A novel about tragedy and secrets. It is heartrending and gripping. I cried while reading. A truly inspirational book.

Kate Hewitt writes in a masterful manner gifting the reader with a story that captures the heart and imagination completely.

The Daughter’s Garden is a well crafted and beautifully written dual timeline story with well written characters and vivid descriptions that seamlessly transported me to another place and time. A perfect blend of contemporary and historical fiction, the storylines are slowly stitched together into a well layered story that slips back and forth between time periods, storylines linked by grief, love and forgiveness, with a garden that bridges the gap. The story comes full circle as secrets are learned, forgiveness is given, and new starts allow for healing, bringing closure to the past and freedom to embark on the future. Thoroughly enjoyable, I couldn’t put this one down.

The second book in the Goswell Quartet, I look forward to continuing on with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity preview an advance digital copy of this story. This is my honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.

In 1918 the Sanderson family are coming to terms with loss, youngest daughter Eleanor does this by throwing herself into gardening. She does this assisted by Jack Taylor who her father hired with the best intentions, little knowing how things will work out!

I the present Marin has undertaken the care of her teenage half sister after the death of her parent in a terrible accident. This proves no mean feat as Marin doesn’t have any experience dealing with teenagers.

The small village of Goswell pulls these timeframes together. It’s a story of trying to make changes. learning to forgive, mainly oneself.
I liked the way explanations for one story applied to the other.

I really enjoyed the second book. It was nice to see more of the stories from Goswell.

Marrin & Rebecca are half sisters and end up buying an house in Goswell. They discover this hidden garden and wonder why it ended up like this. This book is an dual timeline and we also see Eleanor who is the Vicar’s daughter just as World War 1 ends and she decides to make an garden I liked this part of the book where we see what has happened with the men and their lives after the War. I found this part sad and wanted Eleanor to find happiness.

The book is well written and certainly kept you guessing what would happen to Marrin and Eleanor’s life’s if it would be an happy ending.

Look forward to the next book.

Book 2 in a series but can be read as a stand alone. The Lost Garden by Katharine Swartz is a moving story with beautiful prose, rich characterization, and an atmospheric quality - simply my kind of relationship drama. This is an emotional story involving two sets of sisters - Marin and Rebecca in contemporary times, and Eleanor and Katherine almost 100 years earlier - both occupying the same plot of land and both dealing with grief. Every chapter alternates between Marin and Eleanor's voice, in a way that was never confusing, and I was equally invested in both stories, loving the way they connected. The Daughter's Garden is a gently paced read that nonetheless kept me engaged. With an emotional ending that is full of hope, the story shows us that no matter the darkness you might be feeling, letting others in will help you believe and trust in the world once again (Marin) and that even with others against your decisions (Eleanor) you can still experience hope for the future. This was previously released under the title The Lost Garden.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

Just as enjoyable as the first in the series, well written with a captivating story that kept me hooked and well developed characters some of which were familiar and some of which had just been introduced but quickly became loveable.

The Daughter’s Garden by Kate Hewitt is the second book in the Goswell Quartet. Get ready to be transported to a small town by the water in England.
We meet some new characters, but also see some familiar ones from the first book. Jane is definitely more likable in this book than the first one. This book also has a time slip of the present and 1918. Eleanor, from 1918, really comes into her own. Marin is raising her half sister Rebecca, in the present. She can be a bit whiny about her father, but I love the relationship she builds with her sister. I’m looking forward to starting the next book, The Bride’s Sister. I can’t wait to read all the books in this series. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the oppotunity to read c complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is book two in the Goswell Quartet book, but it could easily be read as a stand alone book. I enjoyed this book a great deal, a good second book that will definitely keep me reading onward in the series. This is a dual timeline book, set in 1918, the story of Eleanor, who while grieving the loss of her brother in the war, finds hersel;f drawn to the man hired to restore their gardens, even though she knows that their relationship would never be acceptable to her family or society. The present storyline deals wit Marin, who finds herself the caretaker of her half-sister, Rebecca when her father and step-mother are killed in an accident. Reeling from their loss, Marin and Rebecca move to the Cunmbrian coast and find themselves embroiled in a mystery surrounding a photgraph and a garden, the vrey same garden as Eleanor.

This book was well written and I found the characters all enjoyable, the scenery was well written and the descriptiveness was lovely. Looking forward to the next book in this series.

The Daughter’s Garden by Kate Hewitt is two love stories written in two timelines: World War I and present day. In the present day, Marin has taken on the responsibility of her orphaned half-sister, Rebecca. On a driving trip they had seen this village and this house and Rebecca has convinced her that moving here would be a good solution to what they were both feeling. Marin could work from anywhere so she went with it. It certainly had not solved any of the problems with their relationship but it was fine. She had become intrigued with the walled garden that adjoined their house and was working on restoring it. In the second timeline, World War I had just finished, an Armistice was signed, but life was no better than it had been. Walter, Eleanor’s dear brother had been killed and nothing was the same. No matter how hard she tried. Until the new gardener arrived. She felt an immediate affinity for Jack, as did he for her, and she convinced her father to have him refurbish the walled garden.

Both good characters, both women were looking for love. Marin was 37, Eleanor, 20, but both had lived lives, not full lives, but lives. The war had destroyed so much, including, it seemed, Eleanor’s family. Katherine and her fiance, James, didn’t seem to be meshing, her mother would never be the same after Walter’s death, and her father was in his study more than ever. Both good stories, both women struggled. Both were strong and knew what the goal was. Excellent character development. We get glimpses of other characters, some we’ve met before, but this is a stand-alone novel. One for women, mostly.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Daughter’s Garden by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #KateHewitt #TheDaughtersGarden

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was utterly incredible and surpassed my expectations after book one. The characters and plot lines felt so realistic that it truly swept you into the story. I applaud the author for showing the realities of the aftermath of the war for the soldiers who came back and for the families grieving for those who didn’t. The author didn’t shy away from any of the victims of the First World War. One thing I absolutely adored about the book was that the author didn’t try to change the values of the main character towards the end of the book. It made me fall in love with the book even more.

I didn’t enjoy the modern day timeline as much as the past timeline in the book. I wasn’t as invested in the characters or their story. However, the links with grief between the two timelines made me enjoy the modern day timelines more than the first book. For that reason, I had to give this book five stars.

I highly recommend this book for those who are starting to get into the historical fiction genre and those who are avid readers of the genre. You won’t regret giving this series a chance!

At first, I thought Book 2 of the Tales from Goswell would be a continuation from the first book, The Wife’s Promise. Yielding the story is an important But it was nothing of the sort, not really, anyway. It takes place in present day after the first book, but the historical part is before the historical of Book 1. Does that even make any sense?

In The Daughter’s Garden, Marin and her teenage half-sister buy the little cottage near the vicarage in Goswell. Their father and his wife (Rebecca’s mother) were in a car wreck, leaving Marin as guardian of her sister. The sisters barely knew each other prior as Marin had moved to Boston after university.

Now these estranged sisters must get along and figure out this new life of theirs. Both new to Goswell, they slowly venture out to meeting their neighbors, Jane and her family, who live in the vicarage. Jane’s daughter is the same year as Rebecca and they seem to get along smartly. Moving to a new place isn’t the easiest for anyone, especially not with the baggage these girls are carrying.

The sisters find a garden just outside their cottage, but the gate seems to be rusted shut. A nearby gardener stops by to assist and begins helping Marin to clear up the bramble. They find a greenhouse type building in the middle and Marin begins searching through the historical society about the garden and the woman who it was built for.

The story of the greenhouse type building in the middle of the garden takes readers during the end of the Great War to the daughters of the vicar of the time. Their brother went off to fight in the war and was killed in action while his best friend and one of his sister’s fiancé returned stone faced and unable to return to his former self.

Needless to say, this is an interesting story full of anticipation, mourning, overcoming fear, and most of all love. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

This was the second in this series and it follows on from the first so you do really need to read these in order to know the characters. This book had everything, sadness, happiness and intrigue. It was a dual time-line which I love and I can’t wait to read the next in this series. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I loved the first book was a bit nervous going into this one as the basic framework was so similar. Both books involve dual timelines with one timeline being wartime and the other being a woman who has recently moved to Goswell. Instead I found myself back in Goswell and in the lives of two different families and I loved them both. My heart broke for Eleanor and Katherine who are both trying to find their way after the war ends and changes absolutely everything. As well I loved Marin right from the beginning. She's doing her best in a tough situation that she has suddenly found herself thrust in the middle of. I was absolutely thrilled to check in with Jane and her family as they are side characters in a way that flowed naturally. Hewitt makes this world come alive and the characters seem so real that I found myself thinking of them long after the book was over. I love the little village of Goswell and am so excited to read the next book.

England, 1916: The war is coming to an end, and with so much loss and brokenness the world will never be the same. So many broken families and lives forever changed. Elenor is still feeling the pain of losing her brother and wonders how she will ever pull herself together to continue on with her life. Her father soon hires a landscaper to restore the gardens behind their house. Jack is from Yorkshire and comes from a different class of people that Elenor does. But that doesn’t deter them from spending time together in the gardens and restoring them to the beautiful place that they once were. Present day: One hundred years later Marin suddenly finds herself to be the legal guardian of her fifteen year old half sister, Rebecca. Their father and his second wife were killed in a tragic accident and Marin is the only family that Rebecca has left. The sisters are strangers to each other and they both are in need of a fresh start. Rebecca begs Marin to move to the village of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast. Marin agrees to move and it could be exactly what they both need. They soon find a locked door to a secret garden located behind the house they just moved into. But when they also find a photograph of a young girl in that very garden, they unlock more than just the door to the garden, they unlock a door to their past.

This story was absolutely amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is such a wonderful storyline and the author does an amazing job of tying the first book in this series to this second installment. The lovely description of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast makes me want to visit. This story of hope, love, family, friends and reconciliation is just what I needed. This story hit all the feels and had my emotions on a roller coaster. I loved this installment to what is proving to be a fabulous series. I like the characters very much and I found this book to be unputdownable. I definitely recommend this story that can be read as part of the series or a stand-alone.

Thank you Kate Hewitt for such a wonderful continuation to this amazing series, I loved it.

The Daughter's Garden (The Goswell Quartet Book 2) is another in the series that has dual timelines. By Kate Hewitt it has one in the present and one at WWI or soon afterwards. This was such a heartbreaking story at times as well as one that full of hope and optimism. A story of loss, grief, guilt, but also a story of forgiveness, love and finding true family.

There was much about the book that I loved. First I loved the idea of a secret garden which is what Marin and Rebecca felt that they had found. Then the mystery about the garden. Next the fact that these two half-sisters bonded so well without all the baggage that could have been, which of course means I loved these sisters. Eleanor, the character from 1919 was interesting but did not draw my heart like Marin and Rebecca. Lastly this was more of a love story then the first book in the series.

Don’t be confused this is not a romance book but historical women’s fiction. I recommend The Daughter's Garden to all historical fiction fans. The title is a perfect fit for the year 1919 and for the characters in the present.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We return to Goswell, Cumbria for the second book in Kate Hewitt's Goswell Quartet. The first book, THE WIFE'S PROMISE, dealt with the difficulty of moving into an unfamiliar community and finding you fit wherever you are happy. THE DAUGHTER"S GARDEN will find our two main characters working through the grief after each loses a loved one and how to make your own joy wherever you find yourself. Both books are dual timeline. Each is written as a stand alone set in the Goswell community.

1918- As she grieves for her brother, killed at the end of WWI, Eleanor looks for something, anything, to keep herself occupied. She has decided to rework an over grown section of the garden into a remembrance of her brother and other soldiers. She accepts and learns to depend on the assistance of a newly hired handyman.

Current- Marin's father and step mother have been killed in an accident. Her teenage sister is now her responsibility. Marin must work through her own grief while helping her sister. They have moved to Goswell, into the home where Eleanor's story took place. As they rework the abandoned remembrance garden, they will find clues of Eleanor's story and how the garden affected her life and will come to effect theirs.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Genre: Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction
Heat Level: Clean (a simple kiss)
Themes: Grieving, Cowardice, Hope
POV: Dual Time, third person

I took a breather in-between book 1 of The Goswell Quartet and book 2 because I was so emotional. Ready for the next one, I opened the first page and fell in love with the story and writing all over again. It's safe to say that I'm loving this author's work and can't believe I've never heard of her until now.

In this one, Marin is thrust into carrying for her half-sister, Rebecca. They've never really known each other and are trying to figure out their new life after tragedy struck. And the historical bit includes seeing the effect of WWI on the men coming home as well as their loved ones who didn't serve in the battles, focusing primarily on Eleanor and Jack.

The stories intertwine with their themes, and the modern characters have a clue to the past. In addition to the relevance of the stories to human nature, I love the curiosity the modern story characters have for the history of their new house. Sometimes, I think we all need to look more at the past to understand ourselves and change our future.

Yes! I recommend this book and can hardly wait to read more of The Goswell Quartet.

In book two of the Goswell Quartet by Kate Hewitt, in the second of her duel timeline stories, the first character we meet is Eleanor in 1918 England. Eleanor is grieving after dealing with the loss of her brother killed just before World War I ended. Her source of distraction is to spend time in the gardens behind her family’s home. After her father hires a man named Jack to work on the gardens, Eleanor soon finds that Jack really understands her and they soon begin to draw very close to one another. However, class distinction may indeed keep them apart.

In present day there is Marin who suddenly becomes guardian to her 15-year-old half-sister Rebecca. Marin never got to really know their father and now Rebecca has lost both of her parents. It proves to be very difficult for the two to get along. However, moving to the village of Goswell just might be the fresh start that both of them need. One thing that makes both of them curious is that there is apparently a secret garden in the back of their new home, but that garden appears to be locked.

More than that, they find a picture of a young girl and this picture leads them to start looking into the past. Not only is the village of Goswell the connection between all of the books in the series, Marin soon meets Jane, from the first book, The Wife’s Promise. Jane proves helpful when it comes to helping Marin with her curiosity about the past, which is how Marin learns about Eleanor. Both the story of the past and the story of the present bring the opportunity for love and family while recovering from grief.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/77sgQYHANy4

Thoughtful book post WWI

The Daughter's Garden is the second of a four-book series, reissued after almost 10 years and now available in Kindle format. However, it can be read as a stand-alone book with no loss of plot. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is another split timeline, about two sets of sisters who need to recover from their grief and sense of loss. Well written and easy to read, with interesting characters and a sense of hope beyond the grief, it is a great book to curl up with near your fire or in your warm kitchen.

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

The Daughter's Garden is the second book in the Goswell Quartet by Kate Hewitt. The book was previously released under the author's other name Katharine Swartz. This book could easily be read as a standalone one, but as some characters from the previous book are mentioned, it is nice to know their story in its entirety having read the previous book first.

This story, like the first, is set in two different times and involves two different families. In 1918 Eleanor is a young woman grieving for her brother who was killed in battle just before the war ended. She wants to turn an overgrown garden, like a secret garden, into a memorial area for her brother. A place where people can visit and enjoy the calm, and maybe reminisce.

Nearly 100 years later another woman, Marin, lives in the same house. She too has lost somebody and finds herself wanting to do something with that very same overgrown garden. In doing so she starts to question who lived there before and sets about finding out.

If I am honest, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first in the series. I think that Marin's story, although interesting and emotional, didn't captivate me as much as the modern-era family from the first book. That's not to say that I disliked the story at all, in fact, I loved Eleanor's story. If anything, hers ended far too quickly. I could have read all of the details of things that happened during the years that were instead summed up by being written similarly to an epilogue.

One thing that both books I have read in this series so far share is how descriptive they are. It is so easy to imagine yourself in these women's lives, sharing their grief and their happy moments. Of course, you will also find yourself in that secret garden loving every minute of it just as the characters of the story do. At the end of the book, there is a taster of the third book in the series. Already I am intrigued and am very much looking forward to reading it. I have discovered through this author and this series that I am a fan of dual-timeline stories.