The second book in the Grundy Family series, All is Fair is a classic historical saga novel.

The book is set in the first half of the 1900s, just as the world changes following the horrors of the two World Wars. It's a time when women are becoming more than just housekeepers and child-bearers, when new technology and innovations are coming to the forefront, and when the traditional way of life for millions of people is on the cusp of being lost forever.

Grundy's fair is a traditional travelling fairground community of rides, stalls, and attractions aplenty. The story features multiple narratives, each following a different member of the community. Whether it's the Grundy family themselves or one of their newly arrived workers, each individual has a role to play in keeping the fair open for business.

The story follows the events of All the Fun of the Fair, the first book in the series. It's designed to be read as a standalone, but I think it's important to read the books in order to fully understand why certain events happen, and why certain people behave as they do.

I enjoyed All is Fair more than the first book in the series. It was better written, with a developed cast of characters and several intriguing threads of plot. Overall, this is a strong story with plenty of potential for a longer-running series. I hope the author will return to the Grundy family fair for a new instalment at some point in the future!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book & thank you to the publisher too. Lynda Page is the author of All is Fair. I won’t give any spoilers. It was a historical fiction book which I love those. I heard this is part of a series or saga of books so this is my first book by this author. I recommend it.

An interesting story set in an unusual background. This is part of a saga but having not read the previous book I still fully understood the stories and characters so is a good stand alone read. I enjoyed this a lot, highly recommended.

All is Fair is a nice light read of historical fiction. Going back in time to the fair, we see the community that forms there. It's a warm thoughtful story that cozy mystery fans will enjoy. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel. The characters and plot were also well written. This was a great piece of historical fiction!

Told from multiple perspectives but all centering on the Grundy Family, the concept of ‘family saga’ has been enlarged to include the many different workers and families who move with the fair during the season, and becoming like family as they share successes and failures, hard work and new environs every week. Hard to solidly date, but feeling very post-war England in the 50’s perhaps, the story mixes these tales of each highlighted character with the camaraderie, secret sharing and support that one would hope for.

For Julie – all her dreams are still to be realized as her husband isn’t the man she hoped for, and her life is rarely in her own control. He’s the lead rider in the daredevil motorcycle act, egotistical, sharp tongued with an even sharper temper, and her embarrassment at his maltreatment has left her silent, despite some having ‘feelings’ that all was not as it seemed, or that her best friend actually witnessed her abuse and later confirmed her husband’s adultery. It’s not until he’s killed in a training run, a ‘mishap’ with one of the newly tweaked bikes leading to his death, and Julie’s subsequent rise to ‘leader’ of the team (after much ‘stern’ talk from the women in Sol Gundy’s life. There’s his wife Gem and daughter Jenny – newly discovering her birth parents after being given away to adoption as an infant by her maternal grandmother. Sol’s still struggling with the tumult and grief following his own father’s death, and his older brother’s fury at not being named heir to the fair. Self-doubt and the struggle of juggling all aspects of the fair have him feeling inferior – and it’s not until the very unusual Velda, the fortune teller, gets him to speak of his fears that his more than capable wife helps him to see sense.

There’s Tom, new to the fair and sounding more like the lord of the manor than any other of the casual men – with impeccable manners, hardworking and an instant attraction to Jenny. The Grundy brothers Robert and Jimmy – both solidly supportive brothers with Jimmy more in the footsteps of his uncle, one who couldn’t keep one woman but needed many, and Robert who quietly goes about doing the right thing and believing that Jimmy is so ‘flash’ that he’s got nothing to offer a girl he may fancy, until he does. Then there’s Renata who runs a sweets stand and is finally utterly in love and living with her man Donny – she’s a little person with a big heart, big sense of humor, plenty of nosiness and a love of laughter and gossip. When you add in Velda – the fortune teller who’s just a bit different from the expected, and her close friendship with Gem and her supportive words full of kindness and sense to all – there are plenty of people that you come to know, all falling into place in ways that make it feel as if you are there amongst them.

A lovely and light read where secrets kept close feel so much more ominous than they actually are once shared, plenty of support and a touch of intrigue with the fair being conned twice in one season – the story reads easily and holds interest throughout. From modern and innovative ways of dealing with personnel, as well as a determination to provide loyalty, fun and a supportive shoulder to the workers, the story is intriguing and a clever glimpse into a world that feels so very foreign, yet without the moving about, is familiar to all.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=”https://wp.me/p3OmRo-agv /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

This was a good cosy night in read, enjoyed the story and the plot, something I would read very quickly and very enjoyable.

A great read having read Lynda's previous novel about Grundy' s fair I was looking forward to this and I wasn't disappointed a great mix of characters good and bad and plenty of good storylines to retain your interest a thoroughly enjoyable novel think a third one would be good a must read for Lynda Page fans

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have read quite a few books by this author and this one did not disappoint. I shall be looking out for the first book in the Grundy series.

This is book two in a series about Grundy’s Fair. I enjoyed book one but it left unanswered questions about the feuding brothers Solly and Sonny. This book is great it answers lots from book one but it also leaves me wanting a book three. I now want to know if Tom is going to stick around and of course I want to know his secret. Will Suzie ever be found so that Ren and Donny can have their happy ever after wedding. I also enjoy the everyday ups and downs of fairground life. This is a highly enjoyable series that I definitely recommend

All is fair is the second book in the Grundy series, set in the showman’s world. In this book we revisit the fairground community and go behind the scenes for an interesting insight into its world. Whilst this story includes the regular members whom we have grown to love, we now meet Julie and Dicky Grundy who are part of the Wall of Death riding team. Their marriage isn’t what Julie hoped it would be and without giving away the plot, there are dramatic events which have a life-changing impact on them.
It would be easy for a reader to go straight into the series from this book, as the author goes into some detail with a catch up from the first book. To begin with I found this book a little slow and difficult to get into. However, it’s a nice, cosy book and perfect for to snuggle up and read at this time of the year. It’s well written with a few twists that you don’t see coming.
Many thanks to Canelo for my arc.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a nice easy read. The story is exceptionally well written and shows about the fair community and how much of a community they are especially when the chips are down.

What a lovely book and what an interesting setting.
I discovered this is the second instalment in a sage and I will surely look for the previous instalment as I really like this one.
The book is heartwarming, moving, entertaining and enjoyable.
You cannot help rooting for Julie and the other characters .
I look forward to reading the next instalment.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC

What an interesting setting for what is essentially a family saga- when one expands the definition to family to all of those who work together in a traveling fair. This was new territory me as I'd not read the previous book, or any of Page's work for that matter, and I suspect I missed a bit but no matter. There's a fairly large cast of characters but this focuses on Julie and Dickie. He's an abusive spouse and the impact goes beyond what he does to his wife. There's ups and downs and drama among the others. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

what an amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end
I loved the authors style of writing and will be looking for other books by this author.
I would recommend this book to friends and family

Julie and Dicky Otterman arrive at Grundy's fair with an extraordinary new act: The Wall of Death. The seemingly happy couple are the talk of the town, but it's not all that it seems. Dicky has a dark and violent nature and Julie often finds herself at the ends of her fists. Jenny is settling in fine to life at the fair after finding her birth parents after her adoptive mother had passed away. New member Tom has caught Jenny's eye. Dicky has been teaching Julie to be the first woman to ride The Wall of Death, but will everything go to plan.

I'm a big fan of Lynda Page and in this second book in the Grundy family saga things don't always go to plan. I like the way she solves the problems that happen within a fair with what seems like minimum effort, and there are several different events take place in this book. I also like the fact that the events from the last book continue in this book. This is a well written book with lots of twists. I do recommend this book which can be read as a standalone but do yourself a favour and read All The Fun Of The Fair before you read this book. You won't be sorry.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Canelo and the author Lynda Page for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.