The Mersey Mistress
BRAND NEW FROM LIVERPOOLS’ VERY OWN BESTSELLING AUTHOR, SHEILA RILEY
1910 LIVERPOOL DOCKS.
Ruby Swift is a hard-working, straight-talking woman of substance who does not suffer fools gladly,
But when tragedy strikes on a bitter Christmas Eve, Ruby and her beloved Archie take matters into their own hands when a trusted employee’s house is mysteriously engulfed by flames and lives are lost.
Orphaned by the fire, Ruby welcomes heartbroken sixteen-year-old Anna Cassidy, into her home and family but circumstances conspire against them and she is unable to save Anna’s twelve-year-old brother Sam Cassidy, who is sent by the Church to Canada as a Homeboy.
Can Ruby help mend a broken heart and can these two children ever be reunited or is there another higher game in play?
Mersey Mistress takes you on a journey to another time, another place. From the banks of the River Mersey to the frozen waters of the Canadian Saint Laurence River.
Purchase Link – http://amzn.to/2YIt9o6
Author Bio: Sheila Riley wrote four #1 bestselling novels under the pseudonym Annie Groves and is now writing a new saga trilogy for Boldwood under her own name. She has set it around the River Mersey and its docklands near to where she spent her early years. She still lives in Liverpool. Her new trilogy began with The Mersey Orphan in September 2019.
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheilaRileyAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/1sheilariley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheilarileyauthor/
Newsletter Sign Up Link: https://mailchi.mp/boldwoodbooks/sheilarileynewsletter
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sheila-riley
My Review
This book was hard to put down. The drama was constantly unfolding and I was drawn into the story as if I was right with the characters. The story was filled with tragedies, but also the beautiful stories of overcoming despair.
The characters living in Liverpool, England become connected because of horrible circumstances. Ruby was in actuality a rich young lady named Lady Rowena Ashland. Because she fell in love with the “wrong” man and was carrying his child her father threatened to disown her. Her baby was stolen by her in-laws and raised as their own child. Ruby and the man she loved, Archie, made a wonderful life for themselves. Ruby was a inspiring businesswoman who made a great life for them. She took in a young man, Ned, who needed family.
When Ruby’s bookkeeper and her twins were killed in a house fire, she took in the pneumonia-stricken daughter, Anna, and tried to save the remaining child, Sam. Sam was taken away by a corrupt priest who sent him to basically be a child-slave in Canada. As you read these harrowing stories, you’ll be totally unable to stop reading. The characters are brave and strong of heart. They go through unbelievable pain and you’ll find yourself trying to hurry and turn the page to see if they will be able to survive.
This book does have some violence and discussion of immoral behavior, but there is no descriptive language. I found it to be a great read of historical fiction during the time of the Titanic’s voyage and the beginning of WWI. You’ll be very anxious to discover what becomes of this family.