📖 Blog Tour ~ The Fading of the Light by Charlotte Betts

Delighted to be part of this blog tour

Piatkus
2 July 2021

Spindrift Trilogy #2

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book
and for the invitation to the blog tour

From the multi-award-winning author of The Apothecary’s Daughter, The Fading of the Light is the next book in the Spindrift Trilogy, a beautifully evocative, multi-generational family drama set at the turn of the century and perfect for fans of Elizabeth Jane Howard, Santa Montifore and Lucinda Riley.

1902. Spindrift House, Cornwall.

Edith Fairchild, deserted by her feckless husband Benedict eight years before, has established the thriving Spindrift artists’ community by the sea and found deep and lasting love with Pascal. They have accepted that they cannot marry, but when Benedict returns unexpectedly to Spindrift House, all Edith and Pascal’s secret hopes and dreams of a joyous life together are overturned.

Benedict’s arrival shatters the peaceful and creative atmosphere of the close-knit community. When Edith will not allow him back into her bed, the conflict escalates and he sets in motion a chain of tragic events that reverberate down the years and threatens the happiness of the community forever.

My thoughts..

Having thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the Spindrift trilogy, I was excited to meet again with Edith Fairchild and her community of artists, and artisans, who have made their home at Spindrift House on the beautiful Cornish coast. Together with her fellow artists, Edith and her children live a quiet life, creating beautiful paintings and learning to be self sufficient. It's a peaceful life, that is, until the unexpected return of Edith's nefarious husband, Benedict, whose very presence at Spindrift house upsets the equilibrium of this close community in more ways than one.

It's been delightful to be back at Spindrift House with Edith and her friends and though Benedict's return to the community upsets everyone even the villains make the story such a joy to read.  The author recreates the Edwardian era to perfection, with its ambiguous moral codes and  discrimination against women, bringing vividly to life a time when a morally degenerate husband could do as he wished regardless of the hurt he caused to his wife and family.

The Fading of the Light is a beautifully written, and thoughtful, story with a delightful cast of characters who are now as familiar as old friends. I have so enjoyed following the progression of life at Spindrift House sharing in the triumphs and successes of the artists and watching Edith's children running along the coastal paths making their own memories of this special life at Spindrift. Edith has her share of heartache in this story but this is written with compassion and the author's usual fine eye for even the smallest detail.

Whilst The Fading of the Light can be comfortably read as a standalone story it does make sense to start at the beginning of this lovely trilogy and allow this talented author to take you on a wonderful escapist journey to Cornwall.

About the Author

Charlotte Betts began her working life as a fashion designer in London. A career followed in interior design, property management and lettings. Always a bookworm, Charlotte discovered her passion for writing after her three children and two stepchildren had grown up. The Apothecary’s Daughter was her debut novel and won the YouWriteOn Book of the Year in 2010, the Romantic Novelists’ Association Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers in 2011 and the RoNA’s Historical Category award for 2013. The sequel, The Painter’s Apprentice was published in 2012 and shortlisted for the Festival of Romance’s Best Historical Read Award in 2012.

Twitter @CharlotteBetts1 #TheFadingoftheLight

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