The Hobby Shop on Barnaby Street

Homefront Hearts Trilogy #1

by Jillianne Hamilton

A forbidden wartime romance begins just as German planes fill the skies over London in 1940. A playful and heartfelt read perfect for fans of Dear. Mrs. Bird, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

When Maisie Beckett steps into her brother’s struggling London hobby shop during wartime, she’s confronted with two harsh the looming threat of a Nazi invasion and the shop’s dire financial situation. Determined to prove herself to her parents and keep the shop afloat, Maisie moonlights as a pinup photographer, covertly boosting the shop’s earnings. In the midst of London’s nightly bombings, Maisie finds herself irresistibly drawn to the shop’s co-owner, Cal Woodbury, captivated by his quick wit and bashful smile—and his mysterious secret.

But Cal made a promise to his best friend and business partner, Roy—a promise that he would never pursue a romantic relationship with Maisie, Roy’s sweet and beautiful sister. As the German bombs rain down upon London, and as Cal’s bond with Maisie deepens, he discovers that some promises are impossible to keep. When Roy deserts the Navy and unexpectedly appears at Cal’s doorstep, Cal is forced to choose between his loyal friend and the woman he’s falling for.

While London goes to war around them, Maisie and Cal face their own battle—finding their courage and recognizing their worth.

*This novel includes brief, low/medium-heat love scenes.*

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Romance, Historical Romance, Amazon, Ebooks, World War II

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2022

About the author

Jillianne Hamilton writes entertaining historical fiction and historical romance novels with happy endings. Her stories feature feisty female protagonists and plenty of sass and wit, using the past as an exciting backdrop. Her debut novel was shortlisted for the 2016 PEI Book Award.

Reviews

[Chelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a run, quick historical WWII read! I love my historical fiction novels and this one was not too heavy of a read. Maisie get's sent to help at one of her fathers shop in London. Her brother who helped run the store has been shipped off to war and his friend Cal that was left to run things has been struggling. So in the midst of the bombing of London, Maisie gets send into the middle of it, because her mother would rather her be gone than her father. Off she goes, and quickly gets settled into a life without her mother harping on her for every little thing but it is dangerous. The air raid sirens go off nightly, and the lady she's renting her room from seems to have a lot of things she does not like, and the shop is hardly staying afloat with all of the rationing and funds going towards the war. But the bombings are not the only thing that is dangerous in Maisie's life. She often is questioning Cal and then she finds out her brother is not quite who she thought he was, the perfect son is not so perfect anymore and her secret side photography has just been discovered. I am so excited that the author is writing more in this Homefront Hearts series. I'd love to read Roy's story, as well as Nora and Cal's. Thank you to the author for sending me a free copy of her novel. I look forward to the next ones.

[DonJohn80 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book does an amazing job alternating between two protagonist’s perspectives while giving each an even amount of time. When they’re on two different paths it feels like it would be easier, but I have to tip my hat to Hamilton for plotting a story where it alternates perspectives while the two characters frequently interact. It may sound like a small thing, but it stood out as impressive in my mind.

[Emilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

2022 52 Book Challenge - June Mini Challenge - 1) Suitcase On The Cover

I found this book so boring. I think probably it's me not enjoying war time stories, but this dragged so much. It spent so long on setting the scene and the background that it neglected character development and the pacing was choppy, especially in the last quarter of the book.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the author, Jillianne Hamilton, for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!
This book was a very pleasant read. As the blurb above says, we follow two characters named Maisie and Cal. Maisie is sent by her father to help support her brother's hobby shop in London while he is away servicing in the navy during World War II. She wants to prove herself as being capable of running this store and will go to great lengths to support it, including putting her wages back in the cash till and starts taking pinup photos of women that want to send these to their partners that are off serving. This causes a lot of drama that I won't get into, but it's not seen as being a good job for a young lady in the 40s.
Our other character is named Cal and he is Maisie's brother's best friend and co-owner of the hobby shop. He is not serving during the war, for reasons that are initially unclear. He struggles to keep the shop going and also seems reluctant to try out new things that Maisie suggests until they bond a little bit. Cal comes off as being very loyal and protective throughout the book, which are traits I really admire.
Maisie's brother, Roy, deserts the navy and makes Cal promise to not do anything romantic with Maisie which puts him into a bad spot as he begins to fall for her and she falls for him. Included in all of this falling are the bombs being dropped every night. I know a bit about the Blitz, but I didn't really understand what it must have been like for people living in London during that time. Reading this has encouraged me to spend more time reading up on this dark period of time (I'm more familiar with World War I).
Overall, I fell in love with these characters and their fight to love each other and keep their hobby shop open during this time of crisis. I definitely recommend checking this out!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maisie lives in the country with her parents outside of London in 1940. Her dad owns a few hobby shops and she work at the shop in her hometown. Its more of a village shop with produce and things a small town needs. Her brother Roy was given the shop in London but then he in listed in the Navy and his friend Cal manages the shop now. Roy never wanted the shop though.... Cal loves running the hobby shop but he stressed and overwhelmed with no help. Maisie is soon told she must go to London to help Cal.
I soared through this book in one afternoon. There was so much action with reading about what happened to London during the blitz. There was also some enemies to loves vibe between Cal and Maisie plus brothers best friend which is my favorite trope. I thought their flirtation and shyness was adorable and Cal was so gentle and sweet with Maisie. He really saw her and what her dreams were. I really loved this fast paced historical fiction and I'm excited for Nora's book coming in February.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A WWII novel set in London. Just before the Blitz started in 1940, Maisie's parents send her to London to work in her brother's hobby shop, co-owned by his best friend, Cal. As expected, there's a slightly contentious relationship with him, which blossoms into attraction. There are a couple of weak plot points, but it's always interesting to get a picture of daily life in London during the Blitz. How they all coped is a wonder.

[Maggie Mackay MacKillop · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Rosalie Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on my phone in the back of the car in a sitting and I freaking adore it. It could not be my scene more than it was... only if there had been more fighter pilots... man I loved it.
Can't remember when I last enjoyed a good light read like this. Jillianne nailed the feel of wartime London, the bombing raids... and when you add a sentence like 'I caught sight of a lone Spitfire soaring above us and I stopped to watch it cruise among the clouds' you instantly have my sentimental Spitfire-loving heart. Loved it.

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets 5 out of 5 stakes from me.
I wasn't so sure on this book because its kind of out of my comfort zone for reading historical romance. But I just didn’t want to put the book down.
I absolutely love Maisie and Nora. Especially how Nora is just so fun and sarcastic about things.
First Maisie gets told by her father that she needs to go help out at the hobby shop since Cal can't seem to do things by himself while her brother is off fighting the war. She is reluctant to go because of the dangers even worse in London with bombs dropping. But also because she should be running the shop, not looked at as if she needs to have babies and a husband and such.

But when she gets there she realizes that it isn't so much as Cal can't keep employees its the shop that has no money really.
Soon the two start having feelings for one another. But when Roy her big brother hears about it, he makes Cal promise not to date his sister.
Can Cal listen to his heart or keep his promise and can they all survive the bombs everynight? And will Maisie and Nora's extra job taking photos of wives and girlfriends for a pinup to send to their husbands and boyfriends fighting the war get busted? Because after all its dangerous taking those type of photographs.

Also there will be two more books after this one so jump on the train and pre-order those like I did. You know you want to, I mean I did. Ha

[CarolKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

As this book opens, we meet Maisie as she's questioned as to her brother's well-being. She's the manager of Hazeldon's Village Shop owned by her father and her brother Roy is serving in the Royal Navy.

At home, Maisie's mom complains she should be at home to help more instead of working at the shop. At dinner Maisie's father brings up Roy's concerns about staffing at the Hobby Shop in London. Roy co-owns the shop with his friend Cal, and it's been difficult to keep help. When her father says he should go up and help Cal, her mother immediately says Maisie can go. Quite the change from wanting more help around the house. Maisie's concern about the Germans coming is also pushed aside in the decision.

We meet Cal as a child asks why he's in the war. A question he's asked often and never really answers. the boy's sister also has a not so polite comment to make. Their mother is apologetic, as she asks them if they've found something. Of course, the boy wants the aluminum spitfire plane model, but his mother convinces him to take the cheaper balsa wood one and paint it instead. several more customers come in and then when it's quiet he starts doing overdue paperwork. He's got a long night ahead of him working on the accounts. He's putting up the blackout curtains when a telegram arrives it states bluntly 'Maisie is coming to work at the shop. -George Beckett.' A little more explanation would have been nice.

Cal remembers Maisie, he hasn't seen her since they were kids. One highlight is their first kiss when he was seven or eight. He was shy around her after that. He really didn't want Maisie coming to London with the Luftwaffe at their doorstep.

When Maisie arrives, Cal realizes George didn't get his letter, and Maisie isn't going to return home either. It's fortuitous that the neighbor upstairs is looking for a new tenant, so Maisie gets not only a job but a place to stay.

From here we get a close up look at 1940's London as the Germans begin their raids. Maisie and the other tenant Nora become friends and in spite of himself Cal finds he's falling for Maisie all over again.

There's a few relationship ups and downs and her brother's appearance on the scene complicates matters in more ways than one. There are harrowing moments with regard to the bombings as well.

I loved the way this story unfolds, I felt like I was right there with them.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Anne M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Word Dancing and Writer Wednesday Book Review of The Hobby Ship on Barnaby Street by Jillianne Hamilton. I'msharing the whole review in case you don't make it to book Bub, Good reads, or amazon =---->
Definitely a heartwarming WW2 Historical Romance, as it says on the stunning cover.
This well written and researched book takes us to London, 1940 as bombs are raining upon the magnificent city and its courageous citizens. Maisie Beckett is sent to this war zone by her rather naïve parents to help manage her brother’s and his best friends’s hobby shop, while the “favorite son” gallantly serves in the navy. Friend and partner, Cal Woodbury is a young, able-bodied man, why isn’t he in the military everyone asks?
Of course, sparks eventually fly when Maisie and Cal are reunited, and circumstances and secrets threaten their forbidden love as the bombs fall. No spoilers or too many details in this review. Read the book.
The characters are fresh and well developed throughout the story. What I found especially engaging were the young people navigating their youth, their own journeys, and growth amidst the Blitzkrieg of London. Author Hamilton provides plenty of details of the preparations, bombings and the horrific aftermath, while showing the resolve of the people to dig out and continue living, to find love and hope and make plans for the future no matter how short it may be.
I recommend this book and look forward to reading the other two in the series: The Seamstress on Cider Lane, and The Land Girl on Lily Road.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un romanzo storico ambientato durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale può davvero risultare cozy? Forse no, o forse è solo perché questo tipo di lettura è la mia personale comfort zone.
Sicuramente non è un libro che punta a rivoluzionare il genere, né a sorprendere con colpi di scena spettacolari. La componente romance ha un ruolo molto presente, ma il contesto storico, a mio parere, è ben equilibrato e contribuisce a dare solidità alla storia.

Ho apprezzato molto il doppio punto di vista narrativo, che permette di seguire gli eventi in modo completo.
I personaggi non attraversano una vera evoluzione personale, niente grandi trasformazioni o momenti epifanici, però funzionano. Sono coerenti con se stessi, con il loro ruolo nella storia, e questo rende comunque piacevole seguirli.
Un altro elemento riuscito è la rappresentazione delle dinamiche familiari: complicate, imperfette, piene di segreti e quindi profondamente umane, proprio come ci si aspetta da ogni famiglia che si rispetti.

Nota a margine: nella mia testa Cal ha irrimediabilmente il volto di Atlas del romanzo "It Ends With Us" di Colleen Hoover.

[Gina Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary and review:

Maybe 2 peppers for spiciness.

Maisie goes to London to help out in her brother’s hobby shop. His partner doesn’t really know her so it’s awkward. She rents a room in a house nearby and the lady is nuts! Maisie starts taking pin up style photos in the lady’s attic to make extra money. The women are sending their photos to their beaus in the service. So it’s not derogatory or shady. She slips money from her photography into the register at the hobby shop to help the books look better.

Cal is a good guy, a typical 1940’s man who has a code to live by, how you treat women, respectful and such. Cal had promised Roy that he would never make a play for his sister Maisie, so Cal has a promise to live up to but he falls for her.

The story is during WWll so they are always having to seek safety during bombings and people die. This is a rather serious novel, a pretty good love story.

Roy deserts the Navy and does some bad things to stay hidden.

I bought the second book to read too.

[Novels Alive · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young woman sent to London during the German bombings of World War II finds the courage to pursue a career.

Maisie Beckett is happy to help at the family store co-owned by her brother’s best friend, Cal. However, she doesn’t know that her brother, Roy, has already declared her off-limits.

The Hobby Shop on Barnaby Street serves up a sweet wartime romance. Author Jillianne Hamilton demonstrates the resilience of women through Maisie’s character by giving her a path to pursue her love of photography as a way to offset the store’s lack of income.

However, her career choice draws criticism from her family and leads to the unraveling of a secret. Meanwhile, Cal is stuck between his loyalty to Roy and his attraction to Maisie.

Ultimately, The Hobby Shop on Barnaby Street is a story that demonstrates how love can sprout in the most unlikely of situations.

[Nicola Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

I enjoyed this book. I absolutely inhaled it and it might be my quickest read of the year at 1.5 days to read. 

The subject matter is light while also making the wartime backdrop feel somewhat realistic. I did think it could have been more thoroughly fleshed out but it was a nice straightforward read so nothing wrong with that. 

I liked both characters a reasonable amount. I wasn't completely enamoured but enjoyed their will they/won't they situation. 

I thought there were a lot of random details that didn't really have much place in this book, like Aunt Jean or Cal's family. It didn't really add anything and wasn't told in a way that felt detailed or interesting enough to justify having a place in the story. 

Downloaded through Stuff Your Kindle Day for free. 

[Cathy Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a Half Stars

Ms. Hamilton is a good writer and there are no editing mistakes to groan about. It is a smooth, fast read. The characters are believable with the exception of Maisie's parents. It struck me that their attitudes were a ploy just to make the story work. The descriptions of London during the war and bombing raids were realistic enough to be scary and depressing. It might be a type of romance novel others enjoy. It was sweet, an easy read with a happy ever after ending. But for me there was no real fizzle, no climatic scenes, no suspense about how the story would progress. It felt sweet, but flat. I certainly am not anxious or eager to read the sequel.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life on the home front in England

I enjoyed reading The Hobby Shop on Barnaby Street and getting a glimpse into what life was like as the Nazis came into power in Europe. How people coped during this period of time with bombs dropping on London is hard to imagine.
The story is well-written and focuses on two people, Maisie and Cal, and their often conflicting feelings about each other. There are romantic feelings, usually not expressed between the two.
I recommend the book; overall it is really good, although the one sexual encounter detracts from the story and is unnecessary and to me, anyway, should not have been included in the story.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable and a pleasant enough read. It is a wartime romance and does a good job of setting the scene and background. I liked the pace, although I do feel that there was room to go a lot deeper into the story and the character development, which I would have enjoyed.

Towards the end things seem to unfold quite quickly and it is quite choppy between chapters/scenes. I feel it needed another look over by an editor however, as there were a number of grammatical errors that were frustrating to trip over.

[Susan Scribner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine, a quick palate cleanser after several heavier reads. No disrespect to the author, but the book gave me Fisher-Price "My First Historical Romance" vibes. The WWII plot is simple and sanitized, with a plucky virginal heroine and "you can't do that to my sister" obstacle to her romance with a charming but conflicted hero. Takes place during the London Blitz but although buildings are demolished, the two MCs are not faced with the loss of any friends or family.

[Malu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ This is the first time that I read historical romance and it’s my first time read Jillian and I really enjoy how she written. Maisie & Cal are a beautiful couple and really sweet. He's Maisie's brothers best friend, they work together, but they love each other. Interesting setting of the love story in the middle of a convulsed London in the middle of the II World War.
Can’t wait to read second book (Nora) and third book.

[Jeanne Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historically interesting

I kept picturing a photo I'd seen of a woman sitting amidst the London rubble, enjoying a cup of tea. Unimaginable to have lived through that war.

As for the story, I only wish it hadn't had the nonsensical "alright" over and over again (its NOT a word, people!), plus a few more editing flubs. I hate being pulled out of a story by ugly speed bumps that way. 😕

[nasaplant · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75-4⭐️ !!

this being my first WWII fiction & i was intrigued to see a romance set in those times. i went in thinking it was gonna be REAL angst & darker but it it had more of a sweet/heartfelt tone with calvin & maisie ☝🏻

the historical setting was rly easy to picture & it didn’t feel all too distracting from the day-to-day tension of our main characters !! i loved their dynamics working together which felt like a movie :)

it’s like how “life goes on” in those uncertain times

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maisie leaves her village and her job running her father's shop to move to London to help run her brother's hobby shop. Roy has enlisted in the Navy and left his friend, Cal, to run the hobby shop on his own. Cal, of course, has no idea Maisie is coming and does not want her there. The shop cannot afford another employee as Maisie soon discovers when she sneaks a look at the books. Through the bombing of London and their growing attraction, secrets are kept and hearts are broken.

[Eirlys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read

An interesting novel set mostly during the Blitz . Maisie moves to London, to help run The Hobby Shop. It was a traumatic time and it was described well. I enjoyed reading about the characters and the way that their lives were impacted by the bombings. The romances were very heartwarming.

[Cindy Komet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for a few reasons. (1) It showed how life in London was during the Blitz. (2) It doesn't flip back and forth between present and past-there is continuity (3) The chapters flip between the male and female protagonists which gives a different perspective of the plot. (4) It was a quick read. I totally enjoyed it.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy and enjoyable read even though its set in London in 1940. Maisie's brothers hobby shop is in financial trouble as well wartime bombings. Maisie is determined to make sure the shop survives and is also quite captivated by Cal who is a co owner in the shop. A bit of mystery and romance, its delightful. First in the series.

[Bethany Cosy Leaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect setting with just the right amount of war themes to keep your imagination fixed. A typical love tale, 3 stars because it felt like the first 90% of the book was building up to the relationship starting and then it was all of a sudden very rushed, conflict and resolved in the last 20 pages.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liars

Maise soon finds out that everyone she is close to lies to her! They say it's to keep her safe or it's for her own good. She realizes that she lives her life the way she sees fit and enjoys what she does. I really liked this book and its for so many that like war stories especially WWII stories!

[Ashley Sledge( UnderCoversBookBlog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this!

This book was soooo good! I couldn't put it down.
I laughed and cried. My heart melted a few times and I got really angry at a few characters 🤣 basically it made me feel ALL the feels.

[Alrina Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I enjoyed this. The author is quite descriptive and takes you back in time effortlessly. It has just enough historical perspective to help you understand what it was like back then but not entirely too much to dampened the mood. Highly recommend!