourites however if you’ve never read one of these books before - never fear! The author does a shining job at bringing you up to speed and filling you in to make you feel like you haven’t missed a thing and they almost feel like mini standalones (with occasional throwbacks to previous storylines that don’t put you at a disadvantage if you haven’t read any of the previous).

I adore these books and have found Daisy Styles to be amongst the best. She enthuses her pages with such warmth, strength, hope and friendship and they really are just a joy to read.

I loved catching up with all the core characters, with a few new faces, mothers and babies to get to know too. The story was effortless to enjoy and read, and the pages flew by.

If I could give this book ten stars I would. And also a desperate plea to the author to never stop writing these books. I could read them forever and will always sing their praises when it comes to this fab series. Love them!