The Goswell Quartet Books
Alice looked at the young girl standing alone on the platform, sensing the same vulnerability she’d once felt entering the village she now called home. And, as the child gripped her hand tightly, she vowed she’d always protect her – whatever the cost… England, 1939: When Alice marries kind-hearted vicar David on the eve of war, it means leaving her old life behind and moving into the draughty vicarage in the beautiful, remote village of Goswell, Cumbria. Though desperately homesick, Alice is determined to make a new life for herself and her husband. But when war suddenly breaks out, Alice is devastated when David chooses to sign up to fight. Distraught, Alice can barely distract herself from her fear of what might happen to her husband. But everything changes when she is asked to take in an evacuee, a young girl called Vera, and Alice makes a promise to herself to protect this quiet, troubled child, no matter what… Now: When Jane and her family move to the small village of Goswell where her husband grew up, she’s afraid she might have made a huge mistake. Their new home – in what had once been the vicarage – feels a million miles from their previous fast-paced life in New York City, and Jane struggles with empty days that seem lonely and purposeless. But when Jane finds a small note, forgotten behind a shelf in the pantry, written during the Second World War by a woman named Alice, everything changes. And as Jane learns more about Alice’s life, her bravery and sacrifice, she realises that this woman’s incredible story has the power to change everything… The story of two wives – told over 70 years apart – tell a story about courage, finding a home, and how an unexpected connection can change your life forever. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley and Barbara O’Neal. This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone. Previously published as The Vicar’s Wife by Katharine Swartz . Readers love The Goswell Quartet : “ WOW!!!! … clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!… I was utterly glued to the pages … carrying my phone to read it on my Kindle every chance that I got and I had tears absolutely streaming down my face … I was completely mind blown at the end and just when I thought I had run out of tears they started pouring out again …This book will stay with me for a long time … absolutely unputdownable … I LOVED it .” Bookworm86 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ Amazing! … I was reaching for the Kleenex … My emotions were running wild from the first page to the last … completely heartbreaking and captivating … This story of love, hope and second chances is one that I won’t forget… Phenomenal … I loved it .” Page Turners ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ Will grab your heart and simply not let go … gripping and emotional … This has zoomed right to the top of my list of favorite books! ” Vegan Book Blogger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ I stopped reading all my other books just to finish this one! … Absolutely perfect . This gem gives me all the feels!! ” Goodreads reviewer “ Right from the very start I was pulled in … These are characters that stayed with me… I loved this book from beginning to end .” I Wish I Lived in a Library ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I had to free it,” Eleanor said, and stretched her hand out to the blue butterfly that seemed almost to hover in the air. “I had to let something find what happiness it could, since we cannot.” England, 1918: As war ends, across the world, people are trying to heal and recover. But Eleanor still feels broken. The loss of her beloved brother, killed just days before the Armistice was signed, feels impossibly unjust. Spending her time in the neglected garden behind their house, she fears her heart will never recover. Then her father hires a man to help restore the garden to its former glory. Gruff, handsome Yorkshireman Jack comes from a totally different world to Eleanor, but he understands the nature of her grief more than anyone else seems to. And as they spend time together, even though she knows her family will never accept someone of Jack’s class, Eleanor starts to wonder if – like the butterflies around them – there is any way for her to learn to soar again... Now: Nearly one hundred years later, Marin is not prepared for finding herself the guardian of her fifteen-year-old half-sister Rebecca , after her father and his second wife are killed in a tragic accident. The sisters are practically strangers, and Rebecca’s grief makes her seem even more distant. Marin too is in need of a fresh start, so when Rebecca begs her to let them move to the picturesque village of Goswell on the Cumbrian coast, Marin impulsively agrees. But it is only when they find a locked door to a secret garden, and a photograph of a girl with a butterfly landing on her hand, that the sisters start to realise they have a mystery to solve, one about war, about secrets, and about a love that could never be. A mystery that might just bring them together… The Daughter’s Garden is a totally unputdownable novel about tragic secrets, the chance for forgiveness, and the healing that can come from a new start. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Rhys Bowen and Lucinda Riley. This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone. Previously published as The Lost Garden by Katharine Swartz. Readers love The Goswell Quartet : “ WOW!!!! … clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!… I was utterly glued to the pages … carrying my phone to read it on my Kindle every chance that I got and I had tears absolutely streaming down my face … I was completely mind blown at the end and just when I thought I had run out of tears they started pouring out again … This book will stay with me for a long time … absolutely unputdownable … I LOVED it .” Bookworm86 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ Amazing! … I was reaching for the Kleenex … My emotions were running wild from the first page to the last … completely heartbreaking and captivating… Phenomenal … I loved it .” Page Turners ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ Will grab your heart and simply not let go … gripping and emotional … This has zoomed right to the top of my list of favorite books! ” Vegan Book Blogger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Readers love Kate Hewitt: “Had me crying so badly . It broke my heart , never has any book been able to just wipe me out with such gut-wrenching sadness … BEAUTIFULLY DONE.” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I’m not someone who cries easily but… [I] thought this book might just break me into tiny pieces . This is an incredibly moving, powerful and heart-breaking story… Will stay with me.” Novel Deelights ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ SPECTACULARLY written , this contender for my most cherished read of 2022 needs to be on every historical fiction reader’s list … I will remember this book for a very long time .” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
She clutched the piece of paper close to her chest, tears welling in her eyes, hardly believing what she had read. Silently thanking Sarah for all she sacrificed, she took the death certificate and slipped it under a loose floorboard – no one must ever find out what she’d done… England, 1868: Orphaned and penniless, 18-year-old Sarah is left the sole guardian of her beloved little sister Lucy – who she’s vowed to protect at all costs. With nowhere left to turn, she is forced to accept mysterious widower James Mills’ proposal of marriage. She believes being his bride can’t possibly be as bad as the threat of the workhouse. But nothing prepares her for the darkness of her marriage, the shocking secrets of her new family and the lengths she will have to go to, to keep her sister safe… Now: Living in the beautiful village of Goswell, Ellen believes her family life to be idyllic… until her estranged seventeen-year-old stepdaughter Annabelle moves in and shatters the peace. Ellen fears they will never bond, until she finds a death certificate – for a woman named Sarah, from over a century earlier – hidden under the floorboards of their house, and Annabelle starts to help her unravel the mystery. Yet as Ellen and Annabelle dig deeper into Sarah’s life and death, shocking truths, both past and present, come to light which change everything Ellen thought she knew about Sarah’s family – and the new addition to her own… The Bride’s Sister is a powerful and moving story about what it means to be a family, second chances, and the lengths we go to for those we love. Fans of Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal and Fiona Valpy will absolutely love this gripping and emotional read. This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone. Previously published as The Second Bride by Katharine Swartz. Readers love The Goswell Quartet : “ WOW!!!! … clear your schedules and grab the tissues as you will need them!!!… I was utterly glued to the pages … carrying my phone to read it on my Kindle every chance that I got and I had tears absolutely streaming down my face … I was completely mind blown at the end and just when I thought I had run out of tears they started pouring out again … This book will stay with me for a long time … absolutely unputdownable … I LOVED it .” Bookworm86 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ Amazing! … I was reaching for the Kleenex … My emotions were running wild from the first page to the last … completely heartbreaking and captivating … This story of love, hope and second chances is one that I won’t forget… Phenomenal … I loved it .” Page Turners ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ Will grab your heart and simply not let go … gripping and emotional … This has zoomed right to the top of my list of favorite books! ” Vegan Book Blogger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ Right from the very start I was pulled in … These are characters that stayed with me… I loved this book from beginning to end .” I Wish I Lived in a Library ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Readers love Kate Hewitt: “Had me crying so badly . It broke my heart , never has any book been able to just wipe me out with such gut-wrenching sadness … BEAUTIFULLY DONE.” NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I’m not someone who cries easily but… [I] thought this book might just break me into tiny pieces . This is an incredibly moving, powerful and heart-breaking story… Will stay with me.” Novel Deelights ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “ SPECTACULARLY written , this contender for my most cherished read of 2022 needs to be on every historical fiction reader’s list … I will remember this book for a very long time .” Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Katharine Swartz weaves an enthralling dual timeline story with a unique premise. I was truly captivated by this heart-wrenching novel" - Suzanne Kelman, Amazon International Bestselling author of A View Across the Rooftops Marine archaeologist Rachel Gardener is thrilled to be summoned to the coast of Cumbria to investigate a newly discovered shipwreck. She is also relieved to escape the tensions of her troubled marriage, and to be closer to her ailing mother. But when a mysteriously sunken ship is discovered to be a slaving ship from the 1700s, Rachel is determined to explore the town of Whitehaven’s link to the slave trade and soon she learns of Abigail Fenton, the young wife of a slave trader, who has a surprising secret of her own. The more Rachel learns about Abigail, the more she wonders if the past can inform the present… Can Rachel learn from Abigail and break free from her troubled history and embrace the future she longs to claim for her own?