A forbidden wartime romance begins just as German planes fill the skies over London in 1940. A playful and heartfelt read perfect for fans of Dear Mrs. Bird, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

When Maisie Beckett steps into her brother’s struggling London hobby shop during wartime, she’s confronted with two harsh realities: the looming threat of a Nazi invasion and the shop’s dire financial situation. Determined to prove herself to her parents and keep the shop afloat, Maisie moonlights as a pinup photographer, covertly boosting the shop’s earnings. In the midst of London’s nightly bombings, Maisie finds herself irresistibly drawn to the shop’s co-owner, Cal Woodbury, captivated by his quick wit and bashful smile—and his mysterious secret.

But Cal made a promise to his best friend and business partner, Roy—a promise that he would never pursue a romantic relationship with Maisie, Roy’s sweet and beautiful sister. As the German bombs rain down upon London, and as Cal’s bond with Maisie deepens, he discovers that some promises are impossible to keep. When Roy deserts the Navy and unexpectedly appears at Cal’s doorstep, Cal is forced to choose between his loyal friend and the woman he’s falling for.

While London goes to war around them, Maisie and Cal face their own battle—finding their courage and recognizing their worth.

NOTE:
This novel includes brief, low-heat love scenes.

As this book opens, we meet Maisie as she’s questioned as to her brother’s well-being. She’s the manager of Hazeldon’s Village Shop owned by her father and her brother Roy is serving in the Royal Navy.

At home, Maisie’s mom complains she should be at home to help more instead of working at the shop. At dinner Maisie’s father brings up Roy’s concerns about staffing at the Hobby Shop in London. Roy co-owns the shop with his friend Cal, and it’s been difficult to keep help. When her father says he should go up and help Cal, her mother immediately says Maisie can go. Quite the change from wanting more help around the house. Maisie’s concern about the Germans coming is also pushed aside in the decision.

We meet Cal as a child asks why he’s in the war. A question he’s asked often and never really answers. the boy’s sister also has a not so polite comment to make. Their mother is apologetic, as she asks them if they’ve found something. Of course, the boy wants the aluminum spitfire plane model, but his mother convinces him to take the cheaper balsa wood one and paint it instead. several more customers come in and then when it’s quiet he starts doing overdue paperwork. He’s got a long night ahead of him working on the accounts. He’s putting up the blackout curtains when a telegram arrives it states bluntly ‘Maisie is coming to work at the shop. -George Beckett.’ A little more explanation would have been nice.

Cal remembers Maisie, he hasn’t seen her since they were kids. One highlight is their first kiss when he was seven or eight. He was shy around her after that. He really didn’t want Maisie coming to London with the Luftwaffe at their doorstep.

When Maisie arrives, Cal realizes George didn’t get his letter, and Maisie isn’t going to return home either. It’s fortuitous that the neighbor upstairs is looking for a new tenant, so Maisie gets not only a job but a place to stay.

From here we get a close up look at 1940’s London as the Germans begin their raids. Maisie and the other tenant Nora become friends and in spite of himself Cal finds he’s falling for Maisie all over again.

There’s a few relationship ups and downs and her brother’s appearance on the scene complicates matters in more ways than one. There are harrowing moments with regard to the bombings as well.

I loved the way this story unfolds, I felt like I was right there with them.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

5 Contented Purrs for Jillianne!

“He kissed you!”

“Nora,” I warned, putting a finger to my lips as Mrs. Martin was in the kitchen nearby.

“Sorry,” Nora whispered, barely tamping down her giddiness. “What kind of kiss was it? Was it a peck or a proper grown-up kiss?”

“I’m not telling you that.” I adjusted my sitting position on the couch in the living room and smirked at Nora. “Especially when you’re not telling me what happened last night with you and Jack. The song ended and you were gone!”

The corner of Nora’s mouth curled up and her eyes appeared even more cat-like than usual. “I told you, we went for a walk—”

“In the dark,” I added.

“—and we took a wrong turn and ended up having to spend the night at the Blackfriars underground station shelter.”

“And how was that?”

“The shelter? Rotten. The bombs overhead? Loud.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “And you didn’t do any canoodling of your own?”

Nora pursed her lips. “We’re talking about you right now, not me.”

Sighing, I considered how much to share. “It was quite nice.”

She nodded in silent understanding and picked up her knitting from her lap.

Nora didn’t need to know how that passionate kiss made my entire body burn.

“When are you seeing him again? Outside of the shop, I mean.”

“That’s the thing,” I said, frowning. “He didn’t suggest we go on a date at all. We said goodnight and parted ways.”

I didn’t know if it was his shyness or if it was something else that stopped him.

Nora put her knitting down again and tented her fingers like some sort of professor, specializing in the mysteries of men. “I wonder if you should ask him instead of waiting for him to ask.”

I scoffed. “Don’t be absurd.”

“I’m not being absurd at all! It’s 1940, after all. Women are running the world while the boys are away.” She shrugged. “It’s a whole new dynamic.”

I sighed and watched the rain hitting the windows behind the couch.
“Cal obviously adores you.” She tapped a knitting needle against her cheek. “Is there a chance your brother told him he wasn’t allowed to date you?”

“Almost certainly,” I said. “However, Roy is missing so he wouldn’t even know about it anyway.”

But I knew Nora could be correct. Maybe Cal was just holding on to a promise from my needlessly overprotective brother.
Jillianne Hamilton. The-Hobby-Shop-on-Barnaby-Street. Homefront Hearts Book 1. Tomfoolery Press. Kindle Locations. (1612-1633). Kindle Edition.

Jillianne Hamilton

Jillianne Hamilton writes delightful historical fiction and historical romance novels featuring rebellious ladies and happy endings. Her stories feature feisty female protagonists and plenty of sass and wit, using the past as an exciting backdrop. Her debut novel was shortlisted for the 2016 PEI Book Award and her debut historical fiction novel, The Spirited Mrs. Pringle, was longlisted for the 2022 Historical Fiction Company Book Award.

She lives in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on Canada’s beautiful east coast. She is a member of the Paper Lanterns Writers author collective.