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The Lumberjills Under Suspicion: A gripping and uplifting historical saga with romance and friendship
404 pages, Paperback
Published July 14, 2026
About the author
Joanna Foat
5 books5 followersJoanna Foat is an author, historian and speaker whose novels bring the remarkable true stories of Britain's forgotten Women's Timber Corps—the Lumberjills—to life.
After spending more than a decade researching the Lumberjills, meeting many of the women who served, and uncovering their personal memories and photographs, Joanna has become the UK's leading authority on their history. Her work has inspired exhibitions with Forestry England, television and radio appearances, and more than 200 talks to audiences across the country.
Her historical fiction series combines meticulous research with compelling storytelling, celebrating courage, friendship, resilience and the healing power of nature. Set against the forests of wartime Britain, her novels reveal the extraordinary lives of ordinary women whose contribution to the Second World War has been largely forgotten.
Alongside her novels, Joanna is the author of the history book Lumberjills: Britain's Forgotten Army and The Lumberjills photobook. Her books have featured on BBC television and radio, including Woman's Hour, and in national newspapers.
A former editor and writer for environmental conservation organisations, Joanna has spent much of her career communicating stories about Britain's landscapes and wildlife. She is continuing the Lumberjills series and researching new stories hidden within Britain's forests.
When she's not writing, you'll usually find her exploring woodland trails, cycling through the countryside or giving talks about the incredible women who inspired her books.
After spending more than a decade researching the Lumberjills, meeting many of the women who served, and uncovering their personal memories and photographs, Joanna has become the UK's leading authority on their history. Her work has inspired exhibitions with Forestry England, television and radio appearances, and more than 200 talks to audiences across the country.
Her historical fiction series combines meticulous research with compelling storytelling, celebrating courage, friendship, resilience and the healing power of nature. Set against the forests of wartime Britain, her novels reveal the extraordinary lives of ordinary women whose contribution to the Second World War has been largely forgotten.
Alongside her novels, Joanna is the author of the history book Lumberjills: Britain's Forgotten Army and The Lumberjills photobook. Her books have featured on BBC television and radio, including Woman's Hour, and in national newspapers.
A former editor and writer for environmental conservation organisations, Joanna has spent much of her career communicating stories about Britain's landscapes and wildlife. She is continuing the Lumberjills series and researching new stories hidden within Britain's forests.
When she's not writing, you'll usually find her exploring woodland trails, cycling through the countryside or giving talks about the incredible women who inspired her books.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 15, 2026
Book 2 in this unique WWII series about the lumberjills, Britain's female Timber Corps, is set in 1940 with the Blitz in full force. The beautifully written saga of war service, secrets, romance, and friendship fully captivated me. So much so that I'm heading back to read book one now and can't wait for more in the series. Brava, author Joanna Foat!
August 12, 2026
Lumberjills: Under Suspicion 💚🌲
After getting to know the girls during their training at forestry camp in book 1, I was really looking forward to seeing what adventures they would get themselves into next. And this book definitely delivered!
One thing that really got under my skin was how frustratingly dismissive the men were of these women simply because they were women. The way they described them as hysterical and constantly questioned their ability to do the job made me furious at times. The suspicion surrounding them, just because they were women working in forestry during wartime, was incredibly frustrating to read about.
At the same time, I absolutely loved seeing the friendship between the girls grow stronger after everything they had already been through. Their bond was one of my favourite parts of the story. I also really enjoyed the different POVs, as they gave us a chance to understand the characters and their experiences from different perspectives.
The feeling of the war also felt much stronger in this book. You could really sense how much it was affecting everyone and how much uncertainty and fear surrounded their lives.
After reading so many dark romance books lately, this one honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. 😂 It reminded me of my teenage years, when we were naive, full of energy and convinced we could conquer the entire world in one day. It made me feel alive again, and I loved that feeling.
These women were strong, fierce and determined, and watching them fight to prove that they belonged in a world that constantly told them otherwise was incredibly empowering.
Edith’s love letter was honestly the perfect way to end the story. But that ending! The final page it was exactly what I needed it to be.
It was beautiful and emotional so emotional that I actually cried reading the ending.
This quote from Keeva, captures perfectly what I loved about their journey:
“She’d proven she was no less than Mr Stewart. She was his equal. And she realised for the first time, there were no limits to being a woman. She could do anything she wanted to do.” — Keeva O’Neill
A story about friendship, courage, resilience and women refusing to let society decide what they are capable of. 🌲💚
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks so much to the author for the gifted copy. It was an absolutely pleasure to read the story of this amazing forgotten women.
After getting to know the girls during their training at forestry camp in book 1, I was really looking forward to seeing what adventures they would get themselves into next. And this book definitely delivered!
One thing that really got under my skin was how frustratingly dismissive the men were of these women simply because they were women. The way they described them as hysterical and constantly questioned their ability to do the job made me furious at times. The suspicion surrounding them, just because they were women working in forestry during wartime, was incredibly frustrating to read about.
At the same time, I absolutely loved seeing the friendship between the girls grow stronger after everything they had already been through. Their bond was one of my favourite parts of the story. I also really enjoyed the different POVs, as they gave us a chance to understand the characters and their experiences from different perspectives.
The feeling of the war also felt much stronger in this book. You could really sense how much it was affecting everyone and how much uncertainty and fear surrounded their lives.
After reading so many dark romance books lately, this one honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. 😂 It reminded me of my teenage years, when we were naive, full of energy and convinced we could conquer the entire world in one day. It made me feel alive again, and I loved that feeling.
These women were strong, fierce and determined, and watching them fight to prove that they belonged in a world that constantly told them otherwise was incredibly empowering.
Edith’s love letter was honestly the perfect way to end the story. But that ending! The final page it was exactly what I needed it to be.
It was beautiful and emotional so emotional that I actually cried reading the ending.
This quote from Keeva, captures perfectly what I loved about their journey:
“She’d proven she was no less than Mr Stewart. She was his equal. And she realised for the first time, there were no limits to being a woman. She could do anything she wanted to do.” — Keeva O’Neill
A story about friendship, courage, resilience and women refusing to let society decide what they are capable of. 🌲💚
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks so much to the author for the gifted copy. It was an absolutely pleasure to read the story of this amazing forgotten women.
August 8, 2026
I was kindly sent a free copy of this book as part of a book tour in exchange for an honest review. This was a great historical fiction about the young women of the British Women’s Timber Corps during the Second World War. I had never heard about them before and the author has painstakingly researched them and conducted interviews with over 60 of the original surviving women of the corps to bring this story vividly to life. This is actually the second book in the series and I would be interested to read the other books as well. It flits between the perspectives of 4 central characters who all felt vibrant and realistic and I loved seeing their individual adventures and personalities shine through. The only issues I had was that I felt that there was a bit too much dialogue at times and that there was a bit of a slow pace at the beginning which struggled to keep my interest. All of the action and major drama is packed into the last third of the novel so it’s worth sticking with it as the ending really made the book. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on Goodreads).
August 10, 2026
This is a story of strength, love and friendship but mainly strength!
The four girls go to work as land girls but in forestry. Their stories are so beautiful, they’re so tough and they go through so much but together they are stronger - we all can learn a lesson from them and what they succeeded in doing.
Stories inspired by true events mean so much and it’s just so emotional to read and remember what events supported our future.
This is written so well and is engaging - historic fiction
The four girls go to work as land girls but in forestry. Their stories are so beautiful, they’re so tough and they go through so much but together they are stronger - we all can learn a lesson from them and what they succeeded in doing.
Stories inspired by true events mean so much and it’s just so emotional to read and remember what events supported our future.
This is written so well and is engaging - historic fiction
July 27, 2026
This is based on real events in Britain. During WWII there were women lumberjacks. They worked throughout the forests, only to be questioned as they worked. Well researched. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews