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A Mother's Trust
A Classic Family Saga from Sunday Times Bestseller Dilly Court Phoebe Giamatti lives with her Italian family in the heart of London's East End. With her father killed by a notorious gang years earlier, Phoebe is now responsible for keeping her loved ones out of trouble.But just as the Giamatti family are about to go to Italy for the winter, Phoebe discovers a secretabout her mother that could tear them all apart. Determined not to betray her mother's trust, Phoebe faces an impossible decision.Can she confront a dangerous past in order to protect her family's future?
- GenresHistorical Fiction
479 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2011
114 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Dilly Court
85 books421 followersDilly Court grew up in North-east London and began her career in television, writing scripts for commercials. She is married with two grown-up children and four grandchildren, and now lives in Dorset on the beautiful Jurassic Coast with her husband. She is the author of eighteen novels and also writes under the name of Lily Baxter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 3, 2012
Wish they did half stars 2.5.
Hmmm I thought I was really enjoying this book. I love Dilly Court and wasnt disappointed and kept doing the olde "just one more chapter" and then staying awake til all hours devouring the pages.
Despite the object of her hearts desire being obvious from the moment he appeared on his first line, the story was gripping and I found myself invested in many of the characters.
However towards the end I became slightly annoyed with our heroine's martyrdom then just to tip me over the edge, the ending I felt was unresolved... I am very eager to know what certain characters thought of the ending of the book...and I guess I will never know. How annoying.
Hmmm I thought I was really enjoying this book. I love Dilly Court and wasnt disappointed and kept doing the olde "just one more chapter" and then staying awake til all hours devouring the pages.
Despite the object of her hearts desire being obvious from the moment he appeared on his first line, the story was gripping and I found myself invested in many of the characters.
However towards the end I became slightly annoyed with our heroine's martyrdom then just to tip me over the edge, the ending I felt was unresolved... I am very eager to know what certain characters thought of the ending of the book...and I guess I will never know. How annoying.
September 9, 2019
I really liked Rogue Paxman as a character, he was everything that I adored. I mean I know we're all supposed to adore Gino, but Rogue is definitely more loveable.
So far this is my favourite Dilly Court read.
So far this is my favourite Dilly Court read.
April 7, 2017
Another great book from dilly court
December 10, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. Just the sort of story I like to read. I’ve read several Dilly Court books now and this one didn’t disappoint. Easy reading, always with a happy ending.
September 4, 2024
Another page turner
The many twists and turns in this novel are brilliant and quite unexpected. This made it all the more enjoyable. I was loath to put it down!
The many twists and turns in this novel are brilliant and quite unexpected. This made it all the more enjoyable. I was loath to put it down!
February 7, 2017
I wasn't' too sure about this book even though Dilly Court is one of my favourite authors. As I was reading I was thinking that my review for this wouldn't be very good, for some reason it didn't grip me in the way that Dilly' s other books had. The main character is Phoebe who I found difficult to sympathise with she finds herself in a tangled mess of lies and spends most of the story running away and moving from place to place. BUT I could not give up on it and in the end I found myself hoping that Phoebe got her happy ending. All in all not a bad story, a good three stars.
August 25, 2017
Intriguing and tense “A Mother’s Trust” opens in 1877 in Saffron Hill, Cleckenwell where Phoebe Giamatti is passionately protective of her widowed mother whose clandestine affair with the brother of gang leader Rogue Paxman has left Annie pregnant. Unable to go to Italy for the winter with her family so they don’t find out the truth about her mother’s illness, and struggling with her pledge to Gino Argento that could bind her to a man she doesn’t love, Phoebe and her mother flee London to a rooming house in Brighton.
But trouble continues to stalk them when Annie becomes seriously ill, and the illusionist in the theatre where Phoebe finds work becomes obsessed with her. With nowhere to turn, Phoebe seeks the help of the hated Paxman brothers who she suspects were implicated in the gang war that killed her father. But while Rogue Paxman will do whatever is necessary to support her, it’s his brother Ned who might exact a price she’s not willing to pay.
Set in an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and violence, Phoebe must weigh her duty to family and pledge to Gino against the safety of her mother and her own happiness. Masterfully Dilly Court escalates intensity and suspense when Phoebe in trying to protect and support her mother, finds herself not only caught up in a web of lies and deceit but the obsession of illusionist Caspar Collins who will do anything to make her his own.
As the tension and action mount Phoebe finds her heart seduced by Rogue Paxman, a gang leader who provides her community with protection from the high mob at a cost many can’t afford. As events unfold she turns to Rogue for help in her time of trouble, knowing that her happiness is elusive that she may be bound to a loveless marriage. Quickly Dilly Court sweeps you up in a story from the past that keeps you on edge of your seat until the explosive ending.
Like the plot Dilly Court creates complex and unforgettable characters like twenty-year-old Phoebe Giamatti who puts the welfare of everyone else ahead of her own happiness. She’s family-oriented, resourceful, and kind especially when it comes to her mother Annie, a spiritualist and drunkard who’s outspoken, weak and selfish. Gino Argento is the steady, dependable and honest young man who will do anything to make Phoebe his wife while in contrast Roger (aka Rogue) Paxman is the enigmatic, powerful and charming leader of a notorious gang. Yet with Phoebe he shows nothing but patience, consideration and compassion which seems to defy his tough, bad-boy image. All these personalities as well as the magnetic, arrogant and menacing Caspar Collins make this novel a page-turner from beginning to end.
I thoroughly enjoyed “A Mother’s Trust” and look forward to reading other novels by this talented author.
But trouble continues to stalk them when Annie becomes seriously ill, and the illusionist in the theatre where Phoebe finds work becomes obsessed with her. With nowhere to turn, Phoebe seeks the help of the hated Paxman brothers who she suspects were implicated in the gang war that killed her father. But while Rogue Paxman will do whatever is necessary to support her, it’s his brother Ned who might exact a price she’s not willing to pay.
Set in an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and violence, Phoebe must weigh her duty to family and pledge to Gino against the safety of her mother and her own happiness. Masterfully Dilly Court escalates intensity and suspense when Phoebe in trying to protect and support her mother, finds herself not only caught up in a web of lies and deceit but the obsession of illusionist Caspar Collins who will do anything to make her his own.
As the tension and action mount Phoebe finds her heart seduced by Rogue Paxman, a gang leader who provides her community with protection from the high mob at a cost many can’t afford. As events unfold she turns to Rogue for help in her time of trouble, knowing that her happiness is elusive that she may be bound to a loveless marriage. Quickly Dilly Court sweeps you up in a story from the past that keeps you on edge of your seat until the explosive ending.
Like the plot Dilly Court creates complex and unforgettable characters like twenty-year-old Phoebe Giamatti who puts the welfare of everyone else ahead of her own happiness. She’s family-oriented, resourceful, and kind especially when it comes to her mother Annie, a spiritualist and drunkard who’s outspoken, weak and selfish. Gino Argento is the steady, dependable and honest young man who will do anything to make Phoebe his wife while in contrast Roger (aka Rogue) Paxman is the enigmatic, powerful and charming leader of a notorious gang. Yet with Phoebe he shows nothing but patience, consideration and compassion which seems to defy his tough, bad-boy image. All these personalities as well as the magnetic, arrogant and menacing Caspar Collins make this novel a page-turner from beginning to end.
I thoroughly enjoyed “A Mother’s Trust” and look forward to reading other novels by this talented author.
November 17, 2020
Phoebe Giamatti lives with her boisterous Italian family in London's East End. She lost her father in gang warfare due to which she and her family hate the Paxman brothers- the local gang band.
Even though her mother is all over the place, Phoebe loves Annie and is protective of her. Just when the whole family is to leave for Italy for the winters, Phoebe discovers that Annie is in danger and the Paxmans are involved. So now it is upon Phoebe, to help her mother out even if it requires that she give up her own happiness. When the daughter-mother duo is forced to leave London and Annie falls ill, Phoebe has no choice but to turn to the man she hates the most for help.
When I started the book, I felt out of place. It took a bit of effort from my side to keep on reading because everything seemed to be in a mess. But as I read on, things started to get clear and coherence became visible.
The best part about Court's writing and plotting are that when you think you know what's going to happen, things take a different turn altogether.
I found the second half of the book full of action which made it difficult for me to put the book down. So you may feel that in the first half the story is pacing at a slow rate, but it picks up miraculously in the second half.
Recommended to anyone looking for a light read.
Even though her mother is all over the place, Phoebe loves Annie and is protective of her. Just when the whole family is to leave for Italy for the winters, Phoebe discovers that Annie is in danger and the Paxmans are involved. So now it is upon Phoebe, to help her mother out even if it requires that she give up her own happiness. When the daughter-mother duo is forced to leave London and Annie falls ill, Phoebe has no choice but to turn to the man she hates the most for help.
When I started the book, I felt out of place. It took a bit of effort from my side to keep on reading because everything seemed to be in a mess. But as I read on, things started to get clear and coherence became visible.
The best part about Court's writing and plotting are that when you think you know what's going to happen, things take a different turn altogether.
I found the second half of the book full of action which made it difficult for me to put the book down. So you may feel that in the first half the story is pacing at a slow rate, but it picks up miraculously in the second half.
Recommended to anyone looking for a light read.
January 12, 2021
I have always admired Dilly Court, and have read the majority of her books religiously. The storyline was gripping and I found myself very invested in the characters, however I felt dissatisfied at the end. It feels as though we are left a bit in the dark in regards to the development of other characters. I would have enjoyed an epilogue at the end, and if this epilogue had been written, it would have undoubtedly been the cause of my 5 stars.
June 20, 2021
An enjoyable piece of chic lit love story. The bonds between a mother and daughter, no matter how bad the relationship, can't be broken and everything done to preserve it and their reputations.
Set in the East End of London it makes you live the emotions of the characters and the situations they find themselves in. The proud Italians and the lawless Paxmans but things are not as they seem.
A worthy read which I would recommend.
Set in the East End of London it makes you live the emotions of the characters and the situations they find themselves in. The proud Italians and the lawless Paxmans but things are not as they seem.
A worthy read which I would recommend.
November 3, 2023
A really good page-turner. The story was well thought out and the characters were believable and endearing. It had me hooked from the beginning and I was awaiting the end part eagerly as sometimes Dilly doesn't finish her stories very well. This one however, was all sewn up nicely with no hanging threads. It was pretty obvious how it would end but it still didn't disappoint. I highly recommend this book.
October 17, 2025
As with all of Dilly's books you get sucked in straight away. You easily get to know the characters and get invested into their stories. But disappointed that the main character is given a martyre roll. it was obvious that she would get with the "rogue" (no pun intended) of the book, just disappointed it took so long!
April 2, 2025
Again, Dilly Court didn't disappoint. My usual, only one more chapter! But had to keep reading for another few!. 😀Loved all the characters. Dilly always makes you feel as though you are in the story too.
December 29, 2017
Excellent story
March 23, 2019
I found this book very slow to get going. Not one I would read again. Quite disappointed as I have read other books by her and really enjoyed them.
April 22, 2019
Good read as expected
June 7, 2019
Excellent
This book is an excellent read and once I had got into it could not put it down, highly recommend.
This book is an excellent read and once I had got into it could not put it down, highly recommend.
August 24, 2019
A good saga set in the past regarding an Italian family living in Britain. Really good read
January 22, 2020
Good book.
Very entertaining book did not like having to put it down. Every chapter revealed something new. Well down I will be reading more by the author.
Very entertaining book did not like having to put it down. Every chapter revealed something new. Well down I will be reading more by the author.
March 11, 2021
An absorbing story.
The storyline seemed very long as there were so many twists to it. I enjoyed it very much. It is good to have great endings.
The storyline seemed very long as there were so many twists to it. I enjoyed it very much. It is good to have great endings.
January 21, 2022
I enjoyed this but it was not my favourite of her books
July 16, 2023
I have read all of Dilly Court’s books she does not disappoint they are all excellent. A great storyteller. I look forward to her next book.
November 7, 2023
Lovely book, with predictable ending, which could have been more elaborate
April 24, 2024
Yet another fantastic read by filly court. Just love the way these stories draw you in making you feel like you are watching from the side lines.
July 1, 2025
Fabulous as always
Exciting funny and enthralling
A must to read you will not want to put it down until finished she never fails to please
Exciting funny and enthralling
A must to read you will not want to put it down until finished she never fails to please
October 16, 2025
A brilliant book.
April 1, 2014
Another great dilly court book. They are really good books to read.
February 15, 2015
Touching story
October 21, 2015
easy reading
April 21, 2013
Quite a good read although very predictable towards the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews