The Wife’s Promise is the first in the Goswell Quartet, (Tales from Goswell), by Kate Hewitt, and although I’ve only read the first one, I am looking forward to reading the others. Written across two timelines and with two protagonists, Alice in the 1930s and Jane in the present day. A shopping list and the vicarage are the only two things they have in common as they both leave their home cities and move into the vicarage in Goswell, Cumbria. Both are finding it difficult to fit into village life and settle down. I really enjoyed The Wife’s Promise, and was rooting for them both as the book progressed. I wanted them to get out and about, immerse themselves in village life, make friends and make the vicarage their home.

I was frustrated with Jane. In particular, she was needy and selfish and I wanted to shake her up a bit, and get her to see what she had right on her doorstep! Alice’s story was a little sadder, and as the war approached, things became even harder for her.

If you enjoy a dual timeline book and village life, I would recommend The Wife’s Promise and lose yourself in Cumbrian life for a while.

The Wife's Promise is the first book in a quartet of books that will grab your heart and simply not let go. The series is The Goswell Quartet.
So far, I have only read the first book in this series, but I am planning on reding the entire series.
Such a gripping and emotional book, it is not one that will be forgotten any time soon.
Two wives' stories told over seventy years apart but yet the connection quickly becomes apparent.
I absolutely love these time slip books, and this is an example of one at its finest.
As you absorb the story you become invested in the characters. their emotions and thoughts become your own. It becomes as though you are experiencing the daily life right there with them in each time period.
Taking place in England in the late 1930's and in modern times, the characters are quite similar in many ways. There is a vulnerability to these characters. a reaching out of needing more but not quite sure how to get it.

"Two wives’ stories – told over 70 years apart – about courage, finding a home, and how the unexpected arrival of someone else’s story in your life can change your own. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley and Barbara O’Neal."

Previously published as The Vicar’s Wife by Katharine Swartz.

This has zoomed right to the top of my list of favorite books I've read this year!

Pub Date 17 Nov 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Great start to a wonderful series

The Wife's Promise is the first of a four-book series, reissued after almost 10 years and now available in Kindle format. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is a thoughtful book, split timeline, about two wives who need to find their purpose in life. Well written and easy to read, it is a great book to curl up with near your fire (or Aga).

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion

England, 1939: When Alice marries twinkly-eyed, kind-hearted vicar David, it means leaving everything from her old life behind and moving into the draughty vicarage in the beautiful but remote village of Goswell, Cumbria. Though homesick, Alice is determined to make a new life there for herself and her husband. Then war breaks out and David chooses to sign up to fight & Alice is asked to take in a child evacuee, and she makes a promise to protect this girl, no matter what it costs her…
Present Day: When Jane and her family move to the small coastal village of Goswell where her husband Andrew grew up, she’s afraid she might have made a huge mistake. Their new home – in what had once been the vicarage – feels a million miles from their previous fast-paced life in New York City, and Jane struggles with her empty days that seem lonely and purposeless. But then she finds a small note, forgotten behind a shelf in the pantry. A note written in the Second World War. By a woman named Alice, whose incredible story has the power to change everything
A well written interesting read which alternates between Jane & Alice. It did take me a little while to get into the story but once I did I was engrossed in this saga about 2 women from different ages living in the same house, it charts their struggles. I really liked Alice but it took me some time to like Jane as she was so self absorbed. I loved the descriptions of Cumbria
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

It all started with a shopping list...

Cumbria, present day: Jane and Andrew uproot their family from the hustle and bustle of their busy lives in New York City to relocate to the dank, cold and miserable Goswell on the Cumbrian coast. For sixteen years Andrew has lived in New York where he met and married Jane and now it's time for him to come home. But for Jane, the move is not as smooth sailing as they thought it would be...at least, not for her. Their three children Natalie (14), Ben (11) and Merrie (7 or 8) find the transition difficult at first but soon make friends and settle into their new life.

They move into a spacious old Vicarage and Jane has every intention of painting each room and making it home but for some reason can't seem to find a connection between the woman she was in New York to the one she's expected to become here and now in sleepy Goswell. It is while she is cleaning out the pantry that she finds an old shopping list stuck beneath the cold slate shelf, for keeping things cool in the times before refrigerators, that Jane finds herself a new purpose and feels compelled to investigate who wrote this list and what became of them.

In asking the current vicar in the neighbouring church about records of old vicars, does Jane come across the names of David and Alice James who lived in the vicarage from 1930 till 1943. And Jane feels sure she has found the writer of her list.

1931: Nineteen year old Alice has just met and married the man of her dreams, David James. After their small wedding at her home in Cambridge, the couple then make the long and slow journey by various trains to Goswell in Cumbria, where David is serving as vicar. As soon as she arrives, Alice realises she has not put much thought into what it means to become a vicar's wife and all that it entails. It seems the villagers have such expectations of what she must do and Alice hasn't the first idea of how to do any of it. Or if she even wants to. All she wants is to be married to David, have a family and grow old with him. But David's duties to his parish are many that they only seem to have a couple of hours together in the evenings before retiring for the night.

From the time to arrived in Goswell, it seems she has had to face many challenges. From adapting to being a vicar's wife to a tragedy from which she thought she may never recover to the onset of war and David enlisting as a chaplain. Life becomes very lonely for Alice in the ensuing years that she takes up gardening and soon has a thriving array of vegetables to keep them going through the harsh rationing.

By the time 1940 comes around, news arrives that the village is to take around fifty evacuees and Alice decides that she wants to take one of them on, much to the annoyance of her housekeeper and the nosey churchwardens (you don't know what you are getting with the likes of them from the cities). She ends up with a resentful surly 12 year old girl called Vera with a seemingly huge chip on her shoulder whose attitude borders on rude. Alice wants so much to give her a loving home but has no idea how to reach the sullen young girl. That is, until a stray German bomber empties the last of his load on the Vicarage's outbuildings and Alice finds a frightened Vera hiding under the table thinking she was going to die.

THE WIFE'S PROMISE is a beautiful heartbreaking tale of two women separated by seven decades who lived in the same house. It is compelling and engaging throughout as each story speaks of sacrifice, love and love. It did take me a while to get into the story but once I did I was fully invested in uncovering what happens next.

This is my second read by Kate Hewitt and I love this particular style in dual timeline, which is one of my favourite formats. I intend on diving right into the second book in this compelling quartet right away. I think though my favourite story was Alice's. I found Jane a little self-absorbed and Natalie a bratty teenager.

Overall, a pure delight to read. Perfect for fans of dual timelines.

I would like to thank #KateHewitt, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWifesPromise in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Alice moves with her family from New York to the village of Goswell. As she finds herself very discontented with her new life she finds a shopping list from long ago. As she researches who it belonged to she becomes herself as real part of the new home.

This read covers almost every emotion in one book. I liked the concept of seeing the world through different eyes in different time but I missed the dual timeline reference in the blurb.

I was more drawn to the past and found myself wanting to race through the present to get back there. I found Jane really hard to connect with.

I did love Alice from the past. I found her life was more humble and I could empathise and connect with her. I think I would have preferred more in this era.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Genre: Women's Fiction
Spice Level: A few kisses
Cry Level: This one hit me in the feels

THE WIFE'S PROMISE is my favorite type of women's fiction with dual timelines. I love how the women from different time periods have similar human experiences—this is part of why I love books with historical fiction aspects to highlight how much we are the same. This book was previously published and is getting a second life—one that it deserves!

First line: It started with a shopping list.

This first line sounds so simple, but it caught me because I wanted to know what started. Also the shopping list is the thread that guides Jane, the main character in contemporary times, through her journey. Alice, the main character in the past time period, is so different than Jane. And that's what makes the intersections of their life journeys' so interesting to me.

I found several themes through the novel. Some include what it means to belong, family, marriage, sacrifice, and finding purpose. There are some who will not appreciate what both Jane and Alice go through to find their happiness. Or what they sacrifice. But I actually think that's part of the point—each one of us must figure out our journey and what it will look like. Each of these women are a hero for different reasons, but they inspire me to be a hero for someone (hopefully my family).

I definitely recommend this story!

I loved this book it was so atmospheric and sad at times. The descriptions of the rain and cold in the Lake District resonated with me as I have spent many a holiday cold and wet walking in the hills around there. This was a dual time-line and was easy to follow. I was interested in finding out what the promise was and it didn’t disappoint. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Jane and Andrew uproot their family from the hustle and bustle of New York City to blustery Goswell, England. Andrew is finally moving closer to home while Jane drops everything and heads out as they move into an old vicarage home.

Their three children vary in their transition, from super excited and making friends easily to seclusion and avoidance to talk to either parent. Jane finds it difficult to transition because she’s so set on going back to New York. She even secretly plans to return for a few weeks to help her former job with their holiday fundraising party.

It’s not until she meets a realtor who shows her a studio apartment and insists she meet him for a drink that she realizes how much she loves and misses her family back in Goswell.

Jane has also been busy trying to figure out this shopping list she found in their kitchen. She does some snooping and talking to neighbors and reading lots of historical books where she learns the Alice James, widow and former wife of a vicar.

Learning about Alice begins to give Jane some comfort as she begins to finally adjust to their new environment. Oh the things you can learn from one little shopping list!

I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because even I would get curious about an old shopping list tucked away! Lovely written story of past and present in the vicarage.

I started reading The Wife’s Promise with no idea how it was literally going to draw me in. I couldn’t put it down until I read the complete book. And, then I knew I had to immediately pick up the second book in the series so I could continue to read this wonderful series.
This is a historical fiction story that alternates between the present and the past of two different women. The way the story intertwines is so intriguing and interesting.
I highly recommend this series.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I love Kate Hewitt’s characters. This book is no exception. Here we follow two timelines that intersect. Along the way we see love, friendship, heartbreak, and loss, but still an attitude of determination. Loved it!

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really liked it. It was well written with an engaging and compelling storyline and well developed characters who I felt where actually in the room talking to me rather than me sat reading something on a page.. I am so exicted to see what the rest of the series brings.

England 1939 and now. Two women enter this the small remote village of Goswell, Cumbria
with trepidation. One is Alice just twenty, lived with her widowed father in comfortable
surroundings, and then we have Jane coming from a high powered job, three children raised in
New York used to the rush and bustle of big city life now stuck here as an outsider.

In different timelines both women faced the frostiness and insularity of village life.
one was expected to take on the position notjust ofbeing a brand new wife, but also that
of the vicar's wife with Sunday school activities, Mothers Union and be availabke to all
and sundry. Janewas set apart from the beginning - she was American and therefore right away
in the eyes of the others did not fit in! When Jane discovers slip of paper indicating a
grocery listof years ago, she feels compelled to investigate the life of this vicars wife
who seemed to have been completely forgotton. This in the midst of Jane's own inner turmoil.
Her foundering of her position as a mother, as a wife. Jane herself finds herself wanting.
She feels in turn guilty that she has not realised that there are matters that have to be
rectified and corrected where her children are concerned and she is inwardly horrified that
she was not aware of them before, then she in turn is resentful that she has sacrificed a
career and a different lifestyle to what she is forced into now.
Alice herself faced immense challenges from the word go. First her miscarriage from which
she hardly recovered mentally to David being called up, and Alice having to live alone and
fend for herself which was frightening for the now 21 year old. Taking on a difficult 12 year
old evacuee, who was resentful and rude, turning over the garden so that they could feed
themselves and then facing the news of David's death and her having to leave the vicarage
were all immense blows for Alice to face alone.

The similarities were there and not there as well for both women. the story ofcourage, resilience
and a spirit to overcome initial barriers were remarkable in both women. They were not going
under.

A very warm story despite instances of sadness it was a very rewarding read.

Jane Hatton & her family have moved from New York City to a small village called Goswell. She doesn’t want to move but she knows that she doesn’t have a choice. The house isn’t what she was expecting it is cold & needs a lot of work. But her husband Andrew can’t understand why she is so unhappy. Jane tries to fit in but it isn’t easy to make friends being the outsider. The children have settled down and she knows that she has to make a choice but will it be that easy? She finds a old piece of paper as she is cleaning and it gets her wondering about the previous people that stayed in this old house. The house has a history of love & loss and that helps Jane to accept that this is where she needs to be.
A lovely read. The characters really speak to you. Alice & James made the vicarage their home and they add some much warmth to the book. Jane is an independent woman that finds it hard doing nothing and I am glad that sh realises what is important in her life.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher Bookouture for the ARC copy. This is my voluntary review. Highly recommended read

I enjoy all of Kate Hewitt’s books so was looking forward to this one. It didn’t disappoint. Alice’s story was interesting but sometimes sad, and I felt sorry for Jane, having to give up her life in New York to start afresh in a sleepy village in England. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series

Overall an enjoyable read. I didn’t fully understand the main characters actions and motivations, which made her unlikable and a little off putting.

The Wife's Promise is a split time story between modern day Jane and World War 2 era Alice. The challenge in these types of stories is that sometimes the reader prefers one timeline over the other and will begin to skim. This is not the case in this book: Hewitt successfully writes two equally compelling storylines and I was invested in each of their stories and felt the transitions were seamless. I was drawn to both Alice and Jane in different ways as they learned to adjust, grow and find their place in their circumstances. And I absolutely adored the character of David and the love story between Alice and him was so gentle (and yes, rooted in heartbreak). A wonderful read. Thank you to #NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

The Wifes Promise is a wonderful, touching dual timeline told of two women's courage during difficult times.
I found myself not wanting to put the book down as these women's characters grew as they found themselves. The story will take you on a journey as the two women find love, deal with loss and find content and happiness.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in response for my honest opinion.

THE WIFE’S PROMISE by KATE HEWITT is a well written novel in which we follow two women,, Alice James in the 1930’s and 1940’s, and Jane Hatton in the present time, who each lived in the old vicarage in Goswell, Cumbria.
When Jane’s British husband,Andrew, uproots their family from New York in order to move to the little town of Goswell, things do not turn out as he had hoped. He is hoping for a more meaningful family life in the country which he feels will be better for their children. Jane is not used to being involved in her family’s daily life as her demanding job in New York left little time for her children. She is desperately unhappy and at first selfishly refuses to even try to make the best of her new situation. In fact she wants her old life back.
A grocery list written by Alice seventy years before links the two women together…….
It is a story about family life, relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, forgiveness and making choices that affect others.
Although the book is heartbreaking as the author describes these women’s feelings of loneliness and even desperation at times, there is also hope.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.