About the Author:
Rachel Brimble lives in Wiltshire with her husband of twenty years, two teenage daughters and her beloved chocolate Labrador, Tyler. Multi-published in the US, she is thrilled to have a new beginning writing for Aria in the UK. When Rachel isn’t writing, she enjoys reading across the genres, knitting and walking the English countryside with her family…often stopping off at a country pub for lunch and a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Follow Rachel:
Twitter: @RachelBrimble
Facebook: @RachelBrimble
About the Book:
One woman’s journey to find herself and help secure the vote. Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise.
1911 Bath. Banished from her ancestral home, passionate suffrage campaigner Esther Stanbury works as a window dresser in Pennington’s Department Store. She has hopes and dreams for women’s progression and will do anything to help secure the vote.
Owner of the prestigious Phoenix Hotel, Lawrence Culford has what most would view as a successful life. But Lawrence is harbouring shame, resentment and an anger that threatens his future happiness. When Esther and Lawrence meet, their mutual understanding of life’s challenges unites them and they are drawn to the possibility of a life of love that neither thought existed.
With the Coronation of King-Emperor George V looming, the atmosphere in Bath is building to fever pitch, as is the suffragists’ determination to secure the vote.
Will Esther’s rebellious nature lead her to ruin or can they overcome their pasts and look to build a future together?
My Review:
The second of the Pennington’s series is set in Bath in 1911. . Esther Stanbury, a window dresser at Pennington’s Department Store, has huge dreams for the a better deal for women in society and wants progression, peace and respect for them. She also wants rhem to have the power to vote.
Lawrence Culford has it all, but there’s deep-seated anger shame and resentment running through his veins and his happiness is at risk.
What will happen when they meet?
It’s all action in Bath with the upcoming King’s coronation and the Suffragette movement fighting to secure the vote.
A Rebel at Pennington’s is a real tense, will they won’t they kind of novel. I was wondering if Lawrence and Esther would work things out in spite of their different backgrounds and personalities but it was a joy seeing their friendship grow. At the same time, I was wondering if Esther would get what she wanted for herself as a woman and for all the women of the time. When I was at school, the Suffragette movement was one of my favourite periods of history and I myself am really into fighting for my own rights as an individual.
Perfect for the fans of the TV series Mr Selfridge and The Paradise. I love any historical novel about love, life and huge department stores. I’ve been to Bath and the majestic nature of the city is ever-present here. I loved the descriptions of Pennington’s itself and the atmosphere of the shop. Esther’s contentment with her job as the head of the department of window dressing is evident as is her drive, courage and passion in fighting for societal change no matter what the cost. And there is a cost, an emotional one and the stakes are high.
Leaving home is not easy but her father’s opinions are too much. Rachel Brimble writes an engrossing novel that’s second in the series bur also a good standalone. I’d recommend reading the first book before this to get an idea of background. 4 stars
Thanks to Rachel Brimble and Aria for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest and voluntary review and a spot on the blog tour for this title. Great to be back at Pennington’s.
Where to Buy:
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2slN4Jk
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2H5ot5W
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2AGws3x
iBooks: https://apple.co/2D1GDBm
Esther marched past the family towards Pennington’s open double doors. That told him. The way he’d looked at her! Almost as if she entertained him. Well, maybe next time, he’d think twice before declaring what was, or wasn’t, a suitable toy or pastime for his children. It was attitudes like his that held back progress; that scuppered the Cause’s efforts time and time again.Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Esther walked through Pennington’s doors and into the glittering, brightly lit atrium. The mammoth space burst with activity, customers strolling arm in arm around the glistening counters and dressed mannequins standing on platforms dotted throughout. Wide-brimmed hats and tailored suits provided a seemingly endless flow of colour. At Pennington’s, dancers and actors, gentry and businessmen shared the same space with middle-class housewives, labourers or nannies with prams. The sight of such equality never failed to brighten Esther’s most sombre mood.
When Elizabeth’s father, Edward Pennington, had finally seen sense and passed the store’s reins to his daughter, Elizabeth had quickly and decisively implemented changes that meant the demographic of Pennington’s shoppers instantly modernised from being shamefully elitist to encompassing people from every walk of life. The struggle Elizabeth had gone through to be valued and respected by her father had bordered on painful, but she’d succeeded in her endeavours, despite the odds stacked against her.
She’d utilised every ounce of her passion and drive to do all she could to help female workers labour towards an equal footing with men. To encourage and inspire belief in the department heads and their staff that the stark differences between men and women was a thing of the past at Pennington’s.
Working alongside her new husband, Joseph Carter, Elizabeth retained her maiden name for her professional life only. As her friend, Esther knew only too well how much Elizabeth relished being Mrs Carter. Not as a sign of inferiority or bondage to her husband but as a proud public acknowledgement to a man she loved and respected. Someone who had been far below her social standing when they’d met and fallen in love, but despite the obstacles, Elizabeth and Joseph had fought her father in order to spend their lives together. Her love for her husband was tangible whenever Esther was near them, whether in the workplace or socially. They were a formidable team, and one Esther felt honoured to work with.
Esther lifted her gaze to the sunlight that flowed through the glass dome, casting pink, blue and green in every direction, prismed by the huge chandeliers hung throughout the seemingly endless store. She smelt the soft scent of perfume mixed with the sweetness emanating from the numerous bouquets of flowers standing in vases on marble plinths and breathed deep, as love for her job and the people she worked with hastened her steps and demolished her temper.
Esther weaved through the throng towards the stairs leading to her department in the store’s basement. She was thankful Elizabeth had agreed she could start work a little later this morning. The ten-hour days she’d worked for the last month to get the toy window display finished as well as adding bits and pieces to the store’s plans for the upcoming Coronation had finally taken their toll and – added to the constant and growing demands of her aging aunt – Esther’s focus had woefully drifted. Something she’d never allowed to happen before and was determined to rectify. Her constant need to prove herself had become an obsession.
She inhaled. An obsession she feared she’d never satisfy.
Her father’s rejection of her and her ensuing need to feel worthy of her mother’s belief in her had meant Esther worked hard, often forgoing fun in a bid to succeed in her work for the Cause and here at Pennington’s.
Her desperate need to feel valued and wanted sometimes hung over her like a heavy cloud, and she had absolutely no idea what, or who, would make that change. All she knew, with the utmost certainty, was that she’d never give up until she’d succeeded.
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