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Article Row #5
A Christmas Promise
An emotional and heart-warming portrayal of the lives of four women living in wartime London.
For the girls living at No. 13 Article Row, life has never been tougher.
Tilly is left heartbroken after the love of her life, Drew, returns to his hometown of Chicago to visit his family and decides to stay there. After he ends their relationship via a letter, Tilly is desperate to find out the truth behind their break-up.
Agnes is shocked to discover that she has inherited a house from her estranged father who left her at the orphanage all those years ago. After not having family for so long she now has a cousin who is very keen to get to know her, but is it for the right reasons?
And for Tilly’s mother, Olive, her repressed feelings for the unhappily married Sergeant Dawson are finally in the open, but can either of them ever recover from the guilt?
Meanwhile, Sally’s life is in turmoil when George is killed in an air raid, leaving her alone and pregnant. With so much tragedy surrounding them, the four girls must support each through the hard times.
For the girls living at No. 13 Article Row, life has never been tougher.
Tilly is left heartbroken after the love of her life, Drew, returns to his hometown of Chicago to visit his family and decides to stay there. After he ends their relationship via a letter, Tilly is desperate to find out the truth behind their break-up.
Agnes is shocked to discover that she has inherited a house from her estranged father who left her at the orphanage all those years ago. After not having family for so long she now has a cousin who is very keen to get to know her, but is it for the right reasons?
And for Tilly’s mother, Olive, her repressed feelings for the unhappily married Sergeant Dawson are finally in the open, but can either of them ever recover from the guilt?
Meanwhile, Sally’s life is in turmoil when George is killed in an air raid, leaving her alone and pregnant. With so much tragedy surrounding them, the four girls must support each through the hard times.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2013
86 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Annie Groves
40 books170 followersPenelope Jones Halsall aka: Caroline Courtney, Penny Jordan, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 in a Preston, Lancashire, England.
She had been a keen reader from the childhood. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction.
She has earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, she found an agent. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her name to Melinda Wright and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her present historical romance novels, she has adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70m of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Now Penny Halsall lived in a house in Nantwich, Cheshire. She worked from home.
Penny died on 31 December 2011.
Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 in a Preston, Lancashire, England.
She had been a keen reader from the childhood. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction.
She has earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, she found an agent. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her name to Melinda Wright and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her present historical romance novels, she has adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70m of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.
Now Penny Halsall lived in a house in Nantwich, Cheshire. She worked from home.
Penny died on 31 December 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 19, 2019
Much loved and international bestselling author Annie Groves (who is the pen name for Penny Hallowell) died sadly before she could complete writing her World War Two based series 'Article Row' set in London.
"A Christmas Promise" is the fifth in the series and was written posthumously by Sheila Riley, based on outlines Annie made before she died.
This is the first book I have read in the series, so I can't comment on the inconsistencies other reviewers have mentioned regarding the storyline. It is a nice story with very likeable characters which I enjoyed reading about. I'm not sure it worked as a standalone and wouldn't recommend it as such, since I felt I should have known so much more about the characters pasts than I was made privy to in the book.
Anyone who has been following the series will probably enjoy this story a whole lot more than I did coming into it blind but it is still a well written and enjoyable book. I feel this series will suit the older reader generation more aptly or those who have a particular penchant for historical women's fiction set in wartime London. I have read stronger, more entertaining similar dramas and although I did like reading it I'm not sure I'd go back and start the series from the beginning.
3 stars
"A Christmas Promise" is the fifth in the series and was written posthumously by Sheila Riley, based on outlines Annie made before she died.
This is the first book I have read in the series, so I can't comment on the inconsistencies other reviewers have mentioned regarding the storyline. It is a nice story with very likeable characters which I enjoyed reading about. I'm not sure it worked as a standalone and wouldn't recommend it as such, since I felt I should have known so much more about the characters pasts than I was made privy to in the book.
Anyone who has been following the series will probably enjoy this story a whole lot more than I did coming into it blind but it is still a well written and enjoyable book. I feel this series will suit the older reader generation more aptly or those who have a particular penchant for historical women's fiction set in wartime London. I have read stronger, more entertaining similar dramas and although I did like reading it I'm not sure I'd go back and start the series from the beginning.
3 stars
August 19, 2017
I read this on the kindle
This is the last in the series I found that part of the synopsis is wrong as it says Sally is left expecting after her husband George dies she is not left expecting & her & George didn't marry, also there wasn't a letter which Tilly wants to get to the bottom of but a letter that not given to her
Enjoyed this as you see Agnes come in to her own, Dulcie who is enjoying motherhood with her daughter Hope & her nephew Anthony who she is looking after for sister Edith, Sally is still coming to terms with that her father & her friend & new wife are killed she is looking after her half-sister Alice
Then there is Olive who is mother hen to all she is also mother to Tilly, I did find that Olive tried to call the shots with her so much so that she kept a letter from Tilly who joins ATS & goes off to serve
Then there is Archie Dawson the police Sgt & Barney who is the boy who he takes in
The series was a good series &while the synopsis is a bit wrong it still has you want to read it but you do need to read the earlier books I did miss the 1st book not knowing that there was an earlier one so I read from book 2
The last 2 books are done by a different author using notes ect by the original author but kept the name as Annie Groves was fiction name for her
This is the last in the series I found that part of the synopsis is wrong as it says Sally is left expecting after her husband George dies she is not left expecting & her & George didn't marry, also there wasn't a letter which Tilly wants to get to the bottom of but a letter that not given to her
Enjoyed this as you see Agnes come in to her own, Dulcie who is enjoying motherhood with her daughter Hope & her nephew Anthony who she is looking after for sister Edith, Sally is still coming to terms with that her father & her friend & new wife are killed she is looking after her half-sister Alice
Then there is Olive who is mother hen to all she is also mother to Tilly, I did find that Olive tried to call the shots with her so much so that she kept a letter from Tilly who joins ATS & goes off to serve
Then there is Archie Dawson the police Sgt & Barney who is the boy who he takes in
The series was a good series &while the synopsis is a bit wrong it still has you want to read it but you do need to read the earlier books I did miss the 1st book not knowing that there was an earlier one so I read from book 2
The last 2 books are done by a different author using notes ect by the original author but kept the name as Annie Groves was fiction name for her
December 6, 2018
I loved all the books in this series so sad I’ve finished them now I love following the lives of olive the land lady and her daughter Tilly and the lodgers sally dulcie and Agnes brilliant books loved everyone of them
January 15, 2015
I am only on page 10 of this book, and think I have already found a continuity error (this is book 5 in the series). What a shame. I think in book 2 or 3, Sally saw her father and Morag with their new baby, but this book says Sally knew nothing of the child. Am I right? I don't have the other books any more to check! I know it's a different author to the first 3 books, but I do feel that the author and also the proof reader should have picked up on this.
I will carry on with the book...
Update: I have now finished the book, and although it was a nice story, this is let down by the two continuity errors that I found and the numerous spelling/grammatical errors. Maybe it was just my copy and hopefully this has all been sorted out in later editions. So this book only got 3 stars as the mistakes spoilt it!
I will carry on with the book...
Update: I have now finished the book, and although it was a nice story, this is let down by the two continuity errors that I found and the numerous spelling/grammatical errors. Maybe it was just my copy and hopefully this has all been sorted out in later editions. So this book only got 3 stars as the mistakes spoilt it!
January 3, 2014
This book was ok, I suppose. If you looked beyond the badly written text, the characters were actually very likeable. I felt like the story was a bit weak in some places but it was a good try. Also, I'm not entirely sure what 'A Christmas Promise' had to do with it because as far as I could see there was no promises made at Christmas! It tied up quite nicely at the end though and like I said, it was a good try.
November 14, 2013
I didn't like this book at all. Hugely dull and confusing with uninteresting characters. However, I had not read the others in the series. I don't believe it is a stand alone book. Also, this book was ghost written, as the original author is now deceased. I believe she is trying to tie up all the loose ends. It just didn't work for me.
November 8, 2013
It was lovely to catch up with the last book in the Article Row series , written by another author after 'Annie Groves' sadly passed away. The new writer has taken over seamlessly and I was engrossed in the story. I was pleased to read that she will write more books as Annie Groves.
March 26, 2014
Another good read for Annie Grove lovers. It was hard to tell that it wasn't written by her. I am so glad it ended as it did - a great conclusion. My only regret was I read the books in the wrong order.
September 23, 2014
Hadn't read any Annie Groves before--it's lightweight historical fiction. And sometimes that fits the bill. Nothing special, the last several were written after the authors death and were much weaker than the first few.
December 12, 2013
A pleasurable end to a charming series.
January 2, 2015
A light hearted feel good historical (ww2) romance .
April 29, 2015
A good read and I love how the ending of this book even though there some errors going on.
July 17, 2016
Great
I loved this s set f three books set in with else war two and the stories and characters who made up the stories.
I loved this s set f three books set in with else war two and the stories and characters who made up the stories.
December 22, 2019
Despite this being book five in the Article Row series it is only now that I am joining Tilly and friends.
I had thought that I found A Christmas Promise rather disjointed down to the fact that I hadn't read any of the previous books but then I was informed by a friend that this particular instalment wasn't in fact written by the author, Annie Groves (AKA Penny Hallowell), herself but posthumously by Sheila Riley and that even followers of the series thought it jumbled.
Alas not a book I particularly enjoyed. I'm afraid for me the plot, the characters, the setting all felt cliched and tired; all of them done so many times before ... and generally a lot better.
More than anything though it was the poor writing/editing that bothered me.
Whilst I cannot speak for any other editions of the book this particular copy, a 2013 HarperCollins edition, was, well, quite honestly, embarrassing.
There were issues with the timeline and continuity in general, that the author spent so much time going back over events that had already been covered became increasingly tiresome.
Then there were the numerous silly where/were, there/their type of errors. Too many to mention, the use of 'sort after' instead of 'sought after' is however the first to come to mind.
Most worryingly of all though was the abundance of schoolboy type errors of a factual historical nature. To give but one example, latter events had the characters having a conversation about German troops being forced out of France in June ... HMM! Really? A month after the war in Europe had in fact ended? Some better research was definitely needed.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
I had thought that I found A Christmas Promise rather disjointed down to the fact that I hadn't read any of the previous books but then I was informed by a friend that this particular instalment wasn't in fact written by the author, Annie Groves (AKA Penny Hallowell), herself but posthumously by Sheila Riley and that even followers of the series thought it jumbled.
Alas not a book I particularly enjoyed. I'm afraid for me the plot, the characters, the setting all felt cliched and tired; all of them done so many times before ... and generally a lot better.
More than anything though it was the poor writing/editing that bothered me.
Whilst I cannot speak for any other editions of the book this particular copy, a 2013 HarperCollins edition, was, well, quite honestly, embarrassing.
There were issues with the timeline and continuity in general, that the author spent so much time going back over events that had already been covered became increasingly tiresome.
Then there were the numerous silly where/were, there/their type of errors. Too many to mention, the use of 'sort after' instead of 'sought after' is however the first to come to mind.
Most worryingly of all though was the abundance of schoolboy type errors of a factual historical nature. To give but one example, latter events had the characters having a conversation about German troops being forced out of France in June ... HMM! Really? A month after the war in Europe had in fact ended? Some better research was definitely needed.
Copyright ... Felicity Grace Terry @ Pen and Paper
October 22, 2023
One plot device I could see coming a mile away. For researched information about what life was like for the women of Britain, I can highly recommend "Singled Out: How Two Million British Women Survived Without Men After the First World War" by Virginia Nicholson (Author)
April 22, 2019
Love this series of books.
Very well written, joy, love and tragedy play out in these books.
We can all relate to someone or something in these stories.
Very well written, joy, love and tragedy play out in these books.
We can all relate to someone or something in these stories.
June 23, 2019
Great
This was another great read following the lives of these people. Would recommend it to anyone and look forward to reading next one
This was another great read following the lives of these people. Would recommend it to anyone and look forward to reading next one
October 9, 2020
C+. fiction, historical fiction, WWII, England, series, (Article Row, #5). poor editing? (disjointed)
December 18, 2022
The perfect ending to the Article Row series. I will miss them all
August 25, 2022
The women at 13 Article Row, London
Olive, Tilly’s mother, Agnes & Sally
This book explains about them, their relationships, the sadness of the war, lost loves , new loves, death & births
Olive, Tilly’s mother, Agnes & Sally
This book explains about them, their relationships, the sadness of the war, lost loves , new loves, death & births
January 11, 2015
A very easy read, no thinking involved.
March 8, 2014
Good ending to the Article Row series. Shame about the misspelling as wasn't proof read properly.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews