Daughter of the Dales

Windfell Manor #3

by Diane Allen

A moving Yorkshire saga, Daughter of the Dales is the much anticipated finale in Diane Allen's Windfell Manor Trilogy.The death of the family matriarch, Charlotte Atkinson, at Windfell Manor casts a long shadow over Charlotte’s husband Archie and her two children, Isabelle and Danny. With big shoes to fill, Isabelle takes over the running of Atkinson’s department store but her pride – and heart – is tested when her husband James brings scandal upon the family and the Atkinson reputation.Danny’s wife Harriet is still struggling to deal with the death of their first two children – a death she blames Isabelle for. But Danny himself is grappling with his own demons when a stranger in town brings to light a long-forgotten secret from his past.Meanwhile, Danny and Harriet’s daughter Rosie has fallen under the spell of local stable boy, Ethan. But will he stand by her or will he cause her heartache? And can Isabelle restore the Atkinson reputation and her friendship with Harriet, to unite the family once more?

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2018

About the author

Diane Allen was born in Leeds, but raised at her family’s farm deep in the Yorkshire Dales. After working as a glass engraver, raising a family, and looking after an ill father, she found her true niche in life, joining a large print publishing firm in 1990.

Rising through the firm, she is now the general manager and has recently been made Honorary Vice President of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She is the author of For a Father’s Pride and The Mistress of Windfell Manor, and its sequel, The Windfell Family Secrets.

Diane and her husband Ronnie live in Long Preston in the Yorkshire Dales, and have two children and four beautiful grandchildren.

Reviews

[Tracey]

A good family saga set just before the onset of the first world war. The characters were well thought out and had background as this was the third book in a trilogy.

[Thebooktrail]

Visit locations in the novels

A fitting end to the Windfell Trilogy - you do have to read these books in order to fully understand the family dynamics, and it's so worth it as you get spend even more time in Yorkshire!

Dianne Allen grew up in the areas she writes about and it shows. So much love is poured into the pages evoking Yorkshire life and  the nuances of country life that you really do feel as if you're there, speaking the Yorkshire dialect and worrying about what's going to happen to Windfell Manor. The characters of Isabelle and Danny have developed nicely as there is  a change in them here, a real stoicism now their mother, the matriarch of their family has gone. Windfell of course is their standing in the community so they're eager to keep it all going. Yorkshire life then was all about community, family bonds and a sense of pride. A family could lose its way once the matriarch steering it was gone.

I loved the nuances of what life was like back then - the way you would shop, talk to people and how women would work and also fight for their families. Characters are very layered and complex and some of the issues very hard hitting. I don't know why people think 'sagas' are 'cosy' - they're like literary visits to the very real and difficult past! Fascinating to be part of one.

There's some really fierce characters here and the story nicely ties up loose ends. Diane Allen has really created a historical insight into the heart of Yorkshire and its people.

[Chery]

I’ve now read 14 books by Diane Allen, with only Village Scandal left on my list — which I will definitely read when i can get my hands on. I can honestly say I have thoroughly enjoyed every single one.
I’ve loved being taken on a journey through different stories and characters, from the 1800s right through to 1938. Diane Allen has a wonderful way of bringing the past to life and making you feel completely immersed in the time period.
If you enjoy historical fiction, strong characters, family stories, hardship, love and life in years gone by, I definitely recommend giving Diane Allen a try.
I’m almost at the end of my Diane Allen journey now… and I’m honestly not sure what I’m going to read next! ❤️📚

[Annemarie Farthing]

What can I say 😃
Loved this book as it is set in Yorkshire (my birth place) and the year is 1913.
Historical fiction at its best

Quote that had tears trickling down my cheeks...
'He knew he'd never love another like his Lottie'
What a wonderful man Archie is 😍

[Robert]

Predictable

[Ann Hill]

A pleasant family saga set in the Yorkshire Dales.

[Mystical Garden]

Brilliant trilogy!

[Vicks]

good writer and good story.

[Jacqueline Rawlins]

This is the Final book in the trilogy. I've enjoyed all three and will look for more books from this auther.
An easy family story to Audio book and great for bedtime listening.