Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the gifted book to write my honest review for the book tour.
Can true love win the day?
Hetty Affleck is working as a maid at the prestigious Beach Hotel in Littlehampton. Her beau, Lorcan, is away at war and has recently stopped replying to her letters but she is determined to keep her spirits up. When she meets wealthy shipbuilder’s son Victor Perryman, they pass the time of day and they both feel a connection but she can’t allow herself to think anything more of it – not only does she have Lorcan to think of, but she and Victor are divided by wealth and class.
Yet they meet again and Hetty is charmed and intrigued by Victor and his openness towards her. It becomes harder to ignore the attachment growing between them.
When Lorcan comes back on leave, Hetty is forced to face her true feelings. Who does she really love, and can that love conquer everything in its path?
My Review
The Beach Hotel series is one that I have followed since the very first book was published. Now it’s the fourth book, Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel. There was no question I wanted to read this one. I do enjoy Francesca Capaldi’s writing. She has the ability to bring a setting to vivid life so easily.
This particular book tells the story of Hetty Affleck. A headmaster’s daughter who takes a job as a maid at the Beach Hotel. She has no need to work, but she is a girl who wants more from life.
Lorcan, her beau is away at war but hasn’t been replying to her letters. She does her best not to let it get her down. Victor Perryman is the son of
a wealthy shipbuilders son. When they meet, Hetty knows there is something there for her, but she can’t allow herself to do anything, not just because of Lorcan but also because Victor is from a different class than her.
Love and Loss at the Beach Hotel explores the divides of class and how it affects the lives of the people then. Again, this is an excellently researched and written book. Francesca Capaldi can weave a tale that transports me immediately back in time. Revisiting all the characters makes me feel like I’m back with old friends. The interweaving of fact and fiction is always cleverly done. I really can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.
Another engrossing historical fiction novel that’s a worthy addition to this series. A highly recommended read.
Purchase Links
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zAql23
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/love-and-loss-at-the-beach-hotel
Apple: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/love-and-loss-at-the-beach-hotel/id6504192817
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/love-and-loss-at-the-beach-hotel/francesca-capaldi/9781804368466
Author Bio
Francesca has enjoyed writing since she was a child. Born in Worthing and brought up in Littlehampton in Sussex, she was largely influenced by a Welsh mother who loved to tell improvised stories. A history graduate and qualified teacher, she decided to turn her writing hobby into something more in 2006, when she joined a writing class.
Writing as both Francesca Capaldi and Francesca Burgess, she has had many short stories published in magazines in the UK and abroad, along with several pocket novels published by DC Thomson.
Her Welsh World War 1 sagas were inspired by the discovery of the war record of her great grandfather, a miner in South Wales. Heartbreak in the Valleys was a finalist in the Historical Romance category of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards (RoNAs) in 2021. Her latest series, The Beach Hotel, is set in her own childhood town, where her Italian father had a café on the riverside. The first in that series, A New Start at the Beach Hotel, won the Romantic Saga Award in the RoNAs in 2024.
Francesca is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. She currently lives on the North Downs in Kent with her family and a cat called Lando Calrission.
Social Media Links –
Website & Blog: https://www.francesca-capaldi.com/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/FrancescaCapaldiAuthor
Twitter/X: https://x.com/FCapaldiBurgess
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francesca.capaldi.burgess/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@francesca.capaldi.author
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