The Girl from the Tanner's Yard

by Diane Allen

After facing the horrors of the Crimean War, Adam Brooksbank returns to Black Moss Farm filled with regret over the path in life he has chosen. Starting anew, he decides to focus on rebuilding his family’s rundown farm and make it a home again.Lucy Bancroft lives with her parents on Prospect Terrace which backs onto the local tannery, and is the most beautiful girl in the village. But unfortunately her wealth doesn’t match her looks, and she soon realizes that nobody wants to court a girl from the filthy Flay Pits, let alone marry her.Yet when Lucy comes to work for Adam as his maid she finds herself falling in love with the farm set high upon the wild Moors of Haworth. Furthermore she begins to imagine a life with her new employer that goes beyond just being his maid. As they spend more time together, their feelings develop for one another despite her parents warning her nothing good will come of it. As rumours swirl around the village igniting jealousies and unearthing deeply buried secrets, will love find a way?

Genres: Historical Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published December 1, 2020

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

[Booklover BEV · Rating 5 out of 5]

A breath of fresh air to read.
Set in West Yorkshire 1847
Lucy Bancroft living in Providence Row with her parents Bill and Dorothy and her four siblings, they didn't have much and life was lived day to day her mother is also expecting again.
Archie Robinson sticks up for Lucy through her childhood and they always remain the best of friends. Lucy wants more out of life and doesn't want the life her mother has, so strong willed.
Adams Brooksbank arrived back to his family home Black Moss farm a widower and a hero fighting in Crimea wants to be his own man. He takes on Lucy to clean and cook around the house and Archie a couple of days a week helping out getting the farm back into shape.
Lucy is head strong and I found this book such a joy to read, can she find happiness and some one to love?
This read captures the love and struggle of a close family throughout.
I enjoy everything about it from start to finish.

[Hannah Kendal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book held so much promise, but unfortunately fell flat. I’ll have a full review up on my blog, but for the meantime I’m sad, because I really wanted to love it. The characters were interesting, and in depth. I love the fact that miscarriage is openly discussed, as that needs to happen far more often. The setting was amazing, and it was great to read a hard working family from a trade, as I feel that’s so often missing in historical romances. Unfortunately though, whilst I enjoyed the start of the book, minus the information dumps, the final 2/3 was so rushed. The possibly conflicts are resolved within moments. They were all great conflicts - blackmail, illness, theft, a possible alternative love interest…but you don’t get time to worry, to feel the tension grow, as they all coincidentally sort themselves out almost immediately. It left them feeling flat, mild and easy. I would have preferred just one or two conflicts that then have the proper time allocated to be explored, to ensure the reader feels tense.

[Rosie Preston Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book by my mother in law as I live in the exact place it was set - less than a mile from what is now called the Flappit Pub but in the book is The Fleece. It was a love gentle story and Diane had clearly done lots of research into the area and it’s inhabitants - I learnt so much. Highly recommended.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story, I really enjoyed it. Well written.
It's about Lucy, the girl from the flat pits and Adam who has returned to his family home to rebuild his life.
Not as gritty or as gripping as other books I have read lately but still a very good read.

[Kim Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find this type of book to be quite samey and often not that well written. What I did like about this one was the slight crossover with the Brontes in Haworth - never actually mentioned by name but obviously them. I did want to read to the end though!

[Moon · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so repetitive! Her dad wasn't arrested for illegally burying his miscarried babies. The tannery should have been investigated for teratogens. The author should have solved both these issues but didn't.

[Jo-Anne Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book; it was nice to read about a headstrong girl in the period it was set in. But all the conflicts are resolved too quickly, without any tension or build-up to what could have been disastrous situations.

[Susan Grimshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

not my usual genre, but I really enjoyed this story, especially as the setting was the home of my own family for generations. The references to the Brontes added interest too.

[Beth P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it wasn’t the most intense story line, it was a nice light read that was still engaging

[Caroline Finnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

the story line and characters are good but found it dwindled a little nearer the end and was harder to keep focused on the story. Otherwise a great book and I will look at other books by Diane Allen

[Jacqueline Rawlins · Rating 4 out of 5]

One for Catherine Cookies fans. A comfortable bedtime audio book. As I've read every Catherine Cooksen book available I would happily search out more from Diane Allen.