This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

A lovely work of historical fiction set in Yorkshire around WWI, this one hits on issues of class and family secrets, A good read,

Good, quickly moving storyline. I would highly recommend this story. Ella's sister dies, and her tragic death overshadows Ella and her family. Will the family be able to move forward?

Ella’s Journey by Lynne Francis is first book in The Mill Valley Girls series. Ella Bancroft is ready for a new job after three years of working long hours with little pay. She arrives in York to work for Mr. & Mrs. Ward at Grange House. Ella sends a majority of her earning home to her mum who has four mouths to feed. Her family has had a hard time since the fire at the mill for which Ella’s sister, Alice was accused of setting. The family knows that Alice was innocent, but she perished before her trial. Ella is hoping to keep her association with the fire from her new employers. Unfortunately, Grace Ward discovers the connection and uses it to force Ella to concoct a love potion. Things (of course) go awry and Grace blames Ella for the debacle. Ella is sacked and returns to her family. The family is forced to move to a small cottage, and find a way to survive. How will the Bancroft family find a way to move forward? Who really set the mill fire?

Ella’s Journey is nicely written and has a good main character. Ella is a lovely (and realistic) character. She is a determined, bright young woman with a caring heart. The author did a good job at creating her characters. I enjoyed the story, but I thought the pace was too slow. Ella’s Journey could have used some fine tuning (it would have made a big difference). As the story progresses, the focus shifts from Ella to those in her family and circle of friends. I thought the author did a great job at capturing the time-period and what people in Ella’s social class experienced (very realistic). Ella’s Journey is the first book in a three-part series. Readers who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy reading Ella’s Journey.

I really enjoyed this book. Excellent storyline and great main characters. I would recommend this book.

I love a good trilogy, it means I can revisit the characters in a book I have grown to love. Ella's Journey,a debut novel by Lynne Francis is part of a trilogy called The Mill Valley Girls and I'm looking forward to the second book.

Set in Yorkshire just before,during and after the First World War this book is a story of love,injustice,class, but most of all it's about families.
Leaving her mother and siblings behind in their small Yorkshire village Ella has to take up a position in a big house on the outskirts of York. Ella's family is poor,living in a small cottage and relying on money sent back to them from Ella.

She can't believe the grandeur of the big house as she is shown the rooms she will clean and lay fires in. I almost felt I was there myself while reading the description of the house. I could feel Ella's sadness at missing her family and being thrust into a strange environment. She settles in but fears that the scandal her sister was implicated in back home may be found out by her employers.

War comes along and changes things. Male servants leave to fight, females join the land army or leave to work in munition factories for better pay. The rich families are having to learn that they can't have it all their own way any more as class barriers are broken down.
I really enjoyed this story. It did take a few chapters for me to settle into it but after that I couldn't put it down. Quite a surprising ending rounded it off for me.
A really great first novel by Lynne Francis and I'm looking forward to book two in the trilogy.

In Kindle ...99p..... and paperback
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ellas-Journey-perfect-wartime-romance-ebook/dp/B06Y5DCYK8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I’m always excited to discover a new author and so when I was asked if I would like to take part in the blog tour for this debut novel, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. ‘Ella’s Journey’ is billed as being perfect for fans of Dilly Court, whose work I adore, so I had high hopes for this book. I was not to be disappointed.
I must admit that I took to the character of Ella moreorless from the beginning. She is one tough cookie, who realises that she needs to do the best that she can for her adored family. Ella does not keep all her wages for herself, far from it, as she sends the vast majority home to provide for her family. It’s almost as if Ella feels guilty if she spends any of the money on herself. Ella is hardworking and strives to do the best that she can. Ella is kind and compassionate and she hates to see another human being suffer. Ella has been brought up in a small village and when she has to go into town or to the city, she feels overwhelmed to start with. Ella’s self care seems to be at the bottom of her list of priorities but she does not want to do anything that may reflect badly on her family and the reputation of her family. They have had enough shame brought on them following a scandal that was blamed on Ella’s sister, Alice, who is no longer around. As the book went on we learnt more and more about the family and by the end of the book, I felt as though I knew Ella inside out.
In my opinion, this is an extremely good debut novel. I must admit that for me, the book was a little slow to get going but then I think that is because it was setting the scene and laying down the background information. I started to read it whilst I was in the grip of quite severe back pain and so I needed the distraction that this book offered. Once I got past the introductions and scene setting, I was hooked on this book and I became addicted to reading a little bit more, a little bit more etc. In the end the pages were turning that fast that it was almost as if they were turning themselves and before I knew it I had finished the book, which I was both pleased and not pleased about. Pleased because I knew how this particular episode ended and not pleased because I just wanted the book to continue as I was enjoying the writing style of this particular author. The author uses such powerful and vivid descriptions that if I shut my eyes, I felt as though as I was part of the story and experiencing living and working conditions of that particular time. I also felt that I empathised with Ella to a large degree. When I finished reading ‘Ella’s Journey’, I really did feel as though I had been on an emotional rollercoaster with all the highs and the lows that the main characters experienced. Lynne Francis clearly cares about her characters and their origins and this shines through in the quality of her writing. Her characters seem real somehow.
In short, I really did enjoy reading ‘Ella’s Journey’ and I can’t wait to read more from this hugely talented author. Hopefully I won’t have too long to wait. ‘Ella’s Journey’ is the first book in a planned series of three books and I eagerly await the second book. I would recommend this book to anybody and particularly to those fans of the family saga genre. Lynne Francis is certainly an author to watch. I award this book 4* out of 5*.