I loved this story. From the first scene of Bess and James running into each other at the Foxden Manor I was hooked. We learn about their history growing up and their friendship.

When James goes off to war, Bess is heartbroken, especially when she meets Annabel and realize he is promised to her. As the war progresses and things change Bess and Annabel become friends and Bess and James become closer.

Like most WWII books, there’s a lot of heartbreak and love in this one, and I couldn’t get enough of either. I loved listening to this one on audio and the narration was very well done.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my ALC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Madalyn Morgan for providing an advanced audio.
I am rating this story 3.5*.
First, I have to mention that this story does include a triggering scene involving SA.
Bess, who is the daughter of a groom on an estate of Foxden Acres. James is the Heir to Foxden Acres. The two have grown up together and Bess has loved James all her life, but knows in the early 1900’s that she would never be able to be with James due to her ‘station’ .
Bess is finishing her teaching certificate when WW2 is beginning and is asked to come back to Foxden Acres to become a land girl and to establish a working farm.
I enjoyed the historical portion of the story and the perspective of WWII from the female perspective. Women learned many new skills, worked hard, endured and saw horrible tragedy and yet they were largely pushed aside.
I feel like the scene of the SA was unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story. This was a romantic historical fiction and I wanted desperately for Bess and James to get together and while I am not going to give any spoilers I wished the last bit of the book didn’t feel so rushed.

An enjoyable listen on audiobook.
Focusing on a young woman who grows up as the daughter of a horse groomer on a large English country estate, dreaming of becoming a teacher, and how WW2 affects her plans. Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and historical fiction with strong female characters.

I enjoyed the historical fiction in England aspect of the book. However, I found it difficult to get past the triggering and sensitive topics covered (infidelity, sexual assault). I also find it very frustrating when miscommunication or lack of communication is a source for adding more pages to the book. It was not my cup of tea but it might be yours.

Foxden Acres by madalyn Morgan is the story of love during times of war. Bess has loved James for as long as she can remember but they are from different classes. Then WWII comes and everything changes. Now he’s off fighting and she is managing the land girls on his estate. Can the two find their way to each other amidst all that is happening?
I enjoyed this and the narrator did a great job.

I give this book a solid 4. The romance fell short to me, but the ties of friendship, family and home are wonderful, especially set against the struggles of WWII.

In 1939 Bess, teacher in training and daughter of the Groom on Foxden Estate, struggles with her place in the world. Struggling with her unrequited love to the heir of the estate and the changing roles and options for women in WWII London, Bess must decide to strike out on her own or try to live the dream of her childhood.

All in all, this is a good book, but there were several points that I struggled with. **SPOILERS** For one, I am not one for cheating plots. I was furious when James started making moves toward Bess after he was already engaged. I know this is commonplace, both historically and in the present, but this is a red flag even Bess should have had a larger reaction. Because of this, I was not upset at the ending of James' character arc. Also, I did not appreciate that the same plot device was reused.

Not a book I would buy for myself, but I won't let my preference for plot devices get in the way of my recommending this book.

Thank you Netgalley for this e arc in exchange for an honest review.

*3.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"When two people have laughed together in adversity they will become good friends."

Bess Dudley develops relationships that she never thought would have existed before WWll hit home in book 1 of Foxden Acres, The Dudley Sisters Saga, by thorough author Madalyn Morgan.

At 20 years old Bess has lived an idyllic life on Foxden Acres in England as the daughter of the horse groomer. As a child she played with the Foxden heir James but now her feelings for him have become more amorous and she knows they can never be together because of their class distinctions. She heads to London to become a teacher.

Just as she is adjusting to her new life the bombs hit London and life changes forever. She heads back to Foxden Acres to help train Land Girls to farm and help feed London's military.

There's something so sincere about narrator Mira Dovreni in her performance of Bess as she sees her home and their lives uprooted by this war.

While James fights in the war Bess believes he loves the proper Annabelle and tries to reconcile herself to their relationship but when she sees him on leave all the feelings come back. How does she deal with these emotions? How does she continue her friendship with Annabelle? Will she ever love again?

This writer has obviously thoroughly researched Land Girls, horse groomers and England's countryside during WWll. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and there was a death that made no sense to me. Also, the epilogue told me things that I wished I experienced the characters going through at the time. Still I was engaged in their lives and already downloaded book 2 of this 8 book series to continue the journey at Foxden Acres.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Teacher and the Aristocrat

A beautiful WWII romance which will keep you reading. Set during the WWII Blitz in London it has Love and heartbreak, you will laugh, cry and love the characters all of them .

I loved the character of Bess, I was a bit peeved at the James character but he redeemed himself. I loved the Foxden Hall story and the generous owners.

The narrator did a fantastic job and it was very enjoyable to listen to the audio book presentation. I truly enjoyed this beautiful moving story.

Thanks to Madalyn Morgan for writing a great story, to Mira Dovreni for the wonderful narration, to Dreamscape Media for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to listen to and review. All words in my review are my own.

I received this e-ARC audiobook via Netgalley. Thank you to Netgalley, the author Madalyn Morgan and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this novel.

Bess is a young naiive woman at the outbreak of World War II. Growing up in the British countryside and coming from a working class family, Bess won a scholarship to go to teaching school. There she starts a new life, trying to forget her attractiion to the local landowners son, James.

Everything changes when WWII breaks out and Bess's plans change drastically too. Finding herself a land girl she learns to adapt and find love.

Not only a love story but an accurate portrayal of Britan during WWII, the novel along with superb narration by Mira Dovreni immerses the listener. Quite honestly, it was so well done that I felt that I was back in time as a 10 year old listening to a story on BBC Radio 4. The plot was excellently drawn and the story flowed.

I don't usually award 5 stars to a novel but this one thoroughly deserves it. Brava!

My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

Foxden Acres takes place in 1939 in the wake of WW2. Foxden Acres is an estate that Bess's father works on as a groom. James is the Heir to Foxden Acres, and James and Bess grow ever closer. But He's has a secret that she's determined to keep.

I liked this audiobook, but I had problems keeping interest in the book.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy of Foxden Acres for an honest review.

Oh my gosh this audiobook was exactly what I needed to listen to right now. This book was absolutely awesome!

I'm so upset and happy about the ending. It's not how I wanted it to end at all but I'm so glad they got a happy ending. The ups and downs of this book are insane lol. A very touching story about how women managed through the war as well as the feelings and relationships they had. I loved this book and all that it was. Great characters, great relationships, great story. I highly recommend to everyone.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Over-all, I loved the characters and the story-line! I felt like the ending was a little rushed, but it was still an enjoyable book. Trigger warning for SA.

I loved this book. It reminded me of Land girls. The author brought life to this era and made you feel a part of the story. I hope there is a sequel.

A coming-of-age historical fiction featuring Bess and her life in the countryside during WW2. I liked seeing a unique perspective of a woman who is teaching during WW2 and having to continue living her normal daily life and also finding love. Although there was a quite explicit rape scene I thought the rest of this was quite heart-warming, especially the childhood crush/romance. This was a really good historical fiction with a great set of characters and a unique storyline.

Let me start by saying there is a pretty triggering scene involving a rape in this book so be warned. I didn’t love the huge misunderstanding that occurred with James towards the end. Just felt like they wasted time and then he goes off and dies. Semi-anticlimactic. I did like the story of how they had to farm and work during the war. A good glimpse of the efforts it took.

🌀Synopsis
Bess is teaching in London when the war breaks out. Knowing it is not safe for her there she takes the offer to return to her old home of Foxden acres to work what they are turning into a farm.
She’s secretly thrilled to be going back to see her old friend James too, someone she’s actually in love with. The trouble is he’s engaged already so Bess keeps her distance.
Until one weekend when his fiancé is away and James and Bess spend time together. She quickly comes to her senses when the fiancé returns and Bess sees them embracing. Determined to end the relationship, Bess ends contact with him. Feeling guilty, she confesses to the fiancé who turns out to be engaged to someone else. She seems out James just before he is shipped off to war and tells him how she really feels.

Foxden Acres is historical fiction set against the backdrop of England at the beginning of World War II. It is the coming-of-age story of Bess Dudley who grows up as part of a family of overseers who work for a wealthy estate. Bess and her brother Tom are sympathetically portrayed as workers who enjoy a close relationship with James, heir to the Foxden Acres. Bess goes up to London to complete her teaching certificate. As conflict begins, she is called back to the Foxden estate to help oversee the stables and manage the Land Girls assigned to turn pastureland into agricultural production. At just 21 Bess has a long-lasting affection for James that is complicated by social class and her misunderstanding about whether her affection is returned.
Spoiler alert…. At one point in the story Bess is sexually attacked by a man she meets in London. Then not long after this incident she finds herself at Foxden Hall and begins a relationship with James. While it is understood that she had a lifelong crush on James it stretches credibility that she “confesses” what happened to her and then immediately accepts his advances so soon after the earlier traumatizing experience.

The story presents a somewhat different point of view from the traditional World War II novel about how people in the English countryside dealt with the war. They converted large estates into places to grow food, they worked in field hospitals to treat the wounded, cared for children who were resettled and had to deal with events such as surprise airstrikes. This was read as an audiobook provided by Netgalley.

3 stars

This is a nice coming of age story set in WWII England. I enjoyed the story over all, but the romance storyline is rushed & clichéd.

[What I liked:]

•This book reminds me a bit of Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher, in that it’s a coming of age story of a young woman during WWII in the UK. You might like Foxden Acres if you liked Coming Home. It isn’t set in Cornwall, but most of the story is set on an idyllic country estate.

•I like Bess as an MC, for the most part. She is capable, independent, & caring. She needs some advice in the love department, but fortunately this is a historical fiction book & not a romance novel so that plot line didn’t dominate the story.

•The ending is mostly nice. I’m glad Tom got his happy ending at least.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•There is a very long, drawn out, detailed r*pe scene. More detailed and graphic than it needed to be imo.

•The MC doesn’t actually know the man she’s supposedly in love with, besides childhood interactions. I get her having a crush, but her extremely strong feelings aren’t based on reality. Then, she has an affair with him while she believes he’s still engaged to someone she considers her friend, because she loves him so much she can’t say no. It would have been more believable if we actually got to see them interact & fall in love.

•Then the MC breaks up with this guy due to a misunderstanding which wouldn’t have happened if she didn’t refuse, multiple times, to just talk to him 🤦‍♀️

•There are quite a few clichés & contrivances, including a romantic Airport Scene, someone getting amnesia, and someone declared MIA winding up at home very soon after.

•None of the characters get much character development, except for the MC & Tom. There was a lot of room for me to like & get to know the supporting cast better.

CW: racism/antisemitism, r*pe, PTSD, infidelity, physical violence against an elderly person, war deaths & bombing deaths, major character death

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

In 1939, Bess has almost completed her teacher training in London when war breaks out. On her return to London, her bag is stolen and she’s rescued by Natalie and Anton Goldman, who become her friends and tell her of the atrocities being committed against Jews across Europe. As the Germans begin their attack on London, Bess’s school is evacuated to the countryside and she is asked to return to Foxden Acres, the estate where her father worked and where Bess played happily as a child. Drawn back into the world of the titled Foxden family, Bess is confronted by the secret love she’s always felt for their son, James, who is too far above her station to ever be part of her world. But war has a funny way of changing perspectives in life, about what really matters. I enjoyed this book, my dad was a young man in London during the Blitz and this book brought a lot of that time to life for me