The Lancashire Cotton Saga continues: English maid Dolly, now married to drunkard Clement, fights all odds to rebuild a Louisiana plantation
Twist of the Thread by Christine Evans is book #2 in the beautiful Lancashire Cotton Saga, but can be read as a standalone. You can read my review of the first book in the series HERE.
Our thanks to the author and Sapere Books for the advanced reader’s copy.
Book Details
Title: Twist of the Thread by Christine Evans
Publisher: Sapere Books (October 6, 2020)
Print Lenght: 359 pages
Language: English
ASIN: B08DM5FGL1
Book Description
The captivating Lancashire saga continues! For fans of Nadine Dorries, Maeve Binchy, Freda Lightfoot and Dilly Court.
Three women carve out their own paths in a time of great change…
1865, Lancashire, England
With the American Civil War coming to an end, cotton supplies will soon arrive in Gorbydale once again. In the aftermath of the conflict, three women must find their place in a changing world.
Jessie Overdale — now married to Robert, heir to the Invincible Mill — is expecting her first child and living under the watchful eye of her overbearing in-laws.
Jessie’s old friend, Honora Darwen, is studying in New York to become a doctor and is determined to triumph over the contempt of her male tutors and peers.
Dolly Tate — the Overdales’ reluctant maid — longs to build a better life for herself and her young son, Albert. And when a shadowy figure from her past returns to Gorbydale, she believes she may have found a way out of servitude…
Will the end of the war bring new opportunities to Gorbydale? Will the town’s cotton mills thrive once more?
And will the three women succeed in their callings…?
TWIST OF THE THREAD is the second book in The Lancashire Cotton Saga: a thrilling historical romance novel, spanning two continents, with strong-willed heroines at its heart.
THE LANCASHIRE COTTON SAGA SERIES:
BOOK ONE: Song of the Shuttle
BOOK TWO: Twist of the Thread
BOOK THREE: Calico and Silk
From the Publisher’s Blurb
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Review
Twist of the Thread is the continuation of Song of the Shuttle and tells the story of Honora in medical school, Arden fighting for the Union in America, and the unexpected marriage between Dolly, the maid, and Clement, the French-American Confederate.
It also follows the married life of Jessie and Robert, and their children.
Dolly was my favorite character. I loved how she managed to redirect what was perceived in England as flaws into an advantage when building her new life in America.
Married to the indifferent Clement, brought to an estate in ruins, she took the reins of her life and built a true heritage for her son Albert.
She evolved from an immature and silly girl into a full-grown strong, and determined woman.
There are several intriguing side stories, including arson and murder. Still, my favorite part was Dolly and the former slaves rebuilding their lives and connecting to each other in such a meaningful way.
There is a tad of romance, a little angst, and unrequited love.
It was lovely to meet the Davenports again and see how they changed and adapt to their new reality.
Great book! Highly Recommended!
I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series Calico and Silk that will be released in January’21.
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Author
Christine Evans was brought up in Moss Side, Manchester and then moved to Wythenshawe, a sprawling council estate at the edge of south Manchester. Leaving grammar school at sixteen, she went to work in a bank. After Christine married she gave up work to have her children and, after a spell of temping, worked at the Bishop of Manchester’s office for twenty years. During that time she began night school classes for creative writing. One of the tutors suggested that she send off some of her short stories to magazines and her first short story was published in 1999 in Ireland’s Own. Since then she has had over two hundred short stories published in various magazines, mostly in People’s Friend but also in Ireland’s Own, Take a Break, Bella, My Weekly and Yours.
All sorts of idea set Christine off, memories, funny things that happened to people or someone’s love story, not to mention eavesdropping. She has written three serials for People’s Friend and “Song of the Shuttle” began as one of those serials. She became interested in the Lancashire Cotton Famine caused by the American Civil war. The Famine rarely makes an appearance in any history books, so she decided to weave a story around it, set in Lancashire and America.
Christine sadly passed in 2020. Rest in peace Christine.
Lu Reviews Books 
Sounds interesting! Not what I was expecting from the title and cover.
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This is a great series if you like historical fiction. I have also reviewed the first book Song of the Shuttle. Highly recommended! Thanks for reading.
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Sounds interesting!
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Thanks for stopping by 😉
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Sounds like an interesting book, loved reading your thoughts on it.
♥ Mae
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It is an amazing story! Thanks for stopping by 😉
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