Elizabeth Pennington should be the rightful heir of Bath's premier department store through her enterprising schemes and dogged hard work. Her father, Edward Pennington believes his daughter lacks the business acumen to run his empire and is resolute a man will succeed him.
Determined to break from her father's iron-clad hold and prove she is worthy of inheriting the store, Elizabeth forms an unlikely alliance with ambitious and charismatic master glove-maker Joseph Carter. United they forge forward to bring Pennington's into a new decade, embracing woman's equality and progression whilst trying not to mix business and pleasure.
I wasn’t sure whether I would like this novel, reading the blurb it seemed it would be a mix of Mr Selfridge & A Woman of Substance but I was proved wrong. It was a very entertaining read Elizabeth a young woman desperate to prove to her Victorian father that his worthless daughter was just as hard working as a son would have been. Joseph was another hardworking forward thinking young man determined to be successful. Their attraction was immediate & they quickly grew to like, respect & then to love each other. Edward was what I think of as a stereotype Victorian man – stiff upper lip, outwardly seen to be all that was upright & proper but behind closed doors anything but. The story flowed extremely well & I found myself engrossed in it. I look forward to reading more from this new author to me
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Perfect for fans of historical fiction ! Brimble has written a lovely story of Elizabeth, a strong young woman, who wants to move her family business forward. It's 1910 Bath, however, and that's not as easy as it would be today. She meets Joseph, a glove maker who is trying to do the same thing. Together they make a great team. There's a romance, there's interesting historic details, but best of all, there are the two characters- Elizabeth and Joseph. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read!

I am such a fan of historical fiction and this book really delivered just what I was hoping it would! It's about suffrage, women's rights, growing up and finding a way to get what you want when the time you live in is against allowing that to happen. The writing was strong, the characters well developed and the plot engaging. Recommended!

Set in 1910 with the suffragette movement getting into full sway, women in general seemed to have had a tough time with men during this period. It seemed to be even more rigid than ever before and someone like Elizabeth the only child and heir to the Pennington empire was no match for her father and other males of the time.



Elizabeth was hard working, passionate about her job at Pennington's the finest department store in Bath and was determined to take the store forward but was being held back at every turn by her father who felt that marriage and a family was the best thing for her. Trying to break this was going to be a herculean task and Elizabeth sole aim was for her to let her father see what she was capable of. That she had made a success of the Ladies Department entrusted to her did not seem to count with him. She had to make him see her for what she could do.

Joseph Carter was a small time businessman - making gloves and hats. He knew the day of the small shop keeper was doomed and despite his father not being happy he felt that aligning himself to a big store was the way to survive.

Joseph and Elizabeth were kindred spirits. Both suffered in their personal lives but together they knew there was a way forward.

This story alongside a romance, brought out the fact that hard work and determination pays and that you can succeed despite the odds. Descriptively told it also brings to light the attitudes and what life was like in the early 20th century.

I really liked this book! In 1910, Elizabeth Pennington is working at her father's store, which is Bath's leading department store. Even though she wants to take over ownership of the store when her father retires, he is firmly against it. The new manager must be a man. This is the story of the struggles Elizabeth goes through to prove she is worthy of inheriting the store. Her biggest supporter is Joseph Carter, a premier glove-maker. Even though Elizabeth and Joseph have feelings for each other, her father does not consider him good enough for Elizabeth. I really liked learning about the department store and seeing how times have changed. It was so interesting to read about the great customer service the store offered as compared to how we shop today. I hope Rachel Brimble writes another book about these characters. Highly recommend!

Already being a lover of Rachel Brimble's stories, especially her historicals, I was so excited to get started on this the first book in her new series set in Edwardian England. The Mistress of Pennington's is set in 1910 at a time when women were still thought of as being incapable of having grand ideas of advancing themselves and of being equal to men, but this was also a time where small change was starting to happen and women were actually starting to fight for their rights, to get their voices heard and to be given the right to vote. This story features some of the struggles that women faced through the eyes of Elizabeth Pennington who tries to get her father Edward Pennington to give her more responsibility at their family store. Edward Pennington is a man very much prejudiced against women having any kind of position of authority, thinking that only a man has the intelligence to run his store and that Elizabeth should marry a man of his choosing for position and money. Elizabeth has other ideas about her life as she is a woman with her own mind, she is a strong and stubborn character that refuses to do her fathers bidding and fights him every step of the way. Joseph Carter is a forward thinking man that realises the changes that are happening and that there is a need to move with the times of the new modern era. He and Elizabeth bring forth those changes while trying not to fall in love. Their romance is very sweet and endearing it not only adds some very light hearted banter between the characters it helps to enhances the story. It pulls both of them emotionally in very different directions, and it leaves them both feeling guilty of where their romance will lead them and what consequences they will both face because of it.
This truly is my favorite of Rachel's books as she has totally outdone herself with her attention to detail and accuracy of the time period of which the book is set. The story was a pleasure to read as the writing was so very good and easy to get lost in. The characters were interesting and very well developed as was the plot of this book. It's a captivating read that touched my heart deeply and is currently one of my top 5 favorite books to have read so far this year.
A brilliant 5 Stars!