Grace's Courage

by Anne Whitfield, AnneMarie Brear

Perfect for the fans of Dilly Court. Grace Woodruff fights for her sisters' rights to happiness while sacrificing any chance for her own. The eldest of seven daughters, Grace is the core of strength around which the unhappy members of the Woodruff family revolve. As her disenchanted mother withdraws to her rooms, Grace must act as a buffer between her violent, ambitious father and the sisters who depend upon her. Rejected by her first love and facing a spinster's future, she struggles to hold the broken family together through her father's infidelity, one sister's alcoholism, and another's out-of-wedlock pregnancy by an unsuitable match. Caring for an illegitimate half-brother affords Grace an escape, though short-lived. Forced home by illness and burdened with dwindling finances, Grace faces fresh anguish --and murder-- when her first love returns to wreck havoc in her life. All is not lost, however. In the midst of tragedy, the fires of her heart are rekindled by another. Will the possibility of true love lead Grace to relinquish her responsibilities in the house of women and embrace her own right to happiness?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical Romance, British Literature, Victorian, Romance, Historical

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 9, 2006

About the author

Anne Whitfield/Anne Brear is an Australian author. Born to Yorkshire parents, her passions, apart from writing, are reading, researching, genealogy, roaming historical sites, buying books and gardening. She is an author of historical women's fiction, contemporary romance and several short stories and writes under two names Anne Whitfield and Anne Brear.
For more about Anne and her books visit her website -http://annebrear.blogspot.com
I've had to make a new author page for my pen name Anne Brear, as my other author page wouldn't allow two names, sigh. So here's the new page. https://www.facebook.com/annebrearauthor
Published novels:
To Gain What's Lost, historical.
The House of Women, historical.
Kitty McKenzie, historical.
Kitty McKenzie’s Land, (sequel)
Long Distance Love, modern romance.
Broken Hero, WWII romance.
Hooked On You, romantic comedy.
New Beginnings: short story anthology.
What He Taught Her, short story.
My books can be purchased from Amazon.com or Amazon UK

Reviews

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The House of Women” had a lot of drama! That is one of the things I most enjoyed about this story. With so many sisters, and a snotty father , it was no wonder Grace was rebellious. I really enjoyed this book. One of the first things that I fell in love with was the time the story took place in, which was in the late 1800’s Victoria-Era England. Being that the story took place in this time, it should have been no surprise that Grace’s father was off marrying all his daughters. (I can’t imagine living in that time and being told who I am to marry)I am sure this might have been the “norm” in that day of time. However, Grace’s father , Mr.Woodruff had something more cynical up his sleeve as to why he wanted to marry them off right away and why he demanded a specific type of man for each of his daughters. When the reason is revealed in the book it is a shock that rocks the Woodruff house to a core.


I was surprised when Grace begins to hook up romantically with ***(I won’t say who, just read to find out!). They were definitely from 2 different classes of society and I am sure for that time era that was un-heard of. Diana, (Graces’ mother) seemed very selfish. Even when her family was going through hard times and her daughters’ happiness was in question she still wanted their family image to not be tainted. She should have loved her girls unconditionally no matter what. I also enjoyed the little drama between William, Grace and Felicity. It definitely was suspenseful towards the end of the story.

Overall, I did like this book and the characters in it. “The House of Women” is a good read and I do recommend it to readers who like to read stories based in the Victorian-Era. It would actually be neat if this was made into a series so I can read more on what happens to the characters.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1870 Leeds, England, a lonely and broken-hearted, Grace Woodruff, the eldest of seven daughters, is forced to act as a buffer between her violent, ambitious father and the sisters who depend upon her. Rejected by her first love and facing a spinster's future, she struggles to hold the broken family together through her father's infidelity, one sister's alcoholism, and another's out-of-wedlock pregnancy by an unsuitable man.

Anne Whitfield not only has a wonderful understanding of Victorian family dynamics where fathers were detached patriarchs who saw duty and loyalty as more important than love, and that daughters were tools to be used for personal gain and business advancement. The author apparently works on the premise that you put your heroine in a hole and then throw rocks at her, because Grace has more than her fair share of strife to cope with.

This novel makes for an exciting read as I kept turning pages to find out how Grace managed to extricate herself from the next dilemma. The entire family is composed of interesting, well drawn characters with both faults and endearing qualities which made me care about each one. Their various problems force Grace into situations which put a strain on her socially and financially, but she meets each challenge beautifully.

[Maggi Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I was rooting for Grace Woodruff the whole way through as she struggles to care for her sisters and find her place in the world. I find Anne Whitfield's books dramatic and very human, depicting the deeply felt emotions of betrayal, infidelity and disappointments in love. She brings the Victorian era to life beautifully, with a well researched glimpse of life in a wealthy Victorian household in Yorkshire in 1870, which I found as intriguing as Downton Abbey, and the restrictions faced by women who are at the whim of tyrannical men. Each of the sisters is strongly drawn and have their own stories to tell. I couldn't put it down. Very nice hero in this too.

[Lucie Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this epic tale about a house of women, all different and all dealing with their terrible circumstances in varying ways. At first it was difficult to distinguish all the different sister from one another, but after a few chapters, I was able to tell them apart. There were some strange formatting issues for me, such as a lack of visible scene breaks, which became confusing at times. But e story was so engaging, I was able to overlook those things. If you're a fan of historical fiction, you won't be disappointed in The House of Women. Drama and scandal with strong female characters and a touch of romance. Great fun!

[Barbara Daniels Dena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing.

Lots of unexpected events in this Annemarie Brear novel. Normally after becoming a fan of her writing, the reader gets into the motion of where her characters are going. Not so this time. I was surprised at every new chapter. Highly recommend for an entertaining read.

[Nae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read so many books about this era that I almost didn't pick this one up. I am glad I did though, the attention to historical detail is really well done, but made this book memorable for me was the slow, inexorable build up of interaction and, ultimately, deterioration of the family dynamic among the 7 sisters is brilliantly done.

[Jeannine Harbison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fast paced Victorian era historical. I was in the mood for a good story and this was perfect. A few formatting issues (read on my iPad) but this was perfect for a lazy day of good reading. The characters, especially Grace, we're fascinating! Good job!

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was miserably let down by unbelievable characters - put-upon-but-uncomplaining do-gooder Grace, her Mrs-Bennet-esque mother, selfish or vapid sisters and three undying-love admirers. The story had potential to be good, but rapidly descended into farce. Not sure why I read to the end 🤔.

[Lyn Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Read it in two sittings. Some of it was quite predictable but other parts took me by surprise. I think it was pretty accurate of the period and I would think in many families of that era there would often be one daughter who would shoulder the burden of the family ups and downs. The only thing I found a little off putting was the sudden urges of passion towards a member of the opposite sex that came out of nowhere, rather than be something that grew over a period of time. This happened twice. But overall it was a good read which I enjoyed.

[Linden Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give Anne Marie Brear five stars ,as usual,Grace's Courage was a lovely read,I couldn't wait to continue reading it after doing the house work ,cooking etc.and stayed up until 1.00am to finish it.I would recommend this book to anybody who loves historical ,romance and intriguing story line which you will find in all of Anne Marie Brear's books.

She is a certain favourite of mine and I can't wait to start on the next book of hers.Excellent writer.

[Lorna Milton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a favourite

The story moved very slowly and this was not one of those books you can’t put down! However, the novel was true to the times in the high class sector and gave an insight into how they lived and frowned on those they felt were beneath their class. I will try another Anne-Marie book and perhaps more exciting events will transpire.

[Rhonda Parkhurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love can come from unsuspecting places!

Being the rock for her sisters and Mothers, Grace had her hands full. On top of that a Father who did not see past his own nose left Grace in a position to handle his scandals.
This is a story how one women learned what really mattered !
A great book!

[josephine Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

a superb story.

This story was very different and very enjoyable. I have just tried to read another AnneMarie Brear story and gave up because it didn’t hold my interest, this one most definitely did.

[Bernie Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read

Great twists and turns and I wanted to reach the end of the book, but really didn't want it to end.

Thoughly enjoyed it couldn't put it down. Another great read from Annemarie Brear

[Julia Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

graces courage

A beautiful story full of tragedy in love, forbidden love. A mother whom refuses to deal with reality, leaving it all to Grace. An abusive father. Families not dealing with changed circumstances. Another great book from AnneMarie

[Lisa Thewlis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Fantastic, I have now read 5 books from this author. Brilliant storyline, Grace has the patience of a saint, what a different life she leads for the love and the loyalty to her family.

[Elaine Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one

Wow what a final chapter after a thoroughly engrossing read. Found it hard to put down ! Shame it came to an end but really enjoyed it

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't fantastically written - lots of editing mistakes and lacked transitions completely - but the concept was interesting. It's a story about a man in London in the 1800s who wants a son to keep the family line going, but all he has is seven daughters. Through some terrible financial decisions, the family is broke and with no way to earn an income, and it's interesting to watch the girls take charge of their futures and do what's right for themselves, even if it's not approved by the society they live in.

[Hafiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turgid melodrama.
Heroine is a Mary Sue- three men are in love with her. She ends up hurting two of them. She rescues injured miners, helps the poor, educates needy girls, takes care of her orphaned step-brother, etc.
Characters conveniently die off when their usefulness to the plot is over, eg, baby Daniel, her Gather, and finally poor Doyle, who was nothing more than a plot device.
I cannot recommend this book.
In addition Kindle formatting was all off, making for confusing reading as POV switched.

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts of this book deserved four stars, but all in all, it was too much of a romance novel for my taste. Also, I read it on a Kindle & the grammar mistakes were distracting as was the lack of separation between events. I kept re-reading parts because the flow was awful...I'd be reading about one event & in the next sentence, it was weeks later...

[Zakiyyah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a page turner, but a wonderful read. I felt as if I could read it forever. Very well written, my only problem were that characters were easily disposable when they served no more purpose, including my favorite character in the book. Anyway I loved it and was definitely deeply surprised.

[MaryannC Victorian Dreamer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about a dysfunctional family! REVIEW TO COME LATER.

[Terry]

Free on kindle today 4/27/12

[Aysheh Spicer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well developed characters. Haven't been able to put this one down! A must read! Adversity, Tragedy, Poverty and Perseverance.

[Grockle]

Loved it.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I read a Victorian novel, and I definitely needed a change of pace! Just the right book at the right time, such FUN!

[ROMANTIC HISTORICAL REVIEW BLOG · Rating 5 out of 5]

*TOP PICK*
Reviewed by Anita for Romantic Historical Lovers
http://romantichistoricallovers.wordp...

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a gritty novel about the harshness of life for Victorian women. I got an episode of The Masterson Inheritance with the comedy surgically extracted.

[Sandra Shergill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book because it was an fast easy entertaining read. Somewhat predictable in places but the characters are well rounded

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an 'okay' read. The story was enjoyable enough, and moved quickly.