A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

I would recommend reading the Goodwill House series in order, starting with the first book, The War Girls of Goodwill House, to gain some understanding of the characters and the setting, eventhough each book can be read as a stand-alone...

New Recruits at Goodwill House is detailed engaging story that hooks the reader from the start.

I like how Miller has interesting plot that transported the reader into the action with a great use of research and information gathered about life on a RAF base. The writing style is easy to follow with short sections about each character. There was more dialogue than description...

The character development of New Recruits at Goodwill House is good. The characters are realistic with different personalities...The reader is able to reunited with old faces make new friends...

I enjoyed seeing how Joanna had become more independent, and was taking charge of her life. Her interaction with each character was warm and friendly.

Camilla (Millie) is 19 and comes from a wealthy background. She had been offered job a job as a clerk, as she had qualifications, but instead chose to volunteer with the WAAF, to become a driver. Her parents have deemed this as scandalous and have disowned her. Millie is eager to take on her post alongside her friend Diane Forsyth, as the have been posted together after 3 months of rigorous training...their friendships was interesting to see as the story progressed.

Ted had taken advantage of governments flying lessons and obtained his license at the age of 17, instead of studying at Cambridge he volunteered to join RAF. He has logged hundreds of hours, and recently promoted to flying officer. Ted is stationed at Kent to replace a flyer who had been shot down over the English channel, he prefers to be loner, as he finds it difficult to make friends...It was nice to see how he came out of his shell more as he interacted with Millie.

I would strongly recommend reading New Recruits at Goodwill House to lovers of sagas, historical fiction and women's fiction based around WW2, as it is a character driven story that takes the reader on a journey of friendship and love....

The next installment in the Goodwill House series is Duty Calls at the Goodwill House...

Absolutely loved this book. Fenella J Miller is fast becoming one of my 'go-to) authors. I love the way she writes about women - she truly seems to understand when somebody has suffered trauma in their past. I can't recommend this author highly enough.

New Recruits at Goodwill House is the second enjoyable installment of Fenella J Miller’s gripping wartime saga series.

WAAF drivers Camilla ‘Millie’ Cunningham and Diane Forsyth have both come to Goodwill House determined to do their bit for king and country and to play their part in defeating the enemy. As the Nazis relentlessly drop their bombs and leave a trail of havoc and destruction behind them, the new recruits at Goodwill House find themselves rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. Helping the brave boys who risk lives and limbs by flying planes is of paramount importance to Millie and Diane. Romance is the last thing on both of their minds, but Goodwill House does have a habit of surprising their residents when they least expect it…

When Millie meets dashing Spitfire pilot Ted Thorrington, the connection is instant. The chemistry between the two of them is absolutely electric and as fate seems to keep throwing the two of them together, their feelings escalate and both of their thoughts turn to the future. But with war raging on and Ted required to risk his life by flying on dangerous missions, does their burgeoning love affair stand any chance of surviving when the odds are stacked against them?

The girls in blue will be tested like never before in the coming years and the only way they can get through this war is by being there for one another and supporting each other through the good times and the bad.

Fenella J Miller writes atmospheric, involving and emotional sagas that never disappoint and New Recruits at Goodwill House is sure to delight readers who enjoy wartime tales about strong, resilient and determined women triumphing over the odds standing in their way.

Readers will immediately become caught up in the lives and loves of Millie, Diane and the residents of Goodwill House. They will laugh with them, cry with them and be with them every single step of the way as they navigate this most challenging time.

A wonderful saga that celebrates friendship, love and women’s strength, courage and fortitude, Fenella J Miller’s New Recruits at Goodwill House is sure to delight.

I have been a fan of Fenella’s work for a while now. I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written to date but I am slowly getting there. I must admit that I have a particular fondness for Fenella’s new series set in the glorious sounding ‘Goodwill House’. I read and loved the first book in the series so when I heard that Fenella was due to release another book in the series, called ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’, I knew that I had to grab a copy and read it as soon as I could. Well ladies and gents, the wait is over because ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ was released on 7th April 2022. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ but more about that in a bit.
The fact that I saw Fenella’s name and the words ‘Goodwill House’ on a book that I hadn’t read was enough to draw me in and the story within the book’s covers sealed the deal as it were. As soon as I started reading I knew that I was reading something special and that I would find it rather difficult to put the book to one side for any length of time. I was right on both counts. I picked the book up only intending to read a chapter or two to say that I had made a start on the book but I ended up becoming so wrapped up in the story and the lives of old and new characters alike that I was still sat there reading over a half dozen chapters and an hour later. The book wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I just couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. All too quickly I reached the end of ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ and I had to say goodbye to the characters and Goodwill House. I found ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ to be a delight to read. I found it to be a gripping story which kept my interest throughout and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ is superbly written but then I have come to expect nothing less fro the superb Fenella J. Miller. She has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. For me the story hit the ground running and maintained a steady pace throughout. Fenella clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem so realistic that they seem just as real as you and I. Fenella has clearly done a lot of research into the period in which she is writing about and this makes the story seem that bit more authentic. Short of inventing a time machine, reading books such as Fenella’s are the nearest that I am going to be able to get to finding out what the wartime era was really like, seeing as how my grandparents all died before I was born. I love the way in which Fenella makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story themselves and at the heart of the action.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘New Recruits At Goodwill House’ and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Fenella’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This is part of a series but can easily be read as a standalone book- but with familiar names mentioned. I love war time books and this one dealt with Waafs driving for the war effort. I enjoy Fenella J Millers writing style and I am really looking forward to the next one in this series and maybe catching up with familiar faces again.

This book is set in May 1940 when two WAAFs arrive at Goodwill House where they are to be billeted with Lady Harcourt whilst they work as drivers at the nearby RAF Manston, near Ramsgate in Kent.
Much of the story is centred round the daily routines of the RAF base and Goodwill House, which do get a little repetitive at times, but ultimately it is a story of friendships, camaraderie and community spirit with a little romance thrown in too.

There is quite a cast of characters but they are well developed, interesting and easy to differentiate.
Millie and Di are both WAAF drivers, looking forward to their first real deployment after training; Ted is a handsome young pilot flying Hurricanes and Spitfires; Joanna, Lady Harcourt has a husband fighting in France and is starting to take charge of affairs back home in his absence though this is somewhat hindered by her mother-in-law Elizabeth (the Dowager Lady Harcourt) who has fled from France but is not welcome at Goodwill House. The two Ladies eventually discover that they have a lot in common, and unite to bring a positive future to Goodwill House. Also in the house are the rather depleted staff: Betty the housekeeper/cook along with Liza and Joe, two children that Joanna took in from the East End of London and who do general work round the house.
I particularly liked the way that the lives of women from different backgrounds/classes were highlighted & in particular how their lives were changing.

The book is well-researched but unfortunately there were a few aspects that grated on me slightly. The use of slang such as “going for a Burton” or referring to planes as kites just felt too try-hard. One or two references would have been fine, but it felt as though the author thought she would be “more authentic” if she were to use these terms exclusively. I also struggled with the misspelling of the Fairey Battle plane.

The ending was a bit abrupt, but I guess it is opening up for the next in the series

I have not read the first book in the series, but this did not spoil my enjoyment of this one which works standalone.

New Recruits at Goodwill House by Fenella J. Miller is the second book in the Goodwill House series. I recommend reading the series in order as it will allow you to get the full picture and get to know the characters. I thought New Recruits at Goodwill House was well-written with developed, realistic characters. I enjoyed getting to know Millie, Di, and Ted plus catching up with the people who live at Goodwill House. We go back to May 1940 when Millie and Di, two WAAFs, arrive at Goodwill House to work as drivers at the nearby RAF Manston (in northeast Kent). We follow Millie and Di as they get used to their new duties, meet their fellow recruits, and get to know some dashing pilots. We get o catch up with Joanna Harcourt, Elizabeth (the Dowager Lady Harcourt), Liza, and Joe plus the puppy, Lazzy. Joanna is really coming into her own now that her husband, David is off fighting the war. Now that he is no longer there to issue his edicts, Joanna is taking charge and doing a wonderful job. Of course, Joanna is unprepared for the arrival of David’s mother, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a difficult woman who arrived from France with her lady’s maid, Baxter. Liza and Joe are two children that Joanna took in from London. They are sweet twins who soon become part of Joanna’s new family. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop as the story progressed. There is some violence in the story as well as minimal foul language. The violence fit into the story (it is still awful) and went with the time period (and attitudes of some men). I found New Recruits at Goodwill House to be an engaging story. I actually enjoyed this book more than the first one. We are left with some unanswered questions at the end of the story when someone new enters the scene. I cannot wait to find out what happens next at Goodwill House. New Recruits at Goodwill House is a spiffing tale with a demanding mother-in-law, random air raids, dame drivers, pretty boy pilots, circumscribed bicycles, potatoes in the pasture, money misfortunes, and a relentless war.

The thing about Historical Fiction is that no matter how many you’ve read, there’s always a new take to be had, a new viewpoint to see it from, another story to tell.

I enjoyed the story within the story effect, seen here. It wasn’t just about the war efforts, but about the lives of these “girls in blue” and those around them. We’ve got the spirit of Goodwill House threatened thanks to the passing of the owner, and the unfortunate lack of means left behind. We have the new residents, both looking forward to their tour of duty, and yet unsuspecting of the atrocities of war they will have to withstand, nay conquer along the way. We have the affairs of the heart that are bound to blossom in times of hardship in order to bring some beauty to the ugliness of the events unfolding, and yet with those glorious feelings there is the added worry as their heart goes with them on every mission.

So you see, fair readers, it was as much a story of the actions taken in the name of protecting your fellow man, as it was of the laughter, love, and memories made despite the bad times. It reminds us that we are all stronger than we think, smarter than we give ourselves credit, and built with the capacity to be fierce in nature while loving with all of our hearts.

I previously read the first book in this series and absolutely loved it. This second instalment is a perfect stand alone read however if you haven’t read the first.

Having read a lot of similar books lately I found this one a little tedious at times. Apart from that I enjoyed it and will certainly look out for more by this author in the future. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable, fairly light story set on an air base during The Second World War. Millie and Diana are two new young drivers staying at Goodwill House where Joanna is their landlady. Millie soon becomes attracted to Ted, a handsome young pilot flying Spitfires. Diana, unfortunately, has rather a bad time while Joanna has to cope with her dragon of a mother-in-law, a husband away at war and money worries.

The atmosphere of an airbase in wartime comes alive with exciting events and the use of the slang of the era. The characters are all likeable, although I found Joanna a bit hard. This is off-topic but I got a bit upset about the Aussies having to fly Blenheims, which were obviously not highly-regarded! I will find out more about this.

Although this can be read as a stand-alone novel, I would have liked to read the first one. I will look for that one now.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It gave a varied and interesting look at the lives of the women working on an airfield during the war. The characters were engaging and the storyline was believable.

I have dropped a star from the rating as I felt the ending was rather abrupt and left a lot of the story unfinished. I guess this will be continued in the next book.

I love going back to revisit the residents, both old and new at Goodwill House.

You can read the book as a standalone, but to get more acquainted with the characters I'd read the first book.

These books are always such a delight to read, although they're set in the time of WWII, they tend to focus more on the friendships, camaraderie and the community spirit.

Well researched and written, with delightful characters, who are realistic.

A warm, uplifting and highly engaging read.

Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This follow on from the first book but can be read as a stand-alone. Joanna, the lady of Goodwill House, has become much more self reliant in this book. She enjoys having the boarders from the nearby RAF base. Millie is the main new character and the story follows her progress as she adjusts to life as a driver on the base. There is a romance and a whole feeling of living for the day in a time of uncertainty. The story also illustrates what life was like for people living through this time. Joanna also comes up against some men who believe that women aren’t capable of managing finances. Joanna has an unexpected ally in coping with such prejudice. This was an engaging read with likeable characters. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This second helping of the World War Two saga picks up where the first novel left off, with daughter Sarah in London and Joanna and Elizabeth preparing for some new arrivals of the WAAF recruits at Goodwill House. When reading this book, I felt like I was stepping back in time and it gave me a clear picture of both the base and Goodwill House in my mind, it was like I was walking around beside the characters.

I also felt this book as with the previous one, gave the reader a real flavour of what life was like for women of all different classes at the time. I loved how the book showed Joanna and Millie growing into themselves, taking charge of the roles assigned to them. Within the first few pages, I really cared about what happened to them along with the other characters.

Overall, the drama unfolds from the get go with plenty of action happening, keeping me on my toes guessing what was coming next, as well as a bit of romance. The latter I could imagine was how many young people felt at the time. It’s a well-deserved five stars from me. With thanks to Boldwood Books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

New Recruits at Goodwill House by Fenella J Miller is a lovely story of World War II and what it's like at home. Millie and Di have both left home to enlist in the war effort, becoming military drivers and have now been assigned to Manston air base, one of the first lines of defense against the anticipated invasion. It takes a couple of days to get acclimated but have been billeted temporarily in the nearby manor home of Lord and Lady Harcourt. Lord Harcourt is fighting in France but Joanna, Lady Harcourt and the Dowager Lady Harcourt are both in residence, as are a pair of rescued twins from London: Joe and Liza. It is a lovely home with comfortable beds and everyone tries to make them comfortable. They meet Ted, a flyer, the first day as they try to climb a fence. There was a gate but no one with a key was present and if they went around they would be late. Ted helped them. Most of the story is daily comings and goings of the base and of Goodwill House, as the manor was called. It was fun and interesting.

Ted and Millie fell in love. It was fast, but it was wartime. Millie got promoted several times to she was in charge of the women until a more superior officer arrived. There were some problems but she dealt with them. This period of time was when the evacuation from Dunkirk took place and there were wonderful descriptions of the landside part of said evacuation. Everyone helped. There was the constant worry of a plane being shot down or of bombs raining down on the base, but all-in-all life was good. Books like this bring to the fore just how awful the war was for those left behind. I don't think many of us are aware of the privations and emotional distress these people lived with and it is, indeed, heart wrenching. Another thing brought to the forefront is varied ways and things people would do to earn money. Amazing what war can do. Many stories are told in this one book.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of New Recruits at Goodwill House by Boldwood Books, through Net galley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #boldwoodbooks #fenellajmiller #newrecruitsatgoodwillhouse

I found this to be a very interesting book about the WAAFs staying and working in the Kent base which also happened to be fairly close to where I lived as a child. This gave some insight to the wartime happenings along with the lives of the WAAFs and RAF men. Very well written and enjoyable. Well worth 5 stars, wish it could have been more.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this e ARC

I read The War Girls of Goodwill House in January and really enjoyed it, so I was pleased to see the second book in the series was out. This is a standalone, you don’t need to have read the first one before it, but if you do, you’ll recognise characters from the first book.
The novel begins in May 1940, Kent where Lady Joanna Harcourt is waiting for the six new WAAF girls to arrive at Goodwill House. Her daughter Sarah has moved out and her husband David is in France with the British Expeditionary Force. So Joanna now lives with her dog Lazarus (Lazzy) and her unpleasant mother-in-law the Dowager Lady Harcourt, plus the staff - her mother-in-law’s personal servant Miss Baxter, plus her own staff - twins Liza and Joe (14) and Mrs Betty Smith (housekeeper and cook).
The girls begin to arrive. First of all, we meet Camilla ‘Millie’ Cunningham and her friend Diane ‘Di’ Forsyth, who are newly-trained drivers in the WAAF. These are the two main characters from the WAAFs though we also meet Cora and Ruby (also drivers) and Pamela and Phyllis (the older WAAFs). Millie strikes up a friendship with Flying Officer Ted Thorrington (19) as they work on the same Airbase together.
I really loved this book, the characters are so varied and realistic – ones you love all the way through, ones you learn to love, ones you realise are bad eggs… Just like in real life, there are all sorts of people in here, but they all feel authentic.
It is an interesting story and although it is set in WWII, there are lots of different themes and it doesn’t take you into the War as much, so it’s a generally positive and uplifting book of friendship, love and lovely people.
I was straight into the story from the first page, it’s really easy to get into and I read the whole book in two days. My only tiny criticism is that the ending was a bit abrupt for me, but all the loose ends were tied up, it’s just setting the scene for Book 3 – which I’ll be reading as soon as it comes out!
9 out of 10

New Recruits at Goodwill House is a fabulous story of love, loss and change during 1940 and is the second book in the Goodwill House Girls series and I'm looking forward to the next one!