The Clothier’s Daughter is the first in the planned series of The Hartdale Brides, following the families and friends of two families living near the town of Hartdale, in the West Riding of Yorkshire in the early 19th century.
In the unseasonable summer of 1816, Emma Braithwaite struggles to keep her family’s traditional wool cloth manufacturing company afloat. Her father has died, her brother is missing, and the new cotton factories are spreading, rendering the fine worsted fabrics the Braithwaites have made for generations, expensive and unfashionable. Being a woman in a man’s world of trade is challenging enough, but when her warehouse catches fire it brings her only a step away from financial ruin and debtor’s prison.
After eight years of war, Major Adam Caldwell is returning for the first time to his family home, Rengarth Castle, when he stops to assist at a warehouse fire … and comes face-to-face with the woman he once loved and lost. Despite all his efforts to forget her, in truth she’s never been far from his thoughts. He was unworthy of her then, and even more so now.
But as the threats against Emma escalate, they discover that someone wants control of Emma’s family company and is prepared to murder anyone in the way of getting it – including Emma.
What reviewers have said:
Lovely, thoughtful romance with wonderful characters. Great evocation of the period in a way we don’t often see in Regencies – and a tight, suspenseful plot. Excellent HEA,too! (Jonathon Wild on amazon.com)
What perfection. The story , the characters and the writer. As I read, I forgot this was a new book and read it as a classic... With sub-plots that enhance the main story this became a book I could not put down until I had finished it. WOW. What a ride. Buy and enjoy. (Kathi Harris on Barnes and Noble)
If you want to read a Regency with an unusual setting and a strong heroine and a strong hero who might have a little bit of PTSD, this is the book for you. If you want an incredible Regency romantic suspense, this is the book for you. If you simply want gorgeous romance with impossible stakes, look no further. A wonderful read. (Malvina, in Romancing the Tome, ARRA Newsletter, December 2019.)
Buy links:
The Clothier’s Daughter is currently available in e-book and paperback. Large print edition coming soon.